I never wanted my son to get used to his mom not being around.
[Andres] It is a little heart-breaking
when she can't show up to a game.
[man 1] Felicia is spending too much time
trying to survive the restaurant.
You owe probably about quarter of a million dollars in taxes.
[Felicia speaking]
You've got to believe in you again.
I like that.
[Robert] Move! Move! Five hours a week.
These go into the store.
That's time you've got to spend with your kids.
This is fundamental to running a restaurant.
I feel like a new Felicia. She's back.
[man 2] Oh, baby!
[Felicia] That's amazing.
[Robert] Out, everybody out.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
I'm in Ash Fork, Arizona about an hour away from Flagstaff.
I'm on my way to the Ranch House Cafe to meet the owner, Felicia.
Ash Fork has about 400 people.
There's a main highway which I've just got off, which is the 40.
But I'm wondering, uh, is there enough to get off that 40
to find the restaurant, like I'm doing now.
Hmm, I don't know.
[Felicia] This is the mom-and-pop kind of classic diner.
We have eggs and bacon, burgers, chicken fried steak.
We're best known for our house green chili.
-Hi, how are you guys today? -[man speaking]
[Felicia] I get a lot of truck drivers coming through.
People pass through a lot going to Las Vegas or to the Grand Canyon.
But my locals are my bread and butter.
Our locals love the food.
-I'll get that done for you. -[man speaking]
[Felicia] You're welcome.
This place opened originally in 1994...
...under the original owners.
My mom was a server.
My dad was a cook.
What can I get for you?
And then at 14, I started out as a dishwasher.
I worked as a server.
I learned to short-order cook.
My whole family has worked in the restaurant.
This is home.
-[man speaking] -[Felicia] You're welcome.
-Anything else I can get for you? -[man speaking]
All right, enjoy.
In 2011, the owner put the place up for sale.
It was a huge opportunity.
It was my dream to have my own restaurant.
Because we didn't have the full amount that she wanted down,
previous owner said, you've got to make monthly payments of so much,
it will be for so many years.
And by the next year, I'm the owner of the Ranch House Cafe.
I was super stoked that I had it.
The first year was okay, then the second
and third year were not so okay.
One of the rock yards actually did close,
then another rock mine downscaled.
A lot of people left.
I don't see a pay from it. I don't see an income.
I basically live off of my tips.
There's times I worked seven days a week.
There was times I've worked six days a week,
you know, and that's like, oh, that one day you're off and you're shopping.
Hi, mom!
[Felicia] I'm I have three children.
My husband works construction.
He's normally out of town Monday through Friday,
so I'm a single parent Monday through Friday.
You guys do realize I'm not gonna be home tonight, all right?
It's gonna be late.
[Andres] Yeah, I figured.
My mom's one of the hardest workers I know.
It is a little heart-breaking seeing her having to stress out about,
about trying to be there for us,
but at the same time trying to make sure her business
doesn't fall under.
So, I've always tried to understand
when she can't show up to a game.
So, I come to the restaurant, do whatever I can here, work a few shifts.
But there's nothing I can really do when it comes to, like,
feeling bad about having your mom not be there at the game.
I think we're running out of apple juice.
Could I get you anything else?
[Felicia] When I'm not at home
or when I'm not at a ballgame, it stinks.
I would love to sit down and just bawl,
but there's no time for it.
Right now, we are failing.
It is definitely failing.
But I have absolutely no clue what my total debt is.
I have the EIDL loan.
I have a personal loan from a friend.
I have not been able to get the $5,000 loan payment.
And then, I know I owe a lot of taxes.
It is my anxiety of what that number is
that keeps me from looking at paperwork.
I didn't get to see my sons growing up.
I was too busy working.
If I had to close the doors, I'd be a failure to my family.
I would have sacrificed everything for nothing.
But I don't think I have the fight in me anymore.
I'm... I'm at a breaking point.
[Robert] Ehh, it's dilapidated.
It looks like it's been run into the ground.
I don't know what this is supposed to be,
somebody's kind of office or something.
There's a computer, a couple of safes,
which is really smart, door there, safe here.
Oh, this looks... this looks like
where she keeps all the receipts.
That's not a good sign.
Banquettes, they're ripped and they've got tape.
The fans are very dirty.
It's ridiculous.
So, I've got clutter here, clutter in the corner, lots of clutter here.
Look at the state of the refrigeration.
