Season 1 |
Season 2 |
Episode Guide
Malta
Hong Kong
Tobermory
Austria
Saint Lucia
Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares will forever hold the mantle as one of the top cooking reality shows on TV. Seeing the drama and transformation of these restaurants both sides of the pond, along with Ramsay’s unforgettable bouts of extreme anger, made for some unforgettable episodes. Taking this concept and adding an extra spin to a tried and tested formula, Restaurants On The Edge sees three enthusiastic and talented people coming together to change the fortunes of struggling restaurants across the globe.
From the gorgeous shore-sides of Malta across to the breathtaking heights of Austria’s Alps, this feel-good series oftentimes feels like a watered down version of Kitchen Nightmares but it manages to stand out thanks to its educational content and unique approach to showcasing each restaurant’s transformation.
This first season takes place across five different areas around the world. From the heart of Hong Kong, to Austria, Saint Lucia and Malta, there’s a whole variety of beautiful locations explored. Restaurants On The Edge plucks out one flailing restaurant from each of these countries and changes its fortunes. Each episode adopts the same foundation, with an introduction to the location and wide, sweeping establishing shots boasting the beauty surrounding these eateries. The trio are then introduced to the restaurant owner, with a brief overview of the problems before diving into resolving these and changing the owner’s fortunes for the better.
From here, the three presenters split up and soak in the culture and atmosphere from each country, visiting local markets, learning about the architecture and even blowing up social media posts to read to the owners to gauge where their business needs to change. The educational aspects of this show is where Restaurants On The Edge excels and learning more about the history of these countries through culinary dishes or designing interiors is a genius move that helps this stand out from Kitchen Nightmares in the best possible way.
Where the show slips up however is with the owners themselves. The Maltese Goalkeeper in the first episode admits he’s not a good businessman and knows nothing about restaurants, the Austrian couple shrug and laugh off the incorrect phone number and signpost outside their establishment while first-time, naive owners waltz into the restaurant businesses and immediately find themselves struggling due to inexperience. It all comes across as a little naive but thankfully these moments are counterbalanced by some genuinely heart-felt moments from each of these owners. First impressions are everything though and Restaurants On The Edge, perhaps inadvertently, shows off the worst of this at times.
It’s not all bad though and Restaurants On The Edge has enough style and originality to make it worth a watch. The three different presenters are unique in their approach to enhancing the owner’s fortunes, the educational aspects are excellent and seeing the reactions from the different owners at the end makes the journey worth taking to rekindle that feel-good factor these shows do so well to ignite at the end. It’s not perfect, but the show does enough to make it a decent reality offering to whet the appetite.
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Verdict - 6.5/10
6.5/10
After watching one entire episode, I figured out the formula and not very interested in it. Very predictable. I fast forwarded through all the other episodes and watched the interior and food reveals. My goodness, does no one know how to use adverbs correctly anymore? “I want they to like this so bad.” It is badly. And the editing….I’m so excited for them to see this!…30 seconds later, different scene “I’m so excited for them to see this!” I did enjoy the St Lucia episode and the reveal of his mothers picture was very heartwarming, but it felt voyeuristic and should have been a private moment for Fluffy. All in all, it was an entertaining distraction while I folded three loads of laundry, but not much more than that.
Love both season. It showed me how much I am missing in the world. It so many places that some of them never saw them before. Love the hosts, specially the designer she is so sincere and warming. You can see that they really care about those people business. It inspired me to create more amaizing food in my kitchen. 10 out 10. Awesome show. Netflix nail it.
As a travelogue it gets 8/10.
As a restaurant rescue it gets 1/10.
Terrible over-acting by the trio. We don’t meet the serving staff or the kitchen crew. Why is the guy asking about what fish to choose when he’s the expert and should simply be talking about availability. The show is more travelogue than kitchen rescue.
This show deserves a 10. Yes its superfluous, it doesn’t question the owners ideas or even ask hard questions like “why did you do that?”, “what were you thinking!!!!”, BUT the show overcomes all that with a Bourdain “No reservation”-ee /”parts unknown-y” vibe which is what sometimes a viewer wants.
Apart from the joy of learning about different and often colorful histories, cultures and styles, what elevates this series for me is the respectful and honoring way in which all places and all people are treated. I am left feeling connected to a bigger world and our bigger social family. Bravo
A great series. They teach the audience about the country and culture and are accurate in their facts. Maybe this is even better than Ramsey’s show. You do not have to be an expert to see the incredible transformation of these eateries. What’s more is you really learn a lot about the business of food and beverage. They were also brave in choosing unknown areas that could maybe bore the audience.
Couldn’t even get through it. Meh— Mind numbingly boring. The hosts — I cannot call them “experts” — truly ruin what could have been a decent show. Their lack of sincerity is alarming. The show would have been a success with more of the restaurant owners, cut the full-of-themselves (for no good reason) host hacks, and find some actual experts with a vocabulary of more than 20 words. Netflix must be regretting this one— what a waste. Why would they even sign a show this poor? Disappointed Netflix.
I don’t know why this series is rated 6.5 out of 10. Really
This series definitely deserves a minimum rating of 9 out of 10
Not only do they help people revive their business, but they give the viewer such in depth information about the place they are in, how things are made, like the food, the decor, history, lifestyle etc of the region and the difference they make in the lives of those they assist.
I love this program
Hope that there will be another season