Robert Irvine Just Teased An International Version Of Restaurant: Impossible
Celebrity chef Robert Irvine dishes out tough love and smart advice to owners of failing restaurants on his popular Food Network show "Restaurant: Impossible," currently in its 19th season, per the network's official site. Featuring struggling eateries from all across the country, Irvine swoops in with his crew to attempt to fix what ails the businesses and get them on the right track. Some owners listen, some don't, but regardless, Irvine gives them the best chance they have to pull their restaurant out of the hole and succeed.
Now, it seems that the British-born chef might be taking his successful franchise across the pond. After Food Network U.K. posted a teaser trailer for the newest season of the American-based show, a user on Twitter asked whether Irvine would consider doing an international version of "Restaurant: Impossible." Surprisingly, Irvine replied, "Yes ... we're talking about it."
Given that the show has worked with restaurants featuring a variety of cultural cuisines, including British pub food, Bavarian tavern fare, and French bistro menus, an international version of the series likely would be very comfortable for Irvine. And according to Parrot Analytics, the current "Restaurant: Impossible" program is already very popular in many European countries, including the United Kingdom, France, and Germany — so an expansion would make sense to capitalize on the viewership.
It wouldn't be the first Food Network show to go international
If Robert Irvine and Food Network did create an international version of "Restaurant: Impossible," it wouldn't be the channel's first foray into global territories. The network currently has a number of localized programming options, including Food Network Europe, Food Network U.K. & Ireland, and Food Network Italy. While much of the content still originates and is filmed in America, most of these international versions of the network also include shows featuring local food or lifestyle celebrities native to those regions.
Irvine has also spoken in the past about the impact he feels that food can have to bring people together across the world. At a 2017 National Restaurant Association show, he stated, "Food is an international language and can transcend cultural differences" (as seen on Twitter). He also recently hosted a new five-episode competition cooking show called "The Globe", streaming on Discovery+, and featuring world-class chefs virtually transported to different international locations, creating cuisine based off that region's traditional dishes and flavors, per Food Network. As the star chef told AM NY, " I wanted to immerse people into the world and culture through food." Sounds like he's on to something and hopefully we'll see Irvine continuing this worldly trajectory.