Original subtitles

"restaurant impossible" is intense.

You better shut up talking to me.

It's emotional. This is done.

I'm not angry. I'm disappointed.

And it's incredibly rewarding.

-Oh. -Aah!

It's beautiful.

Woman: It looks like a whole different place.

This kind of stuff doesn't happen to me.

But it's all over in just 48 hours.

Come on, guys! Let's go! Come on. Let's push.

What happens when I leave? Do the changes stick?

Are the owners doing their job?

Are they making money, or are they still struggling?

After all these years, I'm on my way to find out.

♪♪

[ sledgehammering ]

I'm back!

I'm going to revisit paul's bar & bowling

in paterson, new jersey, where I originally came in 2014.

The biggest thing to stand out for this episode

was the minute I walked in the door,

it was almost like time had stood still.

You have got to be kidding me.

It was the first time I'd ever had a mission to this scale.

Bowling alley, bar... This is a dump.

...And restaurant issues...

It feels very slimy.

...All wrapped up into one.

I don't even know if we can get it done.

And paul's bar & bowling

is the only bowling alley in a business

that "restaurant impossible" has ever tackled,

and I can't wait to see how it's holding up today.

Before robert came,

I was about $250,000 in debt.

I would have been banged up by that,

you know, six months later.

I would have had to sell the place. Yeah.

Yes. I guess.

I'm in paterson, new jersey,

for a mission unlike any other I've taken on.

I'm not here to save a restaurant.

I'm here to save a business called paul's bar & bowling.

Owner paul awramko runs the business along with his friend

ed arzoomanian.

Paul: My grandfather opened the place up

in 1929 as a bowling alley.

Irvine: With prohibition in effect,

it wasn't legal to sell alcohol...Yet.

Paul: He was in the ice business, so he had all his friends

come here with his ice buckets,

and apparently he was selling beer out of there,

and that's where he made a lot of money, obviously.

That's what the story is.

And then a couple years later when prohibition ended,

became a bar.

Unfortunately, we're not doing that well financially.

I can't pay my bills.

Irvine: Unable to pay his taxes,

paul's family business was on the brink of closing

when a former customer became his saving grace.

Paul: Ed's given me a big help.

You know, he's a real good guy, has a good heart, big heart.

He's just been a godsend, you know,

as far as helping out physically

because I'm disabled -- two, you know, arthritic knees --

and financially.

I was behind in so much money in real-estate taxes.

He saved the day. He saved paul's.

He's a godsend. He's an angel.

Ed: I was trying to help paul with the money,

but this place is so massive, and there was just --

everything was breaking down, massive bills.

And we were really struggling.

Paul is a great guy.

You know, he's a likable guy.

I wanted to help paul because he was in need,

and I saw the struggle he was going through.

That's something, that loyalty, that you don't see nowadays.

A person came here, loved the place,

drank here every day,

so he invested money and not only money, time,

to try and help paul out of the mire.

Unfortunately, even with ed's help,

it just wasn't enough to stop the financial bleeding.

Paul: My grandfather opened the doors 85 years ago.

Now I'm looking at it like

I'm gonna have to close the doors.

Irvine: This is the first time

I've ever had a mission like this --

bowling alley, bar, and restaurant issues

all wrapped up into one.

♪♪

you have got to be kidding me.

[ laughs ]

I can't imagine what he thought when he walked in and said,

"this place is a mess," you know?

[ laughs ]

this place should be condemned.

I don't know about bloody helped.

Paul! Come in this pigsty!

[ chuckles ]

my goodness. How old is this building?

85 years. So tell me about this business.

My grandfather opened the place up 85 years ago,

put the bowling lanes up,

and then several years later, he put the bar in.

So how long have you owned it, then, or ran it?

Basically, about 27 years.

And you haven't made any changes here, right?

-Correct. -It's like a time warp.

-Correct. -Yes.

And it's almost like 50 years ago,

25 people came in, sat around the bar,

and then somebody locked the door and threw away the key.

So much do you lose per month here?

[ exhales ] $10,000 a month, minimum.

Taxes, we have --

we owe for years ago we're still paying off.

They failed to pay their taxes for,

like, three or four years during the recession.

Which compounds in interest every pretty much day.

Right, and then there's interest and penalties.

Now he's bombarded with that to pay

and still can't make his current payment.

So the total debt you're in right now...

