[Yolanda Perrilloux] August of 2013, I'll never forget.
That's when we received Pepper's diagnosis.
Without Pepper... A little lost.
-[bell ringing] -[Boo] Order up!
I don't know anything about a restaurant.
We don't have any collard greens, no corn pudding.
Well, we got mouse poop and we got cockroach-a.
-He said shut it down. -[Boo] Shut what down?
Everything.
-How do you stay open? -[Yolanda] Personal loans, life insurance policies.
[Robert Irvine] Let's go!
Do you wanna make it?
-Yeah, I do. -Then, I'm gonna teach you how to make it.
Tamales, that's your story, that's your beginning.
[singing loudly] Oh, baby!
-That's freakin' good. -[Robert] Are you ready?
-I'm so ready, Robert. -[Robert] Open your eyes.
[Yolanda gasping] Oh, my God!
[Robert] I'm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
I'm on the way to meet the owner, Yolanda, from Pimanyoli's.
Baton Rouge is a bustling, hustling town,
so why is it failing with this many people here?
Good question, right?
Thank you for calling Pimanyoli's, may I help you?
The name of our restaurant is Pimanyoli's. It's a smokehouse.
We smoke brisket, chicken, ribs, pulled pork, and then, we have our hot tamales,
and they're very popular.
-This is lookin' a little dry, Erin. -Yeah.
-We need to put some ice cubes in there. -[Yolanda] Okay.
My husband, Pepper, and I opened the door in 2008.
I met him in 1984. It was love at first sight.
I looked at my best friend and I said, "I'ma marry that man." Whoo!
We got married in 1987.
I mean, we were young and inseparable.
He woke up one mornin' and said, "Let's open a restaurant."
And I said, "Pepper, have you lost your mind? You know nothin' about a restaurant."
I don't know anything about a restaurant.
But he believed he could.
-[bell ringing] -[Yolanda] Order up!
Pepper loved barbecuin' and smokin'.
He'd do it at home, and he did a lot of brisket.
People really loved his food.
And if he wanted to open a restaurant, I wanted to support him.
Brisket, baked beans and coleslaw for you.
[Yolanda] When we opened, an article went in the newspapers,
and before we knew it, people were comin' through the doors.
In our second year, we almost made a half a million dollars, total revenue.
It paid bills, and we were happy.
And then, everything changed.
August of 2013, I'll never forget.
That's when we received Pepper's diagnosis.
Um, they told him, yeah, yeah, it was cancer.
Miss Yolanda wouldn't come to work.
And I was wonderin' why she wasn't comin' to work.
She was breaking down. She wanted to shut herself in.
I went to Miss Yolanda's apartment, and I was telling her she can't do that.
We here for her.
About six to seven months later, she come back into her business,
but Miss Yolanda was very different when she came back.
Without Pepper... I'm a little lost.
So, the kitchen said they needed, um, mushrooms and apples.
So, I'll go run to the store and get that, and I'll be back.
We started losin' our business after he died.
I have taxes mainly, and business loans, comes to about $250,000.
I... I can't pay it.
I wish I could, but I can't.
I been here 11 years, Miss Yolanda means a lot to me,
but right now, sometimes, I feel like she's given up.
I love this restaurant because Pepper and I built it together.
I keep tryin' to keep my doors open.
[sighing]
[Robert] Is it barbecue? Smells a little barbecue-y, but I'm still not sure.
I see smokehouse on the mats.
Lots of writing on the walls.
Oh, my goodness. I hate this. That, to me, is the tackiest of tack.
I see service stations, and a lotta clutter.
Pimanyoli's, I'm not sure what it is.
Let's find out. [shouting] Yolanda! Come in the restaurant, please.
-Good mornin', Chef Robert. -Good morning. How are you?
-I'm well. -Take a seat.
The name, what does it mean?
Pimanyoli's, "Piman", that's my late husband's nickname. Creole for Pepper.
Yoli's one a my nicknames. We put our two... Our nicknames together.
-Your husband... -Pepper?
-...when did he pass? -Eight years ago, in February.
[Robert] I'm sorry to hear that.
What did your husband and you do before you opened the restaurant?
My husband worked at one a the local casinos here.
And you were doin' what?
