[bluesy rock music]
♪ ♪
- Oh, smart.
Show them where they're headed before they start eating.
- Jackie didn't order napkins,
so we're stuck using toilet paper.
- OK, I'm just in and out. Pretend I'm not here.
- Oh, that'll be easy. You never are.
- Jackie, we're running out of everything,
and the vendors won't take orders from anybody but you.
You got to call them now.
- I don't have time.
I'll just write myself a reminder.
Order food. Oh!
I can't-- oh!
I don't have time for this.
- Jackie, you promised to show me how to--
- Not now, Becky!
Neville and I have a hot date to gamble at that casino that
looks like a riverboat, and this 50
is going straight onto 22 black.
- You know, she better step it up around here
or this place is going under.
- I know.
I might have to reach out to one of those
restaurant rescue shows.
I just have to think of a way to show them
how much trouble we're in.
- Maybe you could send them a picture
of that guy carrying a napkin dispenser to the bathroom.
That ought to do it.
[bluesy harmonica music]
Oh, hey, Dad.
Can I store some leftover pasta from the cafeteria
in the garage fridge?
- It's full of beers right now.
But if I have to, I'll drink half a case
to make room for you
because that's what a father's love looks like.
- "Find it yourself.
"I just work here.
How the big box hardware stores destroy lives."
You're writing a one man show about hardware?
'Cause you might finally get straight white guys
into a theater.
- My old buddy just became a big shot
in the carpenters union.
I'm gonna go to Chicago and show him
this article, hoping he'll throw some business my way.
Hey! Hey, why don't you come with me?
We haven't taken a road trip in forever.
You could call in sick like we used to do
when you were in school.
- Hmm, let's see.
You take me out of school for no reason,
and now I'm a cafeteria worker.
I think we can connect those dots.
- All right, we're doing it!
- Big news.
Remember how I reached out to those restaurant rescue shows?
Adam Chestnut said yes, and "Restaurant 9-1-1"
is coming to the Lunch Box!
- Oh, my God.
How did you get a four star chef to come out?
What did you tell him?
- I sent him an email and I told him
we're broke, begged him for help,
and I attached this picture of my daughter
saying she needed a future.
- Oh, is that from when Beverly Rose played
a dirty urchin in "Annie"? - Yeah.
Sometimes I use it at the grocery store to get free ham.
- Can you send me a copy of that?
I won't hit the same stores as you.
[bluesy rock music]
- When Adam Chestnut gets here, I'm having him sign his book,
"Push Your Kitchen in the Mud and Make You Cry."
"To my fellow chef, Ben."
- He's here to remake the Lunch Box,
not have you hurl your panties and a hotel key at him.
- If I could afford a hotel, I would.
- OK Becky, hold down the fort.
Neville's got 45 minutes before he has to do
a bowel resection on a horse.
I'm gonna surprise him with a picnic lunch.
Oh, wow.
That guy looks just like Adam Chestnut.
- That's because it is Adam Chestnut.
- Oh, my God.
Oh, I love "Restaurant 9-1-1."
The way he goes off on those clueless restaurant owners,
and they don't see it coming. What's he doing here?
- I think he's here to do something
you don't see coming.
- Jackie Harris? - You know my name?
- Just before you get too busy, Chef Chestnut,
could you sign this, please?
Name's Ben.
- Always nice to meet a fan.
- I would have preferred Ben instead
of the interrupting wolf face,
but, hey, best wishes are best wishes.
[laughs]
- Oh, and you must be Becky.
You're much cleaner than I pictured.
After seeing your child, I wasn't expecting that.
- Thank you.
- Here's the deal.
I'm here because your niece is convinced
that your restaurant is in real trouble
and needs to be rescued.
- Becky's right. I feel the same way.
- Well, OK. [laughs]
First off, I'm a huge fan,
but this is not a 9-1-1 situation.
Business has just been a little slow.
Becky is a bit of an alarmist.
- Is she?
She has a filthy daughter with no future.
- The "Annie" picture?
- 20 hams and counting.
Look, you just said yourself that things are slow,
and every restaurant he rescues doubles their business.