It stinks to high heaven in it.
Just look at this.
This is what we give our guests.
The walls are dirty.
The posters are dirty.
Not a good restaurant.
That's an understatement.
Felicia, come into the restaurant, please.
Good morning. Take a seat.
Good morning.
How are you?
I'm well. How are you?
Oh, I don't know yet.
So, tell me about the restaurant.
I've had the restaurant since March of 2012,
and I've struggled left and right to keep it afloat, keep the doors open.
So, you decide ten years ago to get into the restaurant business?
Yes.
So, how much did you pay for the restaurant 10 years ago?
150,000.
It was an owner carry, so I didn't have to look for financing.
I just had to sustain and maintain the payments.
But I have not been able to get the $5,000 loan payment
that's due this year.
So fast forward to 2017, what money did you make?
We didn't. We were in the red.
So, what was the revenue?
Gross was 199, if I'm not mistaken.
199, great.
2018?
Wasn't much better.
'19?
I think it was like 250.
'20, COVID?
I don't know.
Why not?
Because I haven't finished them.
What do you mean you haven't to finished them?
I mean, I have not done my taxes
and I have not done my bookwork.
Why?
Because it gives me anxiety, more so than I already have,
and it's just piled up on the top of my plate and overwhelmed me,
took me over.
Is that your filing system in that bag?
[Felicia] Umm.
[Robert] You don't do food costs.
You don't do labor costs. You don't do anything.
I'm not doing the paperwork like I should be.
I know that because I'm burnt.
When was the last time you paid taxes?
Four years ago.
-How many? -Four.
Based on your revenue you just told me,
do you know how much you probably own in those taxes?
Probably 30 to 50000.
You own probably about quarter of a million dollars in taxes
based on the revenue you just told me,
which is worth more than this building.
And you haven't contacted a tax guy at all?
No.
So you know what I can do as a tax guy right now, right?
I can come and knock on your door and foreclose on your building.
Then they go see your home 'cause
if they don't have enough money in here,
they'll take it from somewhere else,
unless you do a deal with them to pay.
[sighs]
Felicia, Felicia, Felicia!
Do we have a point of sale?
Do you know what the menus... items sell?
[Felicia] I have one.
I tried to get it all set up and running like it needed to be,
and I just couldn't get it done.
And since it causes me more anxiety, it was easier to just say,
screw it and put it under the cupboard.
So, why did you get into this business?
If you're not gonna do it, why are you in it?
[Felicia] It was my dream.
My entire family has worked in the restaurant, so I grew up around it.
I love this building and this place,
and because this has always been home for all my locals.
Okay.
And they loved the food.
Do you have children?
I have three children, 15, 12 and 10.
Who takes care of the kids?
My husband's been working out of town for four years,
so he's home on weekends, Saturday, Sunday,
and Monday through Friday it's me and three kids.
And normally when he's home, I'm at work.
Do any of the kids work here?
My oldest one, when he's not in sports and he's not busy.
[sigh]
[Robert] Are you getting emotional?
I'm afraid because my kids could resent me for it later,
that they're not, you know, getting the time they need.
And I want to put a blind eye to it.
I'm falling apart.
I don't want you to fall apart.
Whatever you want to tell me, whatever you, you want help with,
I'm here for you, okay?
So, I'm gonna bring some people in.
I'm gonna watch how you work.
You've got a lot on your plate.
You've got a lot going on.
All right, go get your stuff ready.
-Let me know when you're ready. -[Felicia] Okay.
-Thank you. -[Felicia] Thank you.
My biggest concern here is not fixing the restaurant.
My biggest concern is the amount of stress that Felicia is under.
That scares me to death.
[Felicia] All right, come on in. Have a seat.
[Robert] The first thing I noticed is the lack of joy in this restaurant.
There's zero enthusiasm as they greet the customers.
-[Felicia] Hi. -Hi.
[Felicia] I am as ready as I'll ever be.
[Felicia speaking]
-[woman speaking] -[Felicia] No.
[Felicia] We're out.
[Robert] We're off to a painfully slow start to service.
There's a good chance the customers will be hungry for a while.
[Felicia] You ready to order?
[Robert] Felicia is lifeless, waiting on tables like a zombie.
And her lack of passion has rubbed off on her staff.
Felicia, I want you to hear something.
This won't be pleasant, but if Felicia is going to save this restaurant,
she needs to hear some hard truths.
What is the reputation of this restaurant in the community?