Um, administrator of a homeless shelter for women and children.
Thank you for doing that.
And what made you both decide to get into a restaurant, with no knowledge?
I got into this business because my husband enjoyed workin' with food.
He would smoke meat, season 'em, and people enjoyed it a lot.
-So, you... You found the place? -[Yolanda] That was in 2008.
And do you remember what the sales were?
In our second year, $434,000, I think it was.
-[Robert] Did business get better year by year? -It did. It did.
-So, why am I here? -[Yolanda] You're here to help me, um...
Help me understand why I'm going from 42 in a month to $2,600.
It's almost half of what we were generatin' before.
[Robert] How do you stay open?
Personal loans, savings, life insurance policies, and um...
It's okay.
-Give me your hand. So, what's going on? -[Yolanda sniffling]
-[sobbing] When he was here... -[Robert] Your husband?
What's going on? Tell me.
I just... I still don't... Figure it out. I can't figure it out.
-I don't know what's happenin'. -What can't you figure out?
Why you're losing money? Okay, well, that's why I'm here, right?
[whimpering] That's why...
I just feel like I'm just wanderin' in a no-man's land.
So, what is the debt of the restaurant, total, now?
-Probably $250,000. -$250,000.
-What is that? -It's taxes,
-it's... Over a hundred... -So, you're behind on taxes.
-Okay, are you paying it off? Nothing, okay. -State... I can't.
And then, home equity loan.
-How much did you take out? -$70,000.
-[Robert] That's on your home, right? -That's on my family home,
-my mom's home... -Okay.
...which keeps me up at night.
-Because if you don't pay it, they come take the home? -Mmm-hmm.
[Robert] Okay, all right. Okay.
As long as I know the whole thing, and it... I can work it out.
You asked for help, I'm here. You have to trust me. So, it's okay.
-Um, I wanna see your service. Get your staff moving. -Okay.
Get the restaurant set the way you do.
-You tell me when we're ready, and we'll open. -Okay.
-Okay? -All right.
[Robert] All right, stand up.
It's just gonna take a little minute, okay?
All right, off you go.
[Yolanda] I hope Robert can fix it. [stammering] But I'm afraid.
I'm just waitin' to get through it.
Good mornin', everybody. Thanks for comin'.
[Robert] Right away, I want to see if the owner's taking charge of her restaurant.
So, how do y'all wanna work this?
Tom, do you wanna take a section?
All right, well, I'll do 13 and 14... 12, 13 and 14.
Or maybe start with one, uh... I'll start with one.
[Robert] But Yolanda is way too passive to be an effective leader.
And it only takes 20 seconds for me to see another big problem.
[man speaking]
Uh, no fried potatoes. We don't have oils.
We don't have any collard greens, no corn pudding, no pork chops.
We used to come here for like, work lunches and stuff.
The only downside is, you have to be here like, at 11:00, or they run out of food.
[customer] Coleslaw, side salad.
[machine hissing]
[Robert] But even if you do get the food you want,
your meal's ruined by a soda machine that sounds like a car repair shop.
[Erin] Missin' a root beer.
[Robert] Oh, my gosh.
Even more troubling than the racket, Yolanda is nowhere to be found.
She's avoiding the problem by disappearing in the back.
Oh, my goodness. Ugh.
[Robert] I'm in Pimanyoli's Cafe in Baton Rouge, Louisiana,
where Yolanda is too passive with her staff, out of menu items,
and has a soda machine that's killing the diners' experience...
Oh, my God. My God.
...but instead of dealing with the problems, she's hiding in the kitchen.
[machine hissing]
[Robert] The soda machine finally runs out of steam.
If she's running away from these issues, what else has she neglected?
Look at the state a this. Somebody's not been taking care of this.
[sighing]
Well, we got mouse poop, and we got cockroach-a.
This is not good. They're gonna be everywhere.
-[bell ringing] -[Boo] Order up!
[Robert] Issues in the front of house, usually mean trouble in the back as well.
[Boo] A BBLTA and another Bad Attitude.
Come on, baby. Let's get this food out.
What is this list on this wall? Is that your--
They're... They're just the stuff that we getting low...
-We low on, but it's not gonna come on this truck... -[Robert] Yeah.
...because she didn't order a truck this week.