- And everybody knows that picnics
are always better after bowel surgery,
so OK, I'm in. Where are the cameras?
- The cameras are coming later.
Your first question should be, "Where's a comb?"
- Oh, all right. Well, here we go.
I've been Chestnutted.
- Well, technically now, the interrupting wolf face
was Chestnutted first.
- Do you think you should hold off on the mean guy act
until we shoot? I know the whole routine.
You insult me, I get all hurt,
and then I see the error of my ways,
and then you show me something neat to do with an avocado.
- Very good. Show me your hurt face.
- My-- bah!
- Perfect.
Hang on to that for just a moment.
Jackie, this is the most disorganized
mishmash of a bar truck stop diner I have ever seen.
For God's sake, woman, there's toilet paper
in the napkin holder! - Yes. Yes.
It's a disaster. Look everybody, we're doing it.
- If you think this is funny, you are missing the point.
I am here because your niece sent me your books.
And when I say books, I mean the paper towels
and to go cups you keep your financial records on.
Your business plan isn't sound.
Do you serve dinner here? - Yes, we do.
- Then why in the hell do you call it the Lunch Box?
Why not just call it the don't come here for dinner box?
- You're very good at this.
If I was more sensitive, this would be really,
um, affecting me right now.
- It should affect you.
You are running the family business
into the ground.
I'd say you're about a month away from losing this place.
- OK, I get it. OK.
I don't want to lose the restaurant.
I-- I haven't been smart.
Please rescue my restaurant. - Yes!
- That's what I was waiting to hear.
- Do you like how I did that?
Because once you get the cameras in here,
I could jab a knife into my hip,
and I'd cry real tears.
[bluesy harmonica music]
- OK, your turn.
Kiss, marry, kill,
Loretta, Patsy, or Dolly?
- That's easy.
I'd be so busy kissing Miss Dolly,
there wouldn't be time to marry or kill anybody.
- Darlene Healy? - Amanda?
- Oh, my God, it's been years. - Oh, my God!
Dad, this is Amanda.
She worked with me at the ad agency
when I lived in the city.
We were junior copywriters together.
- I'd shake your hand, but mine's busy.
- So yeah, you must be a senior copywriter by now.
- No, I left the agency.
- Oh, I'm sorry.
Was it because of that guy Kevin?
He was a real weirdo.
- I'm actually married to him now.
- Oh. Congratulations.
Yeah, he was great.
So what are you up to now?
- Well, I just finished my fourth novel.
- Hey, I just finished my second!
They're kind of hard to get through sometimes,
aren't they?
Took me two years.
- No, I wrote my fourth novel.
- Wow. So you're self-publishing?
I know it's so tough to get a book sold these days,
but good for you for making your own dreams come true.
- It's Simon and Schuster.
- That's a cool title.
What is it, like a buddy cop thing?
Simon won't play by the rules, and Schuster's
too old for this crap.
- Simon and Schuster are publishers, Dad.
- Well, unless one of them's a superhero,
good luck selling that as a movie.
- So how are you doing?
We were all shocked when the company fired you.
- Yeah, fired is a strong word.
I'd like to think of it as my choice.
They stopped paying me, so I stopped going in.
- Well, come on. Tell me.
I know you landed on your feet.
- More like on my butt. Yeah.
I moved back home, kind of hit bottom,
and then it turned out there was
a bottom below that bottom.
And now, I'm a lunch lady at a school cafeteria.
I hope there isn't another bottom,
but if there is, I'll find it.
- Well...
- You forgot the part about running a magazine.
- No, I didn't.
It's really not worth mentioning.
- Sure it is.
That's worth bragging on.
- Well, what kind of stuff were you doing?
If I know you, it was long-form political pieces.
- No, scandal rag.
Mug shots and police records available at all
your finer gas stations and check cashing joints.
- Well, predator alerts are important, too.
Anyway, keep doing you,
and I'll tell Kevin that you said hello.
I'm so happy that I ran into you.
- Really?
Then how come you're kind of backing up while you say it?
- Oh, no, no, I just-- I'm in a hurry.
It's good to meet you. - Buddy cops. Think about it.