$250,000 and still climbing,

so we're in trouble.

The bartenders -- do they make good drinks?

Yeah. Do you make money on the drinks?

I hope so, yeah. I should be.

-He's not automated. -Okay.

You know, no point-of-sale registers.

He doesn't even have a cellphone.

If you look at the -- you don't even have a cellphone?

-No. -No.

He was shocked. You know, that was --

I said to him, "I don't need one.

I go to the gym. I go to work, and I go home.

You got to call me? Yeah, here's the number."

it's just another expense.

You're not very business-savvy.

Apparently.

Show me the bowling alley, then.

-Yes, sir. Here we go. -Okay.

So how old are these lanes?

-Over 80 years. -80 years old.

We think they might be the oldest lanes in new jersey.

It's got a certain nostalgic charm.

So how do you keep score on this?

'cause normally you have electronics, right?

Yeah. We got pencils, and we got paper.

[ laughs ]

that is hilarious.

Technology plays a huge part in restaurant evolution,

not only from a guest experience

but also the operations of a business,

and the more modern an updated place is,

the more money people tend to spend.

Irvine: Wow. This project -- bowling alley, bar?

This is a huge project,

and I don't even know if we can get it done.

But here's what we're gonna do.

I want to see a service of your food,

what you normally do on a daily basis.

-Okay. Cool. -Okay. Great.

-Great. Thanks, guys. -Thank you.

Irvine: This business is like nothing else I've ever done,

and turning it around will require everything I've got.

Hiya, billy.

Irvine: At the bar, there are the loyal regulars,

but young people are the lifeblood of any bar.

It'll be my challenge to get them into paul's.

-How are you? -Come over to the men's side.

You look like you're all at home here.

Yes, we are.

Paul's has a tremendous loyal following.

We had our regular crew.

The regulars were there, you know,

four days, five days a week.

So how long you been coming here?

-21 years. -21 years.

Who's been coming here the longest?

-Him. -You, young sir?

How long you been coming here?

-50 years. -50 years?

-I'll be 80. -I'm a new jack.

How long have you been coming here?

About 25 years.

"I'm new -- 25 years."

if we have a group of people like we do here

that have been coming in from 25, 35, 45 years,

it's great.

We know they're coming here every day.

They're gonna sit in the same seat.

They're gonna order the same amount of drinks.

But having the right mix of people was key.

They needed to have regulars and new patrons

for paul to make a profit.

Why do you come back?

I got a bunch of friends in here that I'm loyal to them.

They're loyal to me.

All right. Thank you very much.

There's something going right here,

and that can be, you know, the camaraderie.

But his staff is a little too comfortable for me.

They've gotten sloppy behind the bar.

Whose are all these bags? Yes, a disgusting habit.

That's where we keep our purses.

Irvine: And their training leaves a lot to be desired.

What can we get youse?

A moscow mule -- two of them, please?

I've never made that drink before.

I've honestly never heard of it.

Just like this building, the bartenders are subpar.

They need to be on their game and update

their knowledge of modern drinks,

and I'm hoping the food isn't just as uninspiring.

You mind if I sit here, guys?

-Oh, no, please sit. -What can I get you?

-What is good here? -Our burgers are great.

I'll have a burger and pierogies.

Tina fries.

Tina fries it is. Is that good?

Yep, that's good. Okay.

Am I missing any delights off this menu?

Nope. This is perfect.

Oh, these are the tina fries, right?

These are the tina fries.

So why are they called tina fries?

Because tina the bartender came up with the idea

one day of putting mozzarella cheese and brown gravy on them.

Tina, why'd you come up with these soggy fries?

I was eight months pregnant when I came up with those fries.

-And they're a big hit? -They are a big hit.

They're usually a little more crispier than that,

but they're not today.

I like the concept, but there's no flavor.

Burger -- well, you can get a burger anywhere, right?

So I look at the bun.

The bun's not toasted.

The burger itself...

No seasoning whatsoever, and it feels very slimy.

I thought that robert would like our food.. Yeah.

...'cause our customers love our food. Yeah.

-He was like, "no, no, and no." -yeah.

So what am I gonna do, you know?

Pierogies.

It's drenched in grease.

I'm almost nervous eating this right now.

I love pierogies, but they have no taste whatsoever.

Just full of grease -- look.

I was not impressed at all.

The fries were soggy.

The burger was bland, and the pierogies were unedible.