And nothing fried, obviously.
Yolanda knows what she needs to buy. She's just not doing it.
In fact, she doesn't seem to be doing much of anything.
-[bell ringing] -[Boo] Order up!
[Robert] We're over an hour into service, and I'm running out of time.
Yolanda is just going through the motions of being an owner.
If I'm gonna have any chance of turning her into a real leader,
I need to start now.
Yolanda, this is not a restaurant I would come to.
It's not an inviting restaurant, it's outdated, dark.
It looks old, it's dirty.
You asked for help, I'm gonna give you help. And I told you it's gonna be a long road.
Stop them cookin'. You don't need any more food, please. Okay?
[Yolanda] They're done, you can shut it all down. You can shut it down.
-Shut what down? -He said shut it down.
-[Boo] Shut what down? -Everything.
[Boo] Wait a minute...
Thank you for coming in, I appreciate it.
[producer speaking]
All right, let me do a smoked chicken Caesar, mac and cheese.
We are actually out of macaroni today.
-Collard greens. -No, sir.
-[Robert] Brisket... -Mmm-hmm.
-[Robert] ...and tamales, baked beans, okay. -Uh-huh.
-Great. Thank you. -[Erin] Enjoy.
Thank you.
Let's start with the brisket. Very little smoke smell.
Not seasoned enough, it's dry, so that'll be number one.
Baked beans, beans far too sweet.
I like they got big chunks of meat in it.
Well, take me a week of Sundays to chew through that.
Chicken, I can tell you right now, is dry as hell, just lookin' at it.
Yeah, too salty for me.
Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi.
Tamales.
Pretty good. I think there's a huge opportunity on this.
Tamales are unique in a smokehouse.
[shouting] Yolanda!
Pull out 'round here to me.
Tamales, what made you decide to get into tamales?
[Yolanda] Growin' up, my mom started making tamales.
She brought the recipe from her hometown, sellin' to, uh, local bars.
When Pepper and I first started here, we were making the tamales ourself.
And... But it became too much, so we turned it over to my sister.
That's your story, that's your beginning.
Have you...You want two or three flavors as an alternative.
That is a very unique item for you.
The brisket, forget it.
-It's, to me... Pfff... Not good. -Wow.
The chicken Caesar... Phhh... Awful.
There's nothing exciting here, and that's why we've lost half the revenue a month.
And I would not, um, come for this food.
This is the reason why I'm never gonna make money,
buy food, pay a staff, and pay back taxes.
That's one thing I didn't ask you this morning,
-and you open at what time 'til what time? -11:00 to 2:00.
11:00 till 2:00?
-Why only 11:00 till 2:00? -[Yolanda] You know, I was tired.
It got to be a little bit too much.
I mean, it would...
-We can do this. -Okay.
-All right. -All right.
Let me meet with our design team, and then we'll get... We'll get working.
How do we change what we're doing here, the mindset and this.
That's gonna be the challenge.
-Hi! -[Robert] Hey!
[Taniya] It sounds Greek, Pimanyoli's.
Well, it's actually a smokehouse, and the only good thing is the ceiling.
-Things I hate, lighting, tables, chairs... -It's gonna be everything.
...this bar, and then, the writing on the wall...
-[Taniya] Which I hate. -...which as you know, I hate.
-[Taniya] I think that's-- That makes three. Yeah. -I think everybody. I... Yeah.
[machine hissing]
-And you hear that? -[Taniya] What was that?
So, the soda machine, it makes a funny, weird noise.
All right, you get the team.
[shouting] Yolanda, let's go! Bring in your staff.
[Tom] All right, guys, let's load it out.
[Robert] All right, first things, grab boxes. I want all the salt/pepper put away.
[Tom] Chairs first, guys, let's get all the chairs out.
Somebody clean the back of the bar, nothing underneath.
All this top, everything can go off here, everything.
[Yolanda] I'm wearin' Pepper's hat so he can be with me as the change occurs.
He's with me when I'm wearing this.
[Robert] All this has to go. Uh, these can go rolled up.
[Tom shouting] All right, everybody out!
[Robert] Uh, somebody's glasses on the floor.
What are you thinking now?
Will I survive? Will I make it?