Yeah.
[Robert] On a scale of 1 to 10, how's the service?
Zero.
Why is this still open?
It's the only restaurant in town.
[Robert] What's good about this restaurant?
Anybody?
[speaking in foreign language]
[Robert] You have to face this, so we can fix it.
As hard as this is, this is the stepping stone
-to moving forward, all right? -I know.
That's why I do this, so I understand where your weaknesses are.
And we have a lot of weaknesses.
So, just so you know, I've seen enough of the service.
You want to stop? You can stop.
You can send them out or you can continue to feed them.
It's up to you.
All right, guys, sorry, those that didn't get food,
you're not getting food, unfortunately.
[Felicia speaking]
[Robert] I'm at the Ranch House Cafe in Ash Fork,
Arizona where Felicia just got a wakeup call.
It's terrible.
[Robert] I've sat down with the lead server to get his take.
[Roberto] Felicia is spending too much time
trying to survive the restaurant.
We shop for the restaurant once a week.
We normally go to Phoenix, which is like
-two hours and a half from here. -Hmm.
[Robert] And found out that Felicia drives to Phoenix every week
to buy food for the restaurant.
It's five hours round trip.
This food better be good.
Beef liver and onions, chicken fried steak,
ribeye, our Frisco burger and our green chili.
[Robert] Thank you.
Beef, liver and onions,
Liver is old dry, tastes like shoe leather.
Chicken fried steak, frozen.
Gravy tastes like wallpaper paste.
It's awful.
Steak...
[chuckles] ...tough and tasteless.
This is the Frisco Burger.
The green chili.
[groans]
Oh, my God!
That is so hot.
My nostrils are on fire.
OMG, that's just given me a heartburn right there.
Felicia, Estella, come, join us.
[blows raspberry]
Chili is far too hot.
I mean, you can't physically eat it.
The burger is overcooked.
I love liver, but it's dry and old.
Whilst I like the steak on the menu, it's not seasoned,
like salt and pepper.
We don't put seasoning on nothing, so...
Why?
I don't know.
I've been working here for years and we never
put any seasoning on the steak.
There's nothing on here, surprise,
that I would come to your restaurant for.
Who came up with that original menu then?
The owners that opened it up in 1994.
None of this is you,
none of it, the menu, the decor, the food.
Correct.
In your restaurant, what would the food look like?
It would look pretty.
These plates are by far not even close to pretty.
Things just don't look edible.
But what... what do you want the restaurant to be?
Something that I can be proud of.
Are you proud of yourself?
No, because I feel like I failed.
I let my fear on my back.
Who are you?
I don't know anymore.
Estella, thank you very much.
-You can... -[Estella] Okay.
[Robert] Thank you so much.
Who do you want to be?
I want to be happy.
I want to be somebody that's proud.
I want to be somebody that their kids are proud of.
Do you think your kids are proud of you now?
[Felicia] I don't know.
I feel like I didn't spend or I haven't spent enough time with them...
-[Robert] Okay. -...that I didn't go and, you know...
But that doesn't make you a bad mother.
You're trying to put food on the table
and you're trying to take care of them.
I feel miserable.
What... what do you do for fun?
I used to bake.
[Robert] Bake?
Cookies, banana nut bread, zucchini bread.
So why is that not in here?
I don't have the time to do it.
[Robert] You sound defeated and you sound meek.
But my biggest thing is you believing in you,
'cause if you don't believe in yourself, you're gonna fail,
no matter what I do here.
It's been a long time since I've been able
to believe in myself.
Then you have to make yourself proud.
Not me.
Not your kids.
You have to stand up for you.
I'm... I'm scared.
But I want you to be happy.
What's gonna make you happy?
Because if you give me happy Felicia,
I'll give you a successful restaurant.
I want a fighter.
It's a big decision.
You're willing to fight, then I'm willing to go the extra mile.
Okay?
I'm gonna meet my designers,
figure out what I'm gonna do, and we'll chat some more.
-Okay? -[Felicia] Okay.
I just want to not fail and not disappoint anybody.
But at the end, it's like he says, it's my choice.
I have to be all in or all out.
[Robert] Felicia has a big decision to make,
but I have to keep the ball rolling.
[Tanya] Hello.
-[Tom] Hi. -[Tanya] Long time no see.
How are you?
Um...
[chuckles]
So the Ranch House Cafe, the first thing this brings to mind is dilapidated.
