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Chef Robert Irvine onstage during a culinary demonstration.
Tonight on Food Network’s Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine travels back to Titusville, Florida to help out the owners of Loyd Have Mercy. The restaurant is owned and operated by a pastor.
According to the episode synopsis for the new episode, “Robert Irvine rolls into Titusville, Florida, to help Loyd Have Mercy reopen after the COVID-19 shutdown. Robert brings new safety protocols, menu items and lessons on leadership to help the owners save their failing restaurant.”
Currently, Restaurant: Impossible has rebranded to Restaurant Impossible: Back in Business, which will be replacing the original show since production was shut down early in the spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In this temporary rebrand, Irvine and a small team of people traveling by bus make road trips through Florida, Missouri and Ohio and return to restaurants that were previously featured on the show. In the episodes, Irvine helps owners rebuild and restructure their restaurants with new cleaning and sanitizing protocol in place.
“You know, we normally have a big crew production, anywhere from 50 to 100 people,” Irvine said in the trailer for the episode. “And yet, here we are with 12 people… They’re doing double duty to make this happen. But guess why we do it: We care about our Restaurant Impossible family.”
Irvine Helped Loyd Have Mercy Reopen its Doors With New Pandemic Safety Protocol in Place
No one said @RobertIrvine‘s latest mission was going to be easy. But he and his crew are committed to helping their #RestaurantImpossible family.✨✨Find out how they’re getting it done on a new episode of #RestaurantImpossible: Back in Business, tonight @ 9|8c. pic.twitter.com/mggS70Ya6J
— Food Network (@FoodNetwork) August 6, 2020
In the episode featuring Loyd Have Mercy, Irvine learns that the owner had been forced to fire some of his own family members during the pandemic.
“I was devastated, Robert,” the owner told the chef in the episode. “Some of the food we had, we just gave it away to the families… it was sad, it was very sad, it was hard… very hard.”
Irvine assured them that he would be there to help them get through the hard steps of reopening after having to shut down abruptly.
“You have a lot of questions, I have a lot of answers… we will get through this together. I will fix it,” Irvine told the couple.
Prior to the original episode, the restaurant was known for its no-frills seafood, barbecue and fried chicken. Loyd Have Mercy opened in 2008 and moved from its original location in 2012. At the time of filming, the restaurant occupied a stand-alone building near a mall.
The name of the restaurant pays tribute to the owner Andrew Lloyd’s job as a pastor and founder of Greater Glory Life Center in Orlando.
Loyd Have Mercy Has Overwhelmingly Positive Reviews & Is Open for Dine-In and Takeout
It wasn’t long ago that @RobertIrvine finished an emotional mission at Loyd Have Mercy. And now, he’s heading back, but this time it’s to help the owners navigate pandemic protocols and offer lessons on leadership 🌟 Watch #RestaurantImpossible: Back in Business TONIGHT @ 9|8c. pic.twitter.com/Za7ZtwmbaH
— Food Network (@FoodNetwork) August 6, 2020
On Facebook, Google and Yelp, Loyd Have Mercy has mostly positive reviews. When it comes to Facebook, they have a 4.7 out of 5-star rating based on the opinion of 235 people.
A review from July 21 states “I love the fried green tomatoes and fried chicken. The food here is really great. I have been several times and although my service has always been great, we had a very accommodating server this past week… She went above and beyond for us and very kind!”
On Yelp, Loyd Have Mercy has 114 reviews for an average 4.5-star rating. The most recent review reads, “Let me tell you about this place! It popped up on here as I was on the 95 searching for something to eat and I am SO GLAD it did!… Now to the good stuff the FOOD!! I am a foodie and soul food is my jam. This is true soul food! The pictures posted here DO NOT do it justice!!”
One review from February mentions the renovations. The review reads, “Freshly updated-love this restaurant. Fried Green Tomatoes and many new recipes due to an upgrade by Restaurant Impossible. Glad to see this Tutusville feature get a face lift. Well deserved.”
On Google Reviews, Loyd Have Mercy has 676 reviews for an average 4.3-star rating. The most recent reviews mention delicious food and good service. One review from late July is a two-star review, though.
“Similar to my first experience,” the user writes. “Not sure why they have the 5 star rating. Probably because of the television show they were on. The food is tasty and hearty, however extremely pricy for the type of down home cooking they provide… Something is wrong here.”
According to Today, six episodes of the new series have been filmed and they will be airing throughout August. Tune into Restaurant Impossible on Thursday nights at 9 to watch Irvine help the restaurants reopen and reconnect with their customers.
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