-Do you wanna make it? -[whimpering] Yeah.
Then, I'm gonna teach you how to make it. Okay?
All right, last look. Go out the front, and we'll, uh, we'll start, okay?
[sobbing] Thank you, Robert.
Believe in you.
I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed right now.
It just feels impossible. It feels impossible.
[Robert] I'm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at Pimanyoli's Cafe.
Overcome with grief, Yolanda has let the restaurant fall apart
since the death of her husband...
Well, we got mouse poop, and we got cockroach-a. This is not good.
...but I believe there's something even deeper going on that's broken her spirit.
I need to figure out what that is,
or this restaurant will fail no matter what I do.
So, listen, when I walked in the restaurant this morning,
I felt the restaurant was stuck in time.
It is.
Right, because you haven't changed anything.
Let's go back.
So, Pepper died in...
-In '14. 2014. -'14.
I think Pepper was a... Was my savior in a way, because he was my protector.
He was always there. I just felt comfortable and safe with him.
And had I not met him, I don't know where I'd be.
[Robert] What's going on?
I was...
I was physically, emotionally, psychologically, sexually abused.
-As a... As a youngster? -No, it was my first marriage.
-So, you were married before Pepper? -Yes.
-Okay. -Um...
I really hate...
-That's okay. -I really hate talking about him
-because I don't even like... -That's okay.
It's a...
I remember livin' in terror, and...
So, you went through this huge traumatic experience.
-It was two years by the time I got out. -Two years?
'Cause he's dead and gone at this point.
-[Robert] When did you meet Pepper? -[Yolanda] Two years later.
[Robert] Two years later.
So, so when... When Pepper died eight years ago--
I... I stayed at home.
I hate sound. I sleep with the TV on so I don't hear what's goin' on around me.
How long were you married to Pepper?
-It's been 30 years that I've been with him. -30 years?
Be thankful that you had him for 30 years, and he took you from that dark place.
You've been through so much.
You wouldn't have got out of that horrendous marriage,
and you wouldn't have continued the restaurant if you weren't strong.
-That's what you celebrate. -Yes, I did.
Strength.
-Strength. -Strength.
-Okay? -Okay. Okay.
[Yolanda] Robert wants me to believe in myself more.
This is gonna be hard to do, but I don't wanna be in that place.
I don't want us to be in that place.
Pepper wouldn't have wanted this.
He wouldn't a wanted this.
-[Boo] What's going on? -It's just hard to talk.
-[Boo] It's hard to talk? It's gonna be okay. Really. -[mumbling]
You know you got this far, so you know you... We do it.
I'm there for you.
-[Yolanda crying] -Hey, now.
-[Robert] Ah! -Oh, hey.
Is that a good "Ah"?
-Well, it's empty. Which is a good thing. -It is empty.
-It's empty to everything, Including the cockroaches. -All right, so...
Well, I wanna address that before we go any further.
So, I called an exterminator.
Problem is, they have to come in at 5:00 in the morning,
and we'll be out for five hours 'til 10:00 in the morning.
-'Cause they have to fog it. -Ugh.
That's not good.
Which means, you gotta do a lot more tonight.
-Up until... 5:00? -5:00 am.
[Robert] Yeah.
-Just digest that. -[Taniya] Yeah.
Now, let's look at the... The overall picture.
[Taniya] Well, first of all, this place needs an overhaul from front to back.
It's a long, narrow space, so, we're gonna break it up into three parts.
The front, we'll do family style big tables, with great lighting overhead.
The second section will be banquette seating, four top tables,
just so that we have a variety of options.
And in the last section, we got rid a that old bar,
and now we're building a server station using prefab shelving.
Lastly, to make that back wall pop, we'll do "Pimanyoli's" up in neon lights.
The writing is on the walls. This place is gonna be incredible when it's done.
So, we're gonna get a stainless steel table for the soda machine,
so they can actually clean under it.
Soda machine, they're gonna rebuild,
and bring back a brand new one tomorrow.
-Good. -[Tom] Wow.
-Just note for self, fogging. -Yeah.
Well, you gotta just push. I know it's gonna be hard, but push it all through.
Yeah, we'll... we'll get as much as we can done tomorrow,
-and we'll see where we're at tomorrow. -All right, cool. Thanks.