Walk in the door you're confronted
with this office kind of thing.
-[Tom] It's an office. Yeah. -It's a bag of headaches.
This is her filing system.
[Tom] No!
-Wow! -[Robert] This has to go.
-No question. -[Robert] Horrible.
[Robert] I think we do something really cool here.
Don't know what yet, but hold that in your mind for a second.
[Tanya] Okay.
[Robert] Banquettes are useless, the tables are useless.
Everything's just jam-packed in here.
I do want somehow to hide this monstrosity.
[Tanya] You mean like a wall?
[Robert] I just want to hide it.
All right? I just want to kind of get an idea of the concept.
Make it look pretty.
Make it look appetizing.
-Not too much to ask. -Easy-peasy.
-No problem. -All right.
-All right, sounds like a plan.
[Robert] Felicia, let's go. Bring in the staff.
[Tom] All right, guys, come on.
You, you and you, this has to be empty completely.
[Tanya] Take all the items off the wall and stick them in the boxes.
[Robert] Everything off the table, the sugar caddy,
salt, peppers.
What about these?
As you're listening to things crumble and fall apart,
you don't know what to expect and like
what he's gonna be left.
[Robert] All that's garbage, all that's garbage.
Let's get a stepladder and take them off.
The coffee pots can go in the kitchen out of the way.
Just don't break them.
All right, ladies, off you go.
Gentleman, off you go.
Everybody out. Everybody out.
Looking a little sad.
It's empty.
It's what I've been for a long time.
[Robert] We're gonna change that.
-Okay? -Okay.
All right, take one last look around and head on out the door.
[Adrian] Hi, mommy.
Why are you crying?
[Felicia] 'Cause it's a lot.
It's an emotional wreck for your mommy right now.
[Adrian] Happy or sad?
[Felicia] A little bit of both.
It's a lot, baby.
[Robert] At the Ranch House Cafe in Ash Fork, Arizona,
everyone has their work cut out for them.
-This restaurant is... -It's a mess.
We'll go in, figure out how much of the counter
we want to demo, and then we'll come up with a plan.
Bring your tools in. Let's get this done.
[Robert] While Tom and Tanya rally their crew,
I'm gonna talk privately with Felicia's oldest son to see
how her time away from home is affecting the family.
I push back the cameras, so he feels more comfortable talking to me.
Tell me about your mom.
What is it like with her working here?
[Andres] Very busy.
I take the kids to school and take the kids home after school.
It'd be me babysitting. She's working.
[Robert] How many hours does your mom spend here?
[Andres] It's a lot.
If it's not here, it's spent going to shop for here.
So, yeah.
[Robert] So, you don't get that much time with her?
[Andres] No, not really.
I'm older, so I understand more of what she's going through.
But like for my brother Adrian, it's little stuff like mom showing up,
that's like really important to him and my other brother.
Like, not too long ago, my little brother had his first dance
and I helped him get ready.
I had to be there for that.
[Robert] You're doing a great job, even though
you're too young to be doing that job.
And I know you're helping out, but we'll see if we can change some things
so she can spend some time with you.
-Okay? -[Andres] All right.
-[Robert] All right, man. -[Andres] Nice meeting you.
I feel like being able to talk to Robert is kind of a relief in a way,
like I just really said what's on my mind
because that's the stuff that's gonna like make the change.
Hopefully, Robert's gonna pull through for us
and we'll be able to spend a lot more time with her.
[Robert] Felicia needs to learn how to manage her time.
And driving to Phoenix every week to buy groceries is a huge mistake.
Felicia, come over here.
She needs to understand that time is money, and sometimes it's priceless.
So, what I've got here is a map that shows the actual distance
from Ash Fork to Phoenix.
This is where you are...
-[Felicia] Correct. -[Robert] Ash Fork, correct?
This is where you go.
You actually save $1,500 a year on product
by traveling this way to this way.
Not bad, right?
But you actually travel five hours a week, right?
Correct.
Two and a half to, two and a half back just going to the store.
You shop 2 hours.
That means 364 hours in a year.
Two weeks.
$300 in oil.
$2,756 in gas.
If I was to pay you minimum wage times the amount of hours,
I'd be paying you $4,652,
costing you $7,708.
So, you're actually losing $6,208,
but it's also costing you 364 hours...
of precious time,
time you could have gone on vacation,
time you could have spent with your kids.
