Getty Chef Robert Irvine onstage during a culinary demonstration.
Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible and Chef Robert Irvine visit Edgar’s Restaurant in Akron, Ohio for the second episode of season 16. The episode, called “Help Is On the Way” airs January 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Food Network.
According to the episode synopsis, Irvine and the crew find an owner that is less than honest, creating a whole new set of problems on top of the ones they would usually face in the two days they have to fix the restaurant. Irvine will have to figure out what the owner is being dishonest about, or the restaurant may not be able to re-open.
The Restaurant: Impossible crew visited Edgar’s Restaurant in late August 2019; they made over the restaurant’s interior and menu. The grand re-opening took place at 7 p.m. on August 21, 2019.
Edgar’s Has Been in Business Since 2005
SNEAK PEEK! Get the first look at what @RobertIrvine and his team are working on for their newest #RestaurantImpossible mission! It all starts @ 9|8c tonight! Download the #FoodNetworkKitchen app and sign up today: t.co/CaEX2QX6zj!
Edgar’s restaurant is owned by chef Glenn Gillespie. Gillepsie first started working at the restaurant as the chef when it opened in 2005 and became a part-owner of the restaurant in 2009. In 2011 he became the full owner.
The restaurant specializes in smoked foods and features special menus each week for drinks, appetizers and menus from a different culture. The restaurant also hosts regular jazz concerts and other live music. The Facebook page calls the restaurant a “cornucopia of culture.” Edgar’s is located on a city-owned golf course and often caters food for outings and provides concessions for golfers.
Though the golf course is closed in the winter months, Edgar’s stays open year-round to provide live entertainment. They also feature guest chefs that “prepare interesting and unusual feature plates.”
Reviews are Generally Positive Since the Re-Opening
Behind the scenes and on set of #RestaurantImpossible reminding you to tune in tomorrow night at 9p ET on @foodnetwork for an all new episode!
Though there are only five reviews on the restaurant’s Yelp page since the renovation and rework, four of those reviews are positive and one is negative. The positive reviews mention the good service and great food. The one negative review mentions service being underwhelming and lamb sliders with a “weird aftertaste.”
One Google Review mentions the transformation as a negative aspect of the restaurant, saying they used to go to the restaurant often and had left a five-star review two years previously.
“I have dined at Edgar’s at least a dozen, or more, times and have never had a bad experience UNTIL now,” the review wrote. “Edgar’s partnered with #ChefRobertIrvine and Food Network’s #RestaurantImpossible to be ‘transformed into a successful business. My experience this past weekend after the ‘transformation’ was horrible.”
Most of the reviews on Google are positive since the change, however, with multiple reviewers mentioning the food and atmosphere in a positive light. The Facebook page for the restaurant has a 4.5 out of 5 score based on 272 reviews. Many of those reviews are from before the renovations. According to a comment by the restaurant on that page, they do plan to make some changes.
“We agree that a lot of changes are made,” they wrote in response to a comment calling out changes since Restaurant: Impossible. “But we’d love to put your mind & palette at ease as we fully intend to bring back some of our classics.”
You can view the current menu for Edgar’s restaurant here. The “Help Is on Its Way” episode of Restaurant: Impossible airs Thursday, January 9 at 9 p.m. ET on Food Network.
READ MORE: Uncle Andy’s In Portland Maine is Featured on ‘Restaurant: Impossible’