[Tom] Cockroach time, yeah.
-Hi. -[Yolanda] This is my sister, Wanda.
[Robert] I asked Yolanda to introduce me to her sister, Wanda
who makes the restaurant's tamales,
because I have an idea for a new menu item.
Why can't we add something like crawfish or maybe some shrimp and blood sausage?
And I want refreshed family recipe for tomorrow's service.
-[Wanda] Okay. -You can do that?
-Of course, she can. -Okay.
I'm not gonna let my sister down.
I'm gonna do the best I can, and that's gonna be awesome.
[Robert] While Wanda works with my executive chef on the new recipe...
I think maybe we can chop the, uh, crawfish tails up a little smaller.
[Robert] ...I wanna give Yolanda an assignment
that will hopefully get her headed in the right direction.
-Today's been a long day. -[Yolanda] Yeah.
[Robert] You need to... You need to kind of... get a good feeling.
Good feeling is about you getting yourself right here, right here,
so you can deal with things.
This restaurant is gonna be yours with Pepper in mind.
-Okay? -Okay.
-It has to be your dream. -Yeah.
-Not Pepper's dream. -Right.
All right, I've got some homework for you.
I want you to write down tonight,
if you could talk to Pepper, what would you ask him?
-All right? -[Yolanda] All right.
I have to move forward.
Can't keep wishin' and hopin' that pepper were with me.
I lost a lotta strength when he left,
and I need to find that strength again,
but it's not easy to find strength.
I have to dig deep. I have to dig deep.
[Robert] It's day two in Pimanyoli's Cafe in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Yesterday, I met the owner who couldn't move past her grief at the loss of her husband.
[Yolanda crying] I wish he was here.
[Robert] Today, she has to rediscover her strength.
Only then, can she become a passionate leader,
who can make this restaurant a huge success.
-Good morning. -Good morning, Robert.
[Robert] So, I asked you to do some homework.
Write, uh, the questions you would like to ask Pepper
-if he... If he was sittin' here, right? -Right.
-Did you do that? -Right. I did.
And actually, I mean, it's a little more detailed than that.
-It's a letter that I wrote to Pepper. -Got it.
Okay, so, "Dear Pepper, I write this letter to you to let you know
we were blessed with 30 wonderful years.
How fortunate was I?
I will never get over you.
I will always think fondly about rain fallin' on the tin roof,
the laughter we shared.
Me always beatin' you at dominoes, and you beatin' me at Scrabble.
I'm glad we never stopped talking, kissin', holding hands.
Your gentleness overwhelmed me.
You always told me that I was a stronger one,
so I must learn to move forward, and hold on tight to what we had.
But the hardest part will be changin' my life,
startin' a new one without you physically beside me.
There's so much more I wanna talk to you about.
Keep listenin', and please, please stay with me."
That was a beautiful note,
and I think he's sitting on your shoulder right now saying,
"Hey, this is gonna be good."
-It's gonna be good, you know. -It's gonna be good. I do believe that.
He made me happy. I had a beautiful life, but I need to let go.
I need to release. I need to move forward.
-Keep that, because when you get down... -Yes.
and you get fed up, or you get tired, and you're going to...
-Mmm-hmm, yes. -...read that.
So, all right.
I'm gonna meet with my design team and...
And check the restaurant and go through the design...
-All right. All right. -...and, uh, I will see you shortly, okay?
-Robert, thank you so much. -Oh, you're so welcome.
Last night, doin' my homework, it was emotional.
I had a lot to examine.
My past has been a huge anchor.
But that letter I wrote gave me clear direction on what needs to happen.
Today, I feel hopeful, and I feel strong.
I can move forward.
[Robert] We lost five hours of renovation time this morning
because we had to fumigate the restaurant.
Now, it's time to find out how far behind we are as a result of that.
Good morning!
-Hi! -He's right on time.
[Taniya] I'm too nervous.
-[Robert] All right. -[Tom] Hold on, let me get the lights.
-[Robert] Ah! -[Taniya] Ooh, okay.
I don't see any cockroaches, so that's a good thing.
-Nothing's scattered, that's good. Yeah. -So, nothing moved.
So, we talked overall about the three sections.