Trying to penny pinch and I've wasted time.
It's heart-breaking to listen to a 15-year-old
that's got used to you not being there now.
But the kids, the younger kids, haven't got there yet.
I never wanted my son to get used to his mom
not being around.
[Robert] Okay.
And that's what hits home the hardest.
Because I feel like they're paying the price for my errors.
Yeah.
But so are you.
Time is of the essence.
We only have so much time.
I see this.
Okay.
[Felicia crying]
[Robert] Felicia's guilt is tearing her apart.
She's stuck and she can't move forward
unless she finds a way to forgive herself.
What are you thinking?
I failed.
When you fail, you learn from the lessons
and you move on and you don't make those same mistakes again.
That's what, that's what failure is.
But how do I get back the time that my son hasn't spent...
You can't get that time.
Exactly.
But it's not too late to make that change and have time now.
So you can sit there and you can go deep in the doldrums of,
"Oh, I'm a failure."
Okay, yeah, you are in the restaurant,
but you can't keep putting yourself down because you failed.
Start thinking positive no matter what's going on in your life.
You've got your family.
You've got three kids.
You're alive. You're breathing.
You have a restaurant that can be fixed.
I'm gonna teach you what you need to know about the restaurant,
which will give you time to enjoy and be happy and grateful.
You've got to believe in you again.
You've got to be the you that you wanted to be.
That's what's gonna make you successful.
I think you're right.
We know we made a mess up.
Now, let's fix the mess up.
But we fix it together.
-Sounds like a plan. I like that. -Yeah?
All right, come here.
It's gonna be okay.
All right? I promise you.
You just have to trust me.
And I want, I want you, I want you,
not this body with no feelings.
That's what I want.
[Felicia] He wasn't wrong.
I've definitely lost my drive because I had given up.
Robert's helped me see that you have to focus on today.
Changes need to be made, and the change has to start with me.
[Robert] I'm at Ranch House Cafe in Ash Fork, Arizona,
where trying to help Felicia move past her crippling guilt.
But I've got a renovation to keep on track as well.
Hey, guys.
[Tanya] Hi.
[Robert] Well, ah, it already looks better just with that gone.
[Tanya] Smells better.
[Robert] Give me overall, what are we looking at?
Overall, we'll get rid of a lot of these booths
and we'll add some freestanding tables
and I think it'll feel much lighter.
The walls need some love, so we add some texture by using some
brick panels and some faux treatments,
and that'll give it a fresh new look.
Plus, we're going to build a wall and cover up this awful mess
of a service station.
Lastly, we have that beast of the old office to tackle.
So, let's get rid of all the stuff in there
and we'll turn it into a mini little private dining room area.
When it's all done, everyone in the community
is gonna be lining up to come in to the Ranch House Cafe.
On top of all that, we're... we're talking about doing trim
all the way around this space that's stained and trim on top of the windows.
I do feel like there probably are a handful of regulars
that like to interact with whoever is working,
so we'll have five seats, that being four or five seats
that are wrapped around the corner.
We're trying to make this a ranch house
that doesn't feel like a dungy hole.
[Robert] All right.
We'll keep cranking along.
Yeah, I'll see you later.
-[Tanya] Okay. Bye. -[Tom] Yeah, thanks, Robert.
Don't do this very often, do you?
No, I don't.
Argh! Well...
End of day one. Tough day, right?
Very tough day.
I believe that.
So got some homework for you.
Because I love homework.
You haven't done homework for a long time.
-No, no, I haven't. -I think it's really important.
So you told me earlier you like to bake.
When you go home tonight,
I want to bake something that makes you happy with your kids.
Okay.
Make a mess.
Let them clean up. Have fun.
I want you to bring me the fruits of your labor.
The second piece is...
Put the kids to bed
and think about...
who is Felicia.
Who is Felicia today?
Who is Felicia tomorrow?
-All right? -All right.
Look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
[Felicia] I'm looking forward to going home and baking with the kids.
But finding out who I am...
is gonna take some soul searching.
[Robert] It's day two.
Yesterday, we made a lot of progress getting Felicia
to let go of her guilt about the past.
Now, I need to find out if she's ready to look forward to the future.
So, I asked you to, to do something fun, right, with the kids?
Is this the fun piece?
That's the fun piece.
What is it?
It's a mayonnaise chocolate cake because you don't...
Mayonnaise chocolate cake?
Yes.
You don't use egg or oil, you use mayonnaise.