I wasn't impressed at all.

I visited paul's bar & bowling five years ago,

and I'm heading back there now to see

exactly how they're doing.

Is the business doing well, and is ed still there?

Only time will tell.

In 2014, I visited paul's bar & bowling alley

in paterson, new jersey.

The food was lackluster.

Just full of grease -- look.

The owner was seriously behind on technology.

So how do you keep score on this?

'cause normally you have electronics, right?

Yeah. We got pencils, and we got paper.

[ laughs ]

irvine: And the way it looked sent mu designer into a shock.

The floors are bad. The bar was bad.

The chairs were bad. The ceiling was bad.

I mean, you name it,

it had seen the test of time.

Obviously, there's a lot of work here.

This was built during prohibition.

It would be kind of neat if we could incorporate

that prohibition type of speakeasy kind of,

you know, that -- I love that.

We could keep the character of the building

and take all the grunge out of here.

Wow.

You can see it's very old, but it's a nostalgic place.

I would really love to focus on making it fun.

Yeah, that's what it's lacking.

How do we use the bowling alleys

to bring in young, vibrant people

and use it for revenue?

That's gonna be a tough job.

And this is where you are good at this.

I'm just telling you right now, this is the biggest

and most overwhelming walk-through

I have ever done with you.

Paul's was a classy place, you know, back in the '60s.

You know, they had the moose head on

and the cadillacs out in the parking lot.

It was, you know, a really nice place to come to.

And now this place is a mess, you know?

It's a pigsty, yeah.

And I told him, "you'll never fix this place, robert.

You'll never fix this place."

you know, it was falling apart.

All right. Let's get this furniture out of here.

Everybody grab a stool and follow me.

I know it's a big job, but let's get it done.

I've been coming here for 25 years, and, you know,

it's kind of sad to see some of this nostalgia go,

but, you know, the bar is in need of a good change.

Irvine: All right. Pick it up, move it!

If it moves, walk it!

When we came to empty the actual restaurant

and the bowling alleys and everything out, it took forever.

There was so much stuff, so many knickknacks,

so much junk, for want of a better word.

So, obviously, this building has been here since 1929,

and I think some of the staff have been here just as long.

I gathered them to figure out,

are they entrenched in their ways,

and if them ways are hurting his business.

The staff here is my family because I've been involved

with them for, you know, 25, 30 years,

and I know about their kids, all about their grandkids.

And that's seven days a week.

Irvine: A lot of years between you.

So here's my question.

How come this business is $250,000 in debt,

losing $10,000 a month?

As far as the way the place is run,

paul doesn't have a cellphone.

Paul doesn't open up e-mail.

We don't advertise.

Do you make money?

What's your tips a night, average?

Between $100 to $125.

Same for you guys, I presume?

-Yes. -Yep.

So you're all making money,

but when was the last time you cleaned?

If someone would ask me to, I'd have no problem doing it.

Why should they ask you to?

You know, we wipe down where our bottles are.

But you're wiping down, you're wiping down with cloths

that are disgusting already.

-Paul's... -No, it's not paul's fault.

He doesn't assign a schedule of cleaning religiously.

Say, "every Saturday, you should go behind"...

How can you say that's paul's fault?

It's not paul's fault. It's common sense.

Basically, you know, if somebody saw a box

or something lying down, they'd just walk past it.

If there was, you know, things to be washed or whatever,

they'd leave it for the end.

There just wasn't an urgency.

You tell them what to do personally and say,

"look, we can't do that anymore,"

and then they go, "okay,"

and that lasts for about two days,

and then if I come upstairs unexpected, I watch.

I go, "you're back to your old self again."

irvine: Let me tell you something.

He shouldn't have to tell you to clean.

I'm sorry.

It's complacency because paul allows you

to run the business 'cause he can't.

Why are you upset?

It's just emotional. That's all.

How do you feel?

-I love him. -We love him.

Man: Yeah, we all love him.

He's gonna be here 16 hours a day, whether he can't walk,

and he feels sick, and he's in pain every day.

And your job is to make sure his pain is eased.

Once I said my piece, tina got all emotional,

as did a few other folks,

and I really thought that everybody in that meeting

were 100% supportive and real about paul.

They loved the guy and they loved this place.

You're his family, guys. -Aw.

-Yes, we are. -That's true, yeah.

-No, you're so... -Now we need a box of tissues.

