Executive Producer of Restaurant: Impossible, Jill Littman, Talks Adapting to Filming During the Pandemic and Helping Restaurants Reopen

Florine is joined this week by Jill Littman; Executive Producer of Food Network’s Restaurant: Impossible. This Emmy-nominated show features chef Robert Irvine working with a team to makeover and relaunch a restaurant for $10k in just 48 hours. Filmed during the spring and summer of 2020, Jill and her crew set out on the road to revisit restaurants they previously helped, reopen in the wake of the pandemic. Working closely with the restaurant owners, the team finds creative new ways to reimagine the business and replace lost revenue. She talks how creativity, flexibility, and a lot of hard work have helped her to adjust to working in the new normal.

 

What You’ll Hear on This Episode:

During Restaurant Impossible: Back in Business, the team revisited 10 restaurants from across the country that they had previously helped, finding creative ways to augment revenue lost as a result of limited in-person dining. Jill shares the struggles of filming episodes while ensuring the safety of cast and crew. Jill is concerned about the future of restaurants, especially with cold weather coming. When it comes to this show and this crew, there is no hierarchy in getting the work done. Everybody rolls up their sleeves and gets their hands dirty. How they select which restaurants will be on the show. Some behind-the-scenes secrets about chef Robert Irvine, including his love of junk food! Travel can be challenging, especially with COVID-19 restrictions, but Jill has a great team with a common goal. Restaurant: Impossible is set to resume its regular season, but it will be different than before as they have to limit the number of people involved and do more with a much smaller team. According to a recent article in Forbes, more than 40% of restaurants have closed, many for good, with an estimated $240B in lost revenue. Today’s Takeaway: Change is hard and as we all adjust to our new normal, we have to be ready to do things differently. It’s the only way we’ll grow and make things better for us ourselves, our children, and our community.

 

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WW Group

Restaurant: Impossible