Simon's a loose cannon
and Schuster drinks too much
because he couldn't solve that one crime.
That didn't upset you, did it?
- Amanda? No.
- Good.
Let me get a dog, and we'll dish.
[bluesy harmonica music]
♪ ♪
- He's been in there for 45 minutes.
Should I be worried?
- Not if it's spotless.
Chef is a freak about cleanliness.
- Louise, is it spotless?
- Well, how would I know? - I cook.
My man cleans.
- [English accent] Oh, she's very kind
to me, me misses is.
[laughs] - Becky, is the kitchen clean?
You know, could you eat off the floor?
- Well I have, but that's just because I drop stuff,
and I figure it can't be worse than eating a donut
while you change a diaper.
- Could I see you all in the kitchen, please?
You, are you family?
- [English accent] I've never seen
these people before in me life.
- No, I'm just one of those customers
that likes to hang out behind the counter 'cause I'm rude.
- All right, do you want the good news first
or the bad news? - The good news.
- There is none.
These are your ingredients.
Your customers deserve better than canned and frozen.
- I've been eating here since I was in high school,
and they used to make everything from scratch.
I don't know why they stopped.
- If I take time to go to the store
every other day for fresh produce,
then I'll never get to see Neville.
- There's a farmer's market around the corner
open two days a week.
You can go there and get everything you need.
- Oh, you beat me to the point.
But at least someone here knows that.
- I was going to say that, too, Adam.
- Remind me to get you out of my ass before I sit.
Does anyone know what this is?
This is a geological record
of everything you've been serving
for the past five years.
Do you have any pride in this business?
- Of course, I do.
I have work my ass off to make this place a success.
- I believe that.
I'm pretty sure I found bits of your ass in the sink traps.
- You know, I used to think you were funny,
but now, I see you're just a bully.
You think this is easy?
You try running a restaurant.
- I have 35 of them.
- Well, sounds to me like somebody's
still trying to get it right.
[bluesy harmonica music]
♪ ♪
- Oh, hey. I'm glad I ran into you.
I Was going to reach out and see if you wanted
to have some dinner. - Pass.
I just came over to pick up my leftovers.
See you when I see you. - Are you OK?
I haven't spoken to you since we got back from Chicago.
Are you upset because of that Simon and Schuster lady?
- No, I'm not upset because of Amanda.
I'm upset because of you.
- Because I ate the bun off your vegan dog?
I don't always eat like that.
I was just excited to be in the city.
- No, the way you felt the need to talk me up to her.
- Of course, I talked you up to her.
Parents don't tell their kids how proud they are of them.
They tell everybody else.
That's why therapists have such big houses.
- There's more to it than that, and you know it.
- Wait, am I actually getting hammered
for saying something nice about you?
- No, you only said those nice things
because you're ashamed of me.
- Oh, crap.
Now I got to go outside, and it's freezing.
[bluesy harmonica music]
- There's a bag of salt on the porch.
Why don't you open it and use it?
- Then I won't have it for next year.
Why the hell would you think I'm ashamed of you?
- Well, why wouldn't you be?
I mean, come on Dad, admit it.
When Becky quit school, and ran off and got married,
I know that you and mom pinned your hopes on me.
I was gonna go to a four-year college,
and I was gonna be a success,
and I was gonna pull the family up with me.
- Whoa, whoa, we didn't put that on you.
You put that on yourself. - Oh, did I?
Because I was totally fine being completely honest
with Amanda about my failures,
and then you had to jump in and try to make me
look better because you're embarrassed of it.
I'm not beating myself up
because somebody's better than me.
- I jumped in to save you because I saw you
going three rounds with yourself
in front of Amanda.
You're way better than you think you are.
I don't know why you can't see that.
- Because I'm not better.
Amanda's way better than I am, and I'm totally fine with that.
- The only one that is ashamed of you is you.
You put everything on hold
to put your son through college.
I wouldn't have this house if it wasn't for you.
You took your sister and her filthy urchin kid in
so she could make something of herself.
That's a success to me.
I don't know why it isn't to you.
- Well, damn, Dad.
You could have mentioned all that to Amanda
instead of bringing up the sleazy mug shot mag.