-Yeah, right? -Yes, 'cause...

-Seriously. -I appreciate your openness.

-Thank you. -Thanks, robert.

Irvine: I'd gotten the staff on board, and the design team

was in full swing updating the look of this place,

but I still needed to get the bartenders

to update their drink-making skills.

So I thought, "let's take them to a friend of mine,

test their skills, show them some things

to get them back on level."

I want you to make me an old fashioned.

Crap.

Irvine: I'm having the bartenders' pouring skills

judged by a professional mixologist.

I think you over-poured.

It's tremendously over-poured.

The drink is really, really strong.

Not acceptable.

$10,000 loss a month is not coming from food, is it? Woman: No.

Over-pouring -- this is the money right here.

-Yep. -You just made me bankrupt.

Just disheartening to see that because, you know,

this is the job they have, almost guaranteed.

They're servers, and they're killing me.

Every time they give more than they're supposed to get,

I'm losing money.

You don't know everything there is to know about drinks,

and for us to move forward,

we need to figure out how to do this correctly.

Irvine: I'm gonna have joe sharpen the skills

the girls do have and teach them two new signature drinks

that will bring in additional revenue.

By training and getting used to these drinks and pouring,

you're gonna be an asset to the business

other than people coming in to talk to you.

Joe, teach them well.

-I'll do you proud, chef. -Thank you.

Irvine: With one mystery solved...

Excellent. They're all good.

All: To paul and to the new paul's bar & bowling.

-Cheers! Yay! -Whoo-hoo!

Irvine: ...I can focus my attention on paul's lack of knowledge

when it comes to technology.

This is a phone.

Hold it. Don't be afraid.

Woof!

I was joking. It doesn't bite.

This is a tablet.

The laptop computer.

Amazing technology.

I was ecstatic that we're trying to get paul out of the ice age

and into, you know, the new modern day.

What?! [ laughs ]

[ laughs ]

hey, he's a funny guy, ain't he?

Yeah, sure.

Irvine: Paul's homework tonight is to learn

how to use new technology to communicate to me.

Cellphone -- I want to text.

The tablet... Social media.

...You'll want some social media.

-And the laptop... -And the laptop, an e-mail.

An e-mail. I think you can figure this out.

-Okay. -I've got faith in you.

Okay? -Thank you.

And I'll see you in the morning.

Okay. Here I go.

Thank you, robert.

Social media is of paramount importance

to what we do in this business.

What to do now? I have no idea.

You can send messages.

You can show people what your specials are.

It's gonna be a long night.

I can tell you that already.

You can say, "hey, you ought to come over here.

We're doing this tonight in the bar.

We're doing karaoke. We're doing this."

whatever it is, social media is the fastest way

to get attention.

Paul: How do I get anything on? I don't know.

Nothing's happening.

Irvine: My worry was that paul would get frustrated

and give up,

leaving him stuck in a time warp with a failing restaurant.

[ laughing ] oh, my goodness.

I quit. That's it, done deal.

I'm in paterson, new jersey, revisiting paul's bar & bowling,

the first ever bowling alley, bar, and restaurant combo

we've ever done.

This is a huge project,

and I don't even know if we can get it done.

Never in my wildest dreams would I ever, or have I ever,

thought about tackling a building

that's never been changed in 60 years of his existence.

You have got to be kidding me. [ laughs ]

it's got a certain nostalgic charm.

If you think about businesses, you know,

if we get 3, 5, 15, 20, years, we're doing really well,

but to be around since 1929 is a miracle.

But the true shocker will be if paul,

who didn't use technology, had actually done the homework

I gave him the night before,

when I asked to send him to send me a text,

an e-mail, and a social-media post.

I did pass the test last night. I did do my homework.

-Morning. -Morning.

I hope to make him proud of me.

That's it. I really do.

He seems like a really good guy, but he's a real ball-breaker.

That's for sure.

How was the homework?

The phone -- I wanted you to text me,

and I got your text.

-Oh, you did? Yeah. -Yeah. Yeah.

It made me chuckle. Let's put it that way.

"hey, it's me, paul, first-time texter.

Thanks again."

right?

There is a saying --

"you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

I'm calling garbage.

You can teach anybody new tricks,

and if I can teach paul --

never had a cellphone in his life --

how to use technology, there's hope for everybody.

Nothing is impossible.

What about the tablet and social media?

