Restaurant Revisited: WhaBah Steakhouse
It's not every day on Restaurant: Impossible that Robert Irvine visits a 4,000-square-foot restaurant — let alone one that used to enjoy profits of more than $1 million. On tonight's all-new Season 11 premiere, Robert and his team traveled to Bowling Green, Ky., to take on their most-massive mission to date at WhaBah Steakhouse, a part-restaurant, part-music venue that, despite its early success, was facing serious losses. With limited time to work, Robert and the Restaurant: Impossible crew had to not only re-inspire Donnie "Perky" Perruquet but also transform his enormous establishment. Read on below to hear from Perky's daughter, Nicole Schwarzkopf, and find out how WhaBah Steakhouse is faring today.
Although WhaBah Steakhouse was packed immediately after filming, business has since slowed, though Schwarzkopf notes of the updated decor, "We love, love, love the clean, fresh new look, and the bar and tables."
As for the food at WhaBah, the menu there is now a mix of the restaurant's original offerings, plus a few that Robert created, according to Schwarzkopf. "Our menu before was way too large and overwhelming, so I think we have a much better balanced one now," she admits.
"I feel like we just about have a new staff since [the Restaurant: Impossible transformation]," Schwarzkopf explains of the staffing at WhaBah. "We have tried definitely to be more assertive and make the employees more responsible for the work they do," she adds of post-transformation changes at the eatery.
Looking ahead to what's next for Whabah, Schwarzkopf says, "We are trying to find new business partners that want to invest and make it successful."