 | ||
The first series of The Restaurant was broadcast in the United Kingdom from 29 August to 17 October in 2007. The programme aired on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8pm on BBC Two, over a total of fifteen episodes. It marked the start of a three-series run for the concept.
Contents
- Contestants
- Winners
- Week One
- Week Two
- Week Three
- Week Four
- Week Five
- Week Six
- Week Seven
- Week Eight
- References
This show is airing as Last Restaurant Standing in the US on BBC America from February to May 2008.
The winners, Jeremy and Jane Hooper, beat eight other couples to win the chance to set up their own restaurant backed by French chef and restaurateur Raymond Blanc. The couple ran their restaurant, Eight at the Thatch, at Thame, Oxfordshire from November 2007 until May 2008.
Contestants
Chris and Jade are a couple from Edinburgh. Both were studying hospitality management at university at the time of their appearance on the show. The couple's Oxford-based restaurant, Studio New York, was the first to be closed in the series after a challenge to hold a function. The couple did admit to Raymond that they missed Scotland and wanted to be closer to home, but would continue to follow their dream.
Brothers Ed and Mike ran The Treacle Well in Watlington, Oxfordshire. Their concept was to produce simple, traditional food. They were eliminated in the fourth week after a challenge to cater for a banquet at Blenheim Palace.
Grant and Laura are a couple from Deptford. The couple have a young baby and, at the time of appearing on the show, were expecting another. They operated a restaurant in Windsor, known as Jacques Tamson's which served a combination of French and Scottish cuisine. In week seven, they were eliminated from the competition after a challenge to run Raymond Blanc's own restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons.
Jeremy and Jane are a couple from Devon. Jeremy is an ex-Royal Marines corporal whilst his wife Jane is a trainee teacher. Their concept behind their restaurant, Eight in the Country, was to provide customers with a lasting memory of good service. The couple, on occasions, didn't see eye to eye, Jeremy not being very organised outside of the kitchen and Jane feeling she had little support at times. But despite having spent much time apart due to Jeremy's job they were extremely close. Jeremy's determination to be the winner paid off and he and Jane beat Jess and Laura in the final. Jeremy was called 'the best cook in the competition' by Lee Cash, an inspector, and was very relaxed. His wife, Jane was very organised but was often overcome with emotion.
Jess and Laura are twin sisters from London and both work as children's entertainers. They operated Brown & Green, a restaurant serving organic cuisine in Aylesbury. They came second overall, losing to Jeremy and Jane in the final.
In November 2009 they were looking for a location to open their Brown & Green café.Lloyd and Adwoa are an engaged couple from London. Outside of the show, the couple run a Ghanaian catering company, a cuisine which they brought to their restaurant on the show. Spinach & Agushi was located in Englefield Green, Surrey and was closed in week six after a challenge to host a singles night. Lloyd was criticised for not being enough of a personality front of house, but this improved with time. Their food was constantly praised and Adwoa was praised for her dishes by Raymond and the inspectors even though she lacked in confidence.
Engaged couple Martin and Emma from Bolton took over Veritas Wine Bar and Bistro, a restaurant in Banbury, to run it under the name Bravo! serving traditional English cuisine. Raymond Blanc eliminated the couple in week five after a challenge to create a microwavable meal. The couple were not as professional as other contestants- Emma, on numerous occasions, disclosed a little too much detail to her customers, especially when it came to serving the eels.
Newly weds Sam and Jacqui operated The Ostrich in Fairford, a restaurant with live jazz entertainment. which was closed in the second week after a challenge to run a canteen. Sam appeared to be much more interested in his band than attempting to run a successful restaurant whilst Jacqui tried desperately to hold things together front of house. Sam's inexperience as a chef was more than obvious and he couldn't accept criticism gracefully. He constantly blamed others for his own errors.
Son and mother Tom and Nicola, from Norfolk, ran Monks in Shipton. Their restaurant was closed in week three after a challenge to hold a local history themed night. Nicola wasn't suited to cooking in a restaurant, very much the house-wife cook she lacked control of her kitchen.
Winners
Jeremy and Jane Hooper won The Restaurant. They were supported by Raymond Blanc and The Peach Pub company in opening and running a restaurant in Thame, Oxfordshire. Blanc was personally financially supporting the new restaurant, sinking a six figure sum into it. Formerly known as The Old Trout Inn, it opened as Eight at the Thatch on 6 November 2007.
After a period of maternity/paternity leave, Jeremy and Jane stepped down and left Eight at the Thatch, on 5 May 2008 their brief tenure marked by reported rampant arguments and failure.