What did you do on that? Tell me.

Paul: Tablet -- I hit the right button

almost the first time,

and then I go to to the social media.

Then I had to type in your name.

Boom -- there comes your social-media page.

So what about the computer?

So that was a little more difficult.

I didn't know how to use the e-mail to you,

so I had to call for ed, and he showed up,

and he showed me really simply how to e-mail.

So here's the thing.

It's very important that technology

finds its way into this business.

I understand the frustration,

and you're not gonna get it overnight.

And I'm proud of you. I really am proud of you. Thank you.

I will promise to continue to...

Follow up with you as far as technology goes.

-Almost crying there. -Almost, yeah.

What are you thinking?

I got to change to make this business keep going.

I got a little choked up at the time.

That really hit home --

you know, things I have to do at that time

to keep the business afloat.

-Morning, guys. -Hey, robert.

Cheryl: Hey, robert.

It's still a mess. Honestly...

Irvine: I don't see much of anything.

Well, we got the floor done.

Let's just be happy about the floor

'cause that was a huge, huge...

The floor is done.

The ceiling's done, which were two big projects.

But the problem is, I feel like all I did

all day yesterday was repair things.

You know, this afternoon, I've got to open a business.

Well, I'll tell you right now,

we are really far from opening up this business.

Irvine: It was a circus inside with all the construction,

so I set up my own tent to teach the cooks

some new tricks in the kitchen.

I kept thinking, "how can we get people to come in here

that have never seen this place before?"

so I created some fun dishes that also catered

to large parties to increase revenue.

Irvine: A party platter.

Wings are a simple, inexpensive cost item,

but everybody loves them.

It takes two minutes. Into a bowl.

I'm gonna do a little sweet-and-sour sauce.

A little toss.

Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Paul: Right in a bucket, just like that.

-That's nice. -Yeah, it's pretty cool.

This looks appetizing.

I've never gotten involved in the food business.

I never took any classes or anything like that,

so I was happy that I could learn something.

I always want to learn.

All right -- burgers.

You make your own patties now, right?

Yes, we do.

Salt, pepper...

♪♪

...Little cheese.

See how fast this burger is?

A little lettuce -- there's my crunch.

This is a one-bite, right in.

It's really tasty.

-That's very nice. -Yeah, very good.

So we figured out the cost of this for six people is $36.

The whole platter cost us $10.50.

That's a deal.

I think food and bowling go hand-in-hand

because they're both social, you know?

You grab a beer. You grab some wings.

You sit on a table with a group of friends, and you bowl.

And with the right food, they could capitalize on that.

What is it, the -- she used to put mozzarella cheese and...

-Brown gravy. -...Disgusting brown gravy.

Irvine: My next dish is an improvement on

the soggy tina fries I had yesterday.

Now, one of the problems was,

when you put french fries that are crispy into a sauce,

they become soggy immediately,

so what we've done is really simple.

Shake.

Same time, while it's hot,

taking just regular shredded cheese, sauce.

Oh, just drizzle. Nice.

Green onion -- you want some crispiness.

Whoa! Yeah, baby!

[ laughs ]

and that's pretty awesome, right?

-Yeah. -Yes, very nice.

Pretty straightforward.

-Still crispy. -Very tasty, too.

It's crispy. You got the seasoning.

You've got the cheese. I love the scallion.

Right? The scallion gives it a little texture,

a little oniony, right?

Whole different flavor.

Several items that he cooked up were easy to prepare,

easy to serve, and short time to cook.

I go, "how does this guy think about that?"

but he's really good.

He is just so good at doing that --

boom, boom, boom, boom.

I'm like, "this guy really knows his stuff."

so here it is. It's quarter to 5:00 on day 2.

Supposed to open this bar and bowling alley at 6:30,

and right now, it's in a shambles.

The front of the bar is not done,

lighting going over here,

shelving going over here in a wall.

I've got a bowling alley that's been painted.

We're still putting lights up.

At least we've got the diamonds up.

It's the biggest thing we have ever done.

Right now, my mission at paul's bar & bowling alley

is gonna be a bust if I don't get it going.

We're supposed to open, and yet we're still frantic

trying to set the restaurant because we were far behind,

but, hey, I'm not opening this restaurant until it's perfect.

This is the future for paul and ed

and everybody that's worked here.

So let's talk about the business.

How's finances? You get rid of the taxes?