The columns that Tom built,
-new lights, I like the lights. -[Taniya] Right.
-We talked about the... The graffiti on the wall... -[Tom] Mmm-hmm.
...which looks great.
All right, now I wanna go back to look at our divider wall.
-[Tom] Okay. -[Taniya] T, I'm impressed
with how much you guys got done last night.
-On top a this goes? -The bookshelves.
-[Robert] The bookshelves. -Right.
-This is a lot a work here. -Yeah, yeah.
We lost a lotta time last night.
So, we still... I have a ton a work to get done.
-So, get on with it. I'll catch up with you. -Yes.
[Robert] Lookin' at Yolanda's profit and loss statement,
I'm glad to see that her numbers are actually in line.
She just needs a little bit more knowledge
to go along with her new, more hopeful attitude.
Everything you have in there has to have a recipe.
[Yolanda] See, and I've been doing that wrong.
-Never changes. -[Yolanda] Never changes.
I like it. I'm committed to it.
[Robert] Yolanda is eager to absorb everything I'm teaching her,
but she still needs to make one big change
if the restaurant's gonna be successful.
-So, we talked about extendin' your hours, right? -Yes.
So, I'm gonna give you some numbers that I worked out,
based on your numbers from your P and L.
-Your profit/loss statement. -Okay, yes.
So, for the month of May, based on your P and L,
-you made $24,036.15. -Okay.
It means, you made $890.22 a day.
And by the way, it costs you $1,100 to open.
-Yes. -You opened 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
So, you're actually losing money for this time.
I would like you to do 11:00 to 7:00 pm.
-If we open 11:00 to 7:00... -11:00 to 7:00.
...based on these numbers, if you turn that room twice, we would be able to create
$2373.94 a day.
That gives me $769,156 a year.
So, the difference between this one and this one,
is nearly half a million dollars in revenue a year.
-Yep. -Just for bein' open five hours extra a day.
That's crazy.
Yes, it's gonna cost a little bit more in payroll.
Course, it is.
-Okay, but I'll be able to-- -But the building's sitting there empty.
That's right.
You owe $250,000.
If you keep your cost in line, that could be gone in a year.
[Yolanda] If I do run the extended hours.
You're just makin' the day brighter and brighter for me.
-All right? -All right.
-Good, I'm gonna finish your restaurant now. -All right. All right.
Robert's whiteboard impacted me so much.
Right now, we will be open from 11:00 to 7:00.
I have a plan, and that plan, I will follow.
[Robert] Today, everything has changed at Pimanyoli's.
Yolanda is a new person with a new outlook.
Now, the restaurant needs a new menu to match.
Okay, I'm gonna teach you three dishes
that I think will go really well on your menu.
First one I'm gonna show you is bacon salad.
Simple, lettuce, okra, tomatoes, pickled onions, cheese.
-That was difficult, right? -[Boo] Yes, it was. Yeah, extremely hard.
-[Boo chuckling] -All right, I'm gonna dress that.
-I like the pickled onions as color on top. -[Yolanda] Yes.
[Robert] Barbecued bacon, it's just barbecue sauce.
-Okay, on bacon. -[Robert] Dump it over the bacon.
-[Yolanda] Okay. -[Robert] Straight into the fryer.
-In the fryer? -[Robert] Fry it.
[Yolanda] Wow.
[Robert] Devilled eggs, bacon and eggs on a salad.
Bum, bum, bumm! All right, bacon salad. Dig in.
-[Boo giggling] Yeah. -That's freakin' good.
[Robert] It cost us $2.08, and we're gonna sell it for $11.
Givin' us $8.92 in our pocket, every time you sell a salad.
-Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. -[Boo chuckling]
Second one I'm gonna, uh, teach you is a barbecue pastrami.
I took the pastrami, boiled the pastrami...
-[Yolanda] Okay, okay. -...then, smoked the pastrami.
[Robert] So, it starts with a bun, kale dip.
Put a little bit on the bottom,
so that it doesn't move on the plate, that's all.
-Pastrami... -That smells good.
...spicy coleslaw, fresh cabbage, carrot,
red onion, rice wine vinegar, mustard, mayo, hot sauce, the potato chip...
and French fries.
A barbecue pastrami.
Oh, wow.