[Robert] Anyway, all right, open it up. Let's try.
I want to... I'm excited about this, by the way.
[Felicia] The cake is made from scratch with cacao and flour and sugar
and vanilla and mayonnaise, and then buttercream frosting.
I've never had a chocolate mayonnaise cake before.
That's good. I love it, seriously.
This is you. This is what should be in that restaurant.
I've actually made it to sell before.
What was it like spending time with your kids?
They weren't used to me being home on a Tuesday night.
Right.
My little one was hanging over mom
and sitting on mom's lap and just talking around...
How did that make you feel, though?
[Felicia] I was happy.
I was glad that I was there and he could.
Being with them made me realize that I need more time
to spend with my kids, to enjoy them, to go do things with them.
Well, we're gonna give you that back today.
When you follow these procedures that I put in place,
you don't have to be tied to this like, you know, an anchor to a ship.
Compared with yesterday, how are you feeling?
Different. Like...
Everything's just... it's changed.
It's like it changed literally overnight.
I'm going to succeed.
I'm gonna do it for my kids and for me.
-All right, great job on this. -Thank you.
I'm very happy that you, you have found you 'cause I need you.
I'm happy that I found me too.
'Cause I need you in there.
[Felicia] I feel like I've found my confidence.
I found who I was that was lost.
I understand you can't change what was.
I will see you soon.
All right, thanks.
[Felicia] I feel like a new Felicia.
She's back.
She's not going anywhere.
[Robert] I've still got a lot to do,
and we only have a few hours till we open.
I need to teach Felicia what she should have been doing for years,
upholding standards for the staff.
SOP tells me what you're to wear
and how you're to conduct yourself in front of people.
Utilizing her POS system...
This one tool right here is the biggest way to keep track of everything
in an itemized way.
[Robert] And understanding food costs.
Everything you do has to have a recipe.
Why? Because then it gives you a cost to you.
This is the fundamental piece of running a restaurant.
Now, we're gonna go in the kitchen and we're gonna...
we're gonna cook some of the new menu items, so let's go.
Felicia told me she wants food that's pretty
and I'm going to show her food that tastes as good as it looks.
So, I'm gonna show you three dishes that will be quick,
easy and fill out the kitchen.
And best of all, you're gonna make money on them.
All right, so the first one we're going to do is a pan-seared ribeye.
This is my version of your steak from yesterday that was tough,
had no seasoning.
Meat goes in first.
While that's doing its thing, I have some beans that have been blanched
and mushrooms sauteed.
It starts with blue cheese, mashed potato.
Mushrooms and beans, ribeye.
Oh, baby!
I told you I like food.
And the sauce, onions, bacon and Demi-glace,
little bit of green.
Okay, go for it.
[laughing]
That's amazing.
That's like not ever... that's... good doesn't describe that.
[Robert] Here's the best part about this this.
This whole dish cost us $5.68 to make.
We sell it for $22.
Every time you sell one of these,
you put $16.32 in your pocket.
That's amazing.
I guarantee you'll sell a lot of that tonight.
All right, So the next one.
We talked about chili, right, the green chili?
And I couldn't eat. It was spicy.
-[Felicia] Too spicy. - [Estella laughing]
But I liked the concept,
so I thought we'd do my play on chicken green chili.
Your chili, just not as hot, right?
A braised chicken thighs with green chili.
There's no bone in them,
just very sexy,
I'm all about sexy.
Okay.
And on top of the green chili is the corn salsa,
fresh corn, onions, poblano peppers.
But it starts with...
French fries.
[Robert] ...and chicken thighs with green chili.
Corn salsa.
Go for it.
There's some of the chili. There you go.
That's good.
[Robert] But here's the best thing about it.
It cost us $2.88 to make the whole plate.
We're gonna sell it for $16,
giving us an 18% food cost every time you sell that.
The rest of that plate is my lunch.
[Robert] No problem.
Don't throw it away. That's her lunch.
All right, the next thing I thought we'd do is a barramundi sandwich,
fish sandwich.
Barramundi is inexpensive and all I've done with is,
marinated in buttermilk,
a little hot sauce and just dredge it and regular flour
and corn starch, into the fryer.
But it starts with the bun,
little spicy aioli,
barramundi, funnily enough cabbage,
carrots, little cilantro, little cucumber,
a little radish and cilantro lime dressing.
[laughing]
Oh, my God! That's good.
