Geoffrey Zakarian Reveals More About His New Food Network Show - Exclusive
Geoffrey Zakarian might be best known for his impeccable taste in food and drink, thanks to his many restaurants and television appearances. However, one of Zakarian's latest projects will show not only his own business acumen, but also what it takes to start and manage a restaurant. Mashed recently spoke to the culinary star in a recent exclusive interview to learn about his upcoming Harry & David collection and contributions to the brand's blog, The Table. But, he also shared more about his new Food Network show, "Big Restaurant Bet," that will premiere Tuesday, April 5 at 10 p.m. ET.
"[I'm] very excited [to be in] prime time," Zakarian shared. "It's one of those pandemic shows that was just about to film in June of 2020. Then the world shut down, so we're very excited that we got it filmed finally in South Florida. It's incredible," he explained. But Zakarian wants viewers to know this show isn't like most cooking competitions you've seen before. "It's an unusual show in that it's going to give not only competition, it's also going to show what it takes to open a restaurant," he said.
This is the premise of "Big Restaurant Bet"
Geoffrey Zakarian walked Mashed through the premise of "Big Restaurant Bet," so viewers can learn about the show, which gives a peek at what it really takes to open a restaurant successfully. "We take eight of the best chefs that we have found. These are serious chefs [who are] looking to open their dream restaurant. It's much more of a big picture of opening a restaurant than just becoming a chef. I'm very excited to dig deep and really give viewers a real sense of what it is to not run a restaurant, but opening one," Zakarian said.
In his opinion, the process of opening a restaurant carries far more weight and responsibility than simply hoping to become a professional chef. "When it's great, it's magnificent. When it's not great, it's not magnificent. Either way, it's a stunning amount of work and coordination to do it," he said. "I think the viewers are really going to understand things they've never thought of, like how hard it is and what it takes just to get a recipe development done. ... Once you're open, you're physically exhausted. Then you've just started. It's great. It's a whole other look-see of what it takes to open a restaurant," he explained.
"Big Restaurant Bet" premieres on Food Network Tuesday, April 5 at 10 p.m. ET. And follow Harry & David's The Table blog for Geoffrey Zakarian's posts and a peek at his curated collection for the brand.