♪♪

I'm revisiting paul's bar & bowling

in paterson, new jersey,

a spot that is somewhat of a historic landmark.

So how old are these lanes?

Ed: Over 80 years.

We think they might be the oldest lanes in new jersey.

Irvine: And while it's fun to be nostalgic,

this business was out-of-date

and had no technology whatsoever.

So how do you keep score on this?

Yeah. We got pencils, and we got paper.

[ laughs ]

irvine: My team tried to update as much as we could,

but time was running out,

and I felt immense pressure on me because paul was --

you just wanted to hug him. You wanted to hold him.

You want to say, "everything's gonna be okay,"

because he'd worked hard for all this time,

and I felt, you know, he's got two bad knees.

He wasn't feeling good.

He wasn't in good health, and yet he smiled every day,

and he was here every day.

Where's all the staff?

Somebody get me brooms.

Cheryl!

All the boxes out the bar now.

Remember, we have all these people

who are expecting a great environment,

and a brand-new bowling alley

is gonna knock the socks off people.

But they don't get it back until I'm ready and it's perfect.

Robert said it would be beautiful.

It's gonna be beautiful.

Paul is a good friend,

and he'd take his shirt off his back for you,

and he's put everything that he could possibly do,

working a 100-hour week for a couple years now

to make this work.

How we doing, guys?

-Ah! -Ah! Here's the man.

I mean, this is the uplift we need right here in paterson

after 85 years.

Here we go. We're gonna start something new.

Then we'll be around for another 85 years.

You ready to see the restaurant?

-Yes, we are. -Yes.

-Okay. Keep your eyes closed. -All right.

We're gonna start walking.

The reveal was a bittersweet moment.

I was so happy the way the restaurant turned out,

but I was nervous because, remember,

it was paul's mum and dad

that started this back in 1929.

This restaurant has not been touched for 60 years.

Are you ready to see the new paul's?

Ready and willing and able.

[ laughs ]

open your eyes.

-Oh! -Oh, [bleep]!

Guys, oh, my god.

I would never imagine.

Oh, my god. Look at [bleep].

Wow!

I was shocked because I was actually gonna bet robert

that this is gonna be the first episode

he's not going to finish, and...

Good thing you saved your money.

Yeah. You proved me wrong, robert.

You proved me wrong.

Very elegant!

Oh, my god. Paul: Awesome.

And we kept the same windows, yes.

Holy christmas. -Look how beautiful they are!

-Wow. -Look at the bar!

-Bar, man. -New stools!

[ laughs ] oh, my god! -Wow.

This is gonna be unbelievable!

There's no bumps on the floor.

Open your eyes and walk up the stairs.

-Holy [bleep]. -[ laughs ]

oh, man!

It's a little bit brighter here now!

It's a lot brighter, a lot cleaner, too.

Lights! Fun!

Those little score pads, the new score pads. Oh!

Irvine: Oh. It's a bowling app

so that nobody has to think about pen and paper.

Wow.

Paul, no more pencil and paper.

I don't have to put them out no more.

[ laughs ] beautiful!

You fixed all the holes in the ceiling.

Wow!

It's fabulous. I was -- it was great.

Robert and his crew did a great job.

Just to see them is just a joy.

I have two amazing people... Yes.

...Cheryl, my designer, and tom, my builder.

Here they come.

All right! Hi, cutie.

Nice bowling alley.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

-It's...It's... -It's lively!

It's energetic. -Yeah.

-I'm even more proud of you. -Are you really?

-Yeah. -Stop it.

Irvine: I am. I don't say that.

I mean that. Yeah.

You embraced technology, and you've embraced change,

which is very difficult.

-Yeah. -You've done an amazing job.

I didn't know if I was capable, but thanks, dude.

It was so cool to watch their reaction,

and kudos to the whole team -- all the volunteers, tom, cheryl.

Yeah, this was a big one, and they pulled it off.

All right, everybody!

[ cheering ]

more, more, more, more!

[ cheering intensifies ]

welcome to the new paul's,

and you won't believe what they did to this joint.

I'm amazed.

Let's go! Find your places.

Everybody bring your cash. Whoo-hoo!

Lenny, go to your spot.

Plenty of seats, so walk around the bar.

Plenty of seats.

-Hey. -Hey, buddy.

Oh, man, what's up?

♪♪

woman: It's so bright and light.