This is really good. Extremely good.
[Robert] That cost me $3.42 to make. We're gonna sell it for $17.00,
-and put in our pockets... Drumroll... -Yeah.
-...$13.58 every time you sell this. -[Yolanda chuckling] Yes.
[Boo] Wow.
That's the first time I've seen you smile in two days.
-The last one, Cajun pork fried rice. -Oh, wow.
[Robert] I've got andouille sausage, sweet potatoes, trinity.
[slowly] Oh, yeah, baby.
Beans, some corn, rice...
[singing loudly] Oh, baby!
[Robert] Mmm-mmm!
Smoked pork, teriyaki barbecue sauce.
Teriyaki barbecue sauce.
[Robert] Cajun pork fried rice. Go for it.
-[Yolanda] I'd like some more. -That's what I like.
[Robert] It costs $2.37 to make that.
We're gonna sell it for $15, putting into your pocket $12.63.
Oh, wow. Let's do it.
[Robert] There you go! Keep goin'! Keep goin'!
-I only do this one. I only do this. -[Yolanda laughing]
-Gotta ease it up. -[Robert] That's all I can do.
All right, I love your energy now.
-It's a whole different energy. -Yes.
I'm gonna check in with my designers.
-We are moving fast, right, to opening your restaurant? -Yes, we are.
All right, when I'm gone, you can eat the rest a the food.
-I wanna get some to-go containers. -[Boo stammering] All right.
[Robert] But there's one more dish for the service tonight,
and it's time to find out if it passes muster with Yolanda.
-[Wanda] Hi! -[man] Who's here?
-Oh, wow, the tamales. Yeah. -Yeah.
The tamale is a wonderful blend
-of the boudin and crawfish. -[Yolanda] And crawfish.
-Okay, let me just taste it. -[Wanda] Just... Just taste it, Okay.
-Oh, my God! -Mmm!
-You like it? -[Yolanda] Can't wait to serve this tonight,
-everybody's gonna jump on 'em. -[Wanda] Yes!
Wonderful!
-Oh, my God. -They are so awesome.
My sister has supported me in so many ways, anyway she possibly could.
Her presence here to help me means more than anything.
Right now, I need to be a strong, confident leader
in order for us to prosper and grow.
We got a new beginning comin'.
-I'm gonna be different... -Right.
...and I need you to be different with me.
-Right. -Yes, ma'am.
We're family and we're gonna do it together,
but when we're in that buildin', it's business.
I'm the boss.
-So, we start today, okay? -Yes, ma'am.
-All right? I love you so much. -Love you!
'Cause you've given me so much.
-Yeah, amen. Oh, yeah, right. -You just had some help.
[Taniya] So gross, look at all that.
[Robert] Losing five hours of renovation because we had to fumigate the restaurant
has thrown us way off schedule.
[screaming] Let's go!
So, I have to push hard if we're gonna open on time.
Scrub it like you mean it, people!
You gotta get right down low. Get down low.
Watch your head! watch your head!
Okay, so it's 5:00, and I'm still tryin' to figure out the banquette back wall here.
You see, one, two, three, four, five. That needs to go higher, guys.
That needs to go higher than that.
We haven't even started bringing in tables, we're cleanin' the back.
I will not give the restaurant back until it is the way I want it.
Now, that's gonna take at least another hour. So, you should get out.
[shouting] Just go, hurry up!
[Tom] All right, guys, hurry up. Hurry it up!
[Robert shouting] Let's get the tables in here. Let's go! Let's go!
All right, let's get the chairs in.
So, yesterday when I got here, Yolanda had no hope for her future.
Today? Look around you.
This is all hope and her future. Now, I'm gonna get her.
[Yolanda] Now, I did talk to Pepper on the way here.
And I said, "It's because a your dream, and your vision that I'm standin' right here."
You would be so proud, Pepper. You would be so proud.
Hello!
Come on over this way a second.
Stand here, close your eyes.
Okay.
Look in, 'cause there's a threshold.
[Yolanda sniffling]
We're gonna start here. Are you ready?
I'm so ready, Robert.
-[Robert] Open your eyes. -Oh, my God. What?
-Are you ready? -I'm so ready, Robert.
[Robert] Open your eyes.