And I'm picky about fish.
I want this.
[Robert] Fish sandwich $4.43 to make.
We're gonna sell it for $16, 28% food cost.
Easy?
Easy, good, fast.
All right, you finish eating.
I'm gonna check in with my design team.
[in Spanish]
[Robert] Take this out to the construction, send somebody, please.
It's already 5:08, and we're a bit behind the eight ball
because every time we touch something, it breaks, you have to fix it.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
[Tanya] Tiny bit more.
[Robert] Scrub it like you mean it.
I need somebody to start cleaning the windows on the outside.
[Tanya] I just cleaned these.
[Robert] Don't drop the tables.
I don't have time to fix them.
Chairs in, knives, forks.
Out, everybody out, everybody out.
Finish, go.
Well, it's finally... We're finally here.
We're late, but we're fine here.
Look, I got to clean up, and I hope that Felicia loves this restaurant.
I do feel extremely more confident in myself.
I understand, if I keep on top of everything
and keep it up like it should be,
it'll definitely give me more time with my kids.
I don't think I could have asked for anything better.
I really don't.
[sighs]
At last, time is here.
Walk with me.
All right, close your eyes.
I'll walk you in
nice and slowly,
little step up there.
There it is. Stop.
Keep your eyes closed.
Are you ready to see the brand new Ranch House Cafe?
I'm ready.
Open your eyes.
You did this in 48 hours?
It's beautiful.
It's amazing.
It's gorgeous.
The tables, the sign, the room for a party of six.
The enclosed area so you're not seeing
the service in itself,
the bar.
[Robert] New lights, new ceiling, new fans.
It's modern, it's clean...
it's home.
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
[Robert speaking]
[Tanya] Felicia.
[Tom] So what do you think?
It's amazing.
Oh, I'm glad you love it.
I don't think I could have been put in a better place or with better people.
[Robert] Right, there are a lot of people out there.
-You ready to let them in? -Let's do this.
Hello, everybody.
I would like to welcome you to the New Ranch House Cafe.
Come on in.
[applauding]
[crowd gasping]
[customer 1] Wow, so awesome!
It's more inviting and comfortable than it was before.
[customer 3] Beautiful.
I just... I can't believe I'm in the same restaurant.
[Robert] Tonight is Felicia's ultimate test.
I want to see the orders taken quickly.
I'll take the pan seared ribeye.
Are we ready, guys?
[man speaking]
[server 1] Great choice. I love that one.
[Robert] The staff using the new POS system.
Whatever they order, you click it,
click [indistinct]
Okay.
[Robert] A sense of urgency in the kitchen.
[Estelle] You want chicken? Okay. And cilantro.
[Robert] And Felicia running her restaurant with energy and passion.
We need to make sure
the we check on the guests frequently.
-Okay? -Don't worry.
[Robert] But most importantly, I want to see the customers enjoying the food.
[man] It is probably one of the best steaks
I've ever had in my entire life.
[customer 7] This fish sandwich is remarkable.
This is something I would drive out of my way for.
Wow!
Definitely something I will drive to come have again.
[Felicia] Everything's coming out really good.
-You're rocking it. -I love it.
Are you ready to go from Mini Felicia to Big Felicia?
-Yeah. -Okay, you're ready.
[laughing]
-[indistinct chatter] -You like the color and the light?
[Andres] I'm very proud of my mom.
It makes me feel a lot better seeing the restaurant
giving her something other than stress.
[Adrian speaking]
Just being able to have my mom showing up to every game,
to my award assemblies, I can't wait.
It's a brand new chapter.
I can definitely be successful in this place.
There's no doubt about that in my mind now.
It's gonna allow me to have time with the family,
to have time with the kids, and that means the world.
Well, what a difference a day makes.
A new Ranch House, new Felicia, new beginnings,
and it's only up from here.
Felicia, I know you can do it.
I believe in you.
Now make it work.
-Okay? -Okay.
[cheering and applauding]
When COVID hit, all our savings were gone.
This restaurant has taken its toll on my health,
and I would like for my youngest daughter to take over the restaurant.
[Robert] So, what are you afraid of?
Running a business is scary.
I've never really been book smart.
Stuff like that just goes over my head.
I believe in you.
[Robert] I'm asking you to be open-minded enough to learn.
Oh, my gosh! This is so good.
I can do this. We got this, guys.
[Robert] The new Amigo Cafe.