Everything looks so clean and pretty.

I love the bookshelves.

I think that's a really cool touch.

And, you know, I can definitely see myself

coming here with my friends now.

Now I can tell my mom I hang out in a nice place.

This is dorothy over the rainbow, kansas.

I can't believe I'm in oz.

This is fantastic.

Ed: We have our regular people here.

We have young people here.

We have people bowling in the new lanes.

Ah!

I can't believe I'm getting very emotional.

I feel this. I can't believe it.

Ed went beyond himself.

Ed's not a great verbalizer.

He kind of keeps emotions to himself.

Opening night was a slam dunk,

smashing success beyond my wildest dreams.

It came out beautiful.

It's so cool and so happening,

so awesome to see the place like this.

And all these people coming in tonight,

and I can tell you right now, I know they'll all be back.

And the food's amazing.

♪♪

the platters are outstanding.

The wings are a lot better.

Everything tastes, like, fresh and great.

We came up a notch.

It's not a shot-and-beer place anymore.

We're making drinks. We're using shakers.

We haven't don't that in a long time.

We're having so much fun.

[ cheering ]

robert saved the bar.

Hell yeah. That's why we're still here.

Robert definitely saved the bar, without question.

But he just turned it into something totally different

and totally, business-wise, a boost in business.

He really is a really good guy, and he knows what to do.

He's very, very smart.

-Strike! -No way!

-Oh! -No!

♪♪

I visited paul's bar & bowling five years ago,

and I'm heading back there now

to see exactly how they're doing.

Is their business doing well, and is ed still there?

Another funny but big question is --

is paul still using his cellphone,

his computer, and his ipad?

Only time will tell.

♪♪

I visited paul's bar & bowling five years ago,

and I'm heading back there now

to see exactly how they're doing.

This is the only bowling alley we've ever tackled on the show,

and to be honest with you, I'm really glad.

What I remember most about this episode was

everything was stuck in the past --

the bowling alley, the bar, the food,

and even the owner, paul.

But that guy quickly stole my heart,

and I dove in headfirst to save his business.

And I just hope that it stands the test of time.

Well, here we are. [ cellphone chimes ]

[ laughs ] "hey, robert.

It's paul from paterson, new jersey.

I can't wait to see you.

I'm sending you this text."

which means, hey, he's learned how to use technology.

I can't wait to go in, see how he's doing,

see if ed is still there,

and see if they're keeping up with the building.

All right.

Here we go.

♪♪

it takes me back five years ago when I walked through that door,

and the whole place stopped in time.

It's just a weird feeling to come back into a place,

especially when we had to everything,

and I mean everything -- the floor, the ceiling, the bar.

You name it, we did it.

It doesn't look any different.

In fact, chairs were done.

The front of the bar was done.

We put a backbar in.

I want to see the bowling alley now,

say hi to these folks.

♪♪

so remember, five years ago,

there was very few people playing up here.

Why? It was old.

The ceiling was broken.

The only coolest thing that I remember here

were the lanes were the original lanes,

and still look at them now.

They're better than most bowling alleys that are modern-day.

Thing was, five years ago,

technology had taken such a huge leap,

and they were still using paper and pens.

[ laughs ]

we put ipads in here, but apparently this is the best way.

How long you been coming here?

What about you?

Oh, probably about 30 years.

So what about you guys in the corner?

You're all quiet, eh?

It'll be our second time on Thursday.

When you drove by, what did you like about the place?

Honestly, it was just one of those places

that looked like it was a cool place to hang out.

This is an historic place.

We all know each other. We have fun.

All right. Sorry to interrupt.

Enjoy what you're doing.

♪♪

there's something about this place that's really special.

Up here, we have old-timers mixed in with young folks

having a laugh, eating great food,

drinking beer, but there's still lots to see.

The man, the myth, the legend in his own bar.

That's my line.

How are you doing, robert? Good to see.

So what's news?

Are they all -- everybody still here?

Yeah, just about, yes.

Everybody -- yeah. Tina's still here.

Tina -- I mean, listen, if you sell this place,

she has to go with it. Tina: I'm coming with you.

[ laughter ]

so how is your health?

Eh, I got some problems. Couple...

What about your knees? They still there?

-The knees are fine. -Your knees are fine?

Yeah, I got stem-cell injections from one of those stem cells.

But my main problem is I got three compression fractures

in my back, so that hurts a lot.