Oh, my God. What?
[sobbing] Oh, Lord.
Lord, thank you for...
How in the world? What?
[crying]
[whimpering] Oh, God, this place is beautiful.
[crying]
-We had all... -Take a minute. Take a minute. You're okay.
[Yolanda sobbing] Oh, Lord.
I couldn't even envision this any kind a way.
-[Robert] Come on, have a look. This is your place. -[Yolanda crying] Oh...
-[Robert] All new tables, chairs. -[Yolanda sobbing] Oh, my God.
-[Robert] New banquette there, new lighting, new walls... -[Yolanda] Oh, my God.
...new service station, oh!
[sobbing] Look, his hat. His hat! Oh, I love this.
[softly] Oh, Jesus.
[Robert] I gotta show you this.
-Okay, oh... -We rebuilt your whole system.
-[crying] Oh, shhh... -You all right?
-Uh... Oh... Oh... -Come on, have a look. This is your place.
-...Y'all done it good. Uh... -This is your place.
[Yolanda crying] Oh, my God.
[crying] Oh, oh, Jesus...
-[Taniya] I'm so happy for you. -[Tom] Yeah.
-[sobbing] Thank you. -Oh, you're so welcome.
-[Yolanda] Oh, Lord. -This is your future.
[Yolanda] That's right, you don't know how happy I am right now.
[Robert] You're gonna walk to the door, and you're gonna let people in.
And they better not write on my walls.
[Robert] Off you go. Let them in.
-[Taniya] Good luck. -Oh, my God. Thank you.
-Oh, my gosh! -I know, uh...
Oh, my God!
Thank you so much for your support over the years.
I really appreciate it. Enjoy yourself and thank you so much.
-Ahhh! -Ahhh!
Oh, my God! Are you kidding me?
Man!
Bright, beautiful colors, it looks like a whole brand new place.
It's beautiful, isn't it?
-I feel like I'm in New York somewhere. -[both laughing]
[Yolanda] I'm so happy right now, I don't know what to do with myself.
-[Erin] Hey, y'all, how we doin' tonight? -Good.
-Everything on this menu is oh, my goodness... -[Erin] That's good.
...so delicious.
-[Erin] Do you know what you're havin'? -...The pork fried rice.
[Yolanda] Gonna love it.
[Robert] All right, first five tables are in.
A bacon salad, a Cajun pork and rice. One, two, three...
A Cajun rice, two times.
[Kurt] A salad, a pork fried rice and a pastrami.
-[Boo] Kurt, fries ready. -[Kurt] All right, I need a tamale.
That's nice! Hallelujah!
[Boo] Right up there in that... In that pan. Give me some crackle.
[Robert] The kitchen is doing great,
but I'm looking for a brand new Yolanda.
I wanna see her up front and center,
greeting customers and supervising her restaurant.
Instead of 11:00 to 2:00, it'll be 11:00 to 7:00.
I appreciate y'all so much, you know that.
[Robert] Even more importantly,
I wanna see the owner looking forward to a future full of hope and joy again...
I'm very happy for Miss Yolanda. I know that she deserve this.
If she happy, I'm happy.
[Robert] ...But it'll all be for nothing if the customers don't love the food.
The pastrami sandwich is amazing. It's juicy, it's tender.
[customer 2] So, when I first took my first bite, it was amazing.
The flavors were, like, outstanding. It's really over the top.
I could've never envisioned this. People are gonna wanna come.
Promise, hope, dreams, the future is bright.
It's just extraordinary.
It's up to her now.
-I'm very proud of you. -Oh, wow.
-You've come a long way... -Thank you, very much,
-Robert. -...in two days.
Now, I believe you can do this.
I can do it.
-[Robert] I know you can do it. -All right.
[all cheering]
You got this. Okay?
[all cheering]
[Robert] You know what worries me?
Is that you think you're doing something and you're really not.
You're $450,000 in debt. It just blows my mind that you let it go this far.
Holy moly!
The food, the cleanliness...
That's comin' from the ice machine.
There's garbage. Look at this chicken on the floor.
This is not acceptable.
You shut down right now.
Who's running the restaurant? 'Cause you're not.
The servers didn't show up.
If I don't get staff by 2:30, I'm not doin' a service.