- It's the last thing I'm gonna say.
You're 46 years old, and you think your life's done.
Well, in a couple of short years,
Mark's gonna be out of school.
Then you can ditch the ladle
and get back on track to do whatever wonderful things
you want to do.
Game's not over.
You know I'm right.
- Don't gloat.
You may have believed in me,
but I'm still perfectly capable of disappointing you
for real. Don't push me.
[bluesy harmonica music]
♪ ♪
- All right, the kitchen is spotless.
- Well, thank you, but you did that for you, not for me.
Now, I've narrowed your menu down
to items that reflect the identity
I think you're going for with this restaurant.
- A local joint where a guy can knock back a few beers,
go home, kick off his shoes, and ignore the wife?
- Please keep your sad dreams off my TV show.
No, I would call this a place where you serve
delicious local food and drink in a comfortable setting
where you can relax and wonder where it all went wrong.
- Wow. This is delicious.
- Yes, it is.
Because I dropped your canned goods at a food bank
with low standards, and this is all
fresh from your local farmer's market,
courtesy of this young lady right here.
How is she not part of the operation?
- I think she's still hoping to make something of her life.
- It's delicious. Everything's wonderful.
It's just, uh, too much work.
- It's supposed to be a lot of work.
And, yes, that's what it tastes like when you care.
- Care? I just want to have a life.
- When you own a restaurant, that becomes your life.
- Yeah, sure, if you've already had a life to begin with.
I used mine trying to prove to my mother
that I could be successful at something.
So I went down a lot of different roads,
and I wound up driving a big rig,
and that led to pills, and then an incident
on I-55 where I was running around
gathering up chickens, and--
yeah.
And then I thought, "Well, maybe
"if I could make this place a success,
that would really do it."
But when I found Neville, I just realized
that I didn't need approval. I needed love.
And now, I never want us to be apart.
- That is so beautiful, Jackie.
You're going to edit that way down for the actual show, huh?
- Look, you know that you have a choice to make here--
this restaurant, or this Neville woman.
- Neville's my brother, but he is very soft.
- Look, I was willing to pay any price
for a successful restaurant.
Two wives divorced me, and I just bought a truck
for my son who I've never met.
I don't feel that kind of passionate obsession
coming off of you.
I mean, there's some desperation,
a whiff of crazy, but no passion.
- You're right because I don't want to do it anymore.
- Don't look at me.
I've got school and a kid living a hard knock life.
- I wasn't.
I was looking at her.
The one who's clearly adopted. - Me?
- Yeah.
You said you've been around here since high school.
You've got great ideas,
and you clearly have nothing else going on in your life,
because you've been sketching that ketchup bottle all day.
- Oh, I guess I knew some day
I'd have to turn it over to somebody.
But I'm really loving the idea of giving it
to one of the women in the family.
Harris, what do you think?
I can't see the tattoo thing turning into
a long-term career, so yeah.
I can try it.
Plus, it'd be fun to boss these bitches around.
- Hey! - Settle down, sketchy.
- Harris, this could be a real turning point in your life.
This restaurant has been nothing but an albatross
around the neck of every Conner who's ever worked here,
but maybe you can do what nobody else
in the family could--
break even, and sell it to some unsuspecting rube.
- Chestnut.
[bluesy rock music]
- Come on, Schuster. We screwed up.
We should have handled this case by the book!
- By the book?
What are you, Simon, a librarian or a cop?
[dramatic music plays]
- You getting all that down, Darlene?
- Yeah, and I have a couple of questions.
First of all, why do they keep calling
each other by their names?
They've been partners for 30 years.
And by my count, Schuster has shot 43 people
in a half an hour.
- It's a bad town full of bad people.
- I think we have to drop this case, Schuster.
It's too dirty. It goes all the way to the top.
- Oh sure, Simon.
You could drop it, but then you'll
have to tell little Jenny there'll be
no justice for her mom, or her dad, or her sister,
or her uncle!
Because there's no evidence of a crime.
- Oh, there's evidence of a crime.
It's right here. And it stinks, I tell you.
It stinks!
[child giggles]