So what about ed? Is ed still here?

Yeah, he bailed me out.

He's working every day, seven days a week.

He's a godsend.

He's really a godsend.

-Hey. -Hey, buddy.

-How are you? -I just asked about you.

Oh, really? Yeah, I'm still here.

-So how have you been? -Very good.

Tell me about the taco tuesdays.

Ed: Oh, it's unbelievable. We got the best tacos around.

So why did you go into taco Tuesday?

Well, you know, paul and I --

we go to this local joint down the road.

I said, "wow. Look at these prices.

They're so freaking low."

I said, "you know what? Maybe we should do that."

yeah, it's a good idea.

Our burgers -- our 5-ounce sirloin burger

for $3 with anything on it.

Irvine: You know, here I am five years later.

They've done great with tacos

and all these other things that are bar food --

something fast, something tasty,

something they're gonna remember and keep coming back.

Listen, you get them in the door,

they're not having one drink.

They're having a couple.

Listen, I have to ask you this one question.

Okay.

You had no idea of how to use a phone.

Well, I got your text.

Thank you very much.

Are you photographing these and putting them on social media?

Yes, we do.

Social media helped out a lot.

Social media is huge.

We have bands here, so people know when the bands are playing.

The girls make great home-cooked specials,

and they're all, like, under 10 bucks.

It's unbelievable. That brings people in.

So let's talk about the business.

How's finances? You get rid of the taxes?

Well, I mean, uh... Caught up.

We had an outstanding August through present.

You know, when you make an extra $500 on a Friday

and Saturday, all of a sudden that adds up. Yeah.

You can start buying things and making the place better.

You pay off the bills.

You know, it's been great.

If I could wave a wand and say,

"what do you need help with?" what would it be?

I definitely need help in the kitchen.

In the day, it used to be a sandwich bar.

-Right. -And we have it on the menu.

But no one orders it from the menu.

Yeah, we're throwing out a lot of sandwich rolls

because they're all having the specials that the girls make.

What's your special today?

Potato and leek soup and hot roast beef.

All right. I'm gonna try the food,

and we'll chat on some stuff.

-Yeah, yeah. -Sure.

-Okay? -We'll be here. We'll wait.

I know you're not going anywhere.

You owe me beer. [ laughs ]

here we are. We got a kitchen that's like 4x3,

so I'm impressed they're utilizing it

to draw in folks with specials on the menu,

but will it taste special or be bland like before?

♪♪

irvine: I'm revisiting paul's bar & bowling

in paterson, new jersey.

I haven't been back since 2014,

and the place looked just like how I left it.

Paul is still using technology.

Are you photographing these and putting them on social media?

Ed: Yes, we do.

Social media helped out a lot.

Irvine: And they're making money.

How's finances?

You know, it's been great.

You can start buying things and making the place better.

You pay off the bills.

Irvine: But it's time to try the food.

-Our roast-beef sandwich. -Roast beef.

-There's our... -Soup.

-...Potato-and-leek soup. -Thank you.

Tina: Okay.

[ laughter in background ]

♪♪

that is good, nicely -- that's a good soup.

I'd be proud to serve that in my restaurant.

It's very good.

Sandwiches -- this is the beef.

♪♪

I mean, it's a good sandwich, but nothing wow.

The italian.

♪♪

it's crispy lettuce, good meat, cheese.

I mean, it's a good sandwich.

There's nothing wrong with these sandwiches,

but you've got to be a little bit more exciting,

and that's where we make money.

I have the perfect idea that will not only taste delicious

but will use up extra breads so they're not wasting any product.

So first of all, the soup I tried, the potato leek --

that was a 10, but I thought I'd give you a different idea

of a more millennial kind of soup.

Gonna do a french onion soup.

It's quick, easy food we can prep beforehand

and sell a lot of.

Right. Starts with onions --

lots of onions, just sliced onions.

Then we'll take a little brandy

that I'm gonna add.

You smell that already starting to sweetness to the onions.

Into that, I'm gonna take some beef stock and salt,

some thyme, a little tarragon,

and I thought we could use some of the leftover bread --

cut into a disk and put some cheese on the top of it.

Into your little pizza-oven thing here.

Oh, baby.

Get the cheese to melt.

All right. So take my bowl.

♪ do-do-do-do-do-doot doot-doot-do ♪

french onion soup in a minute.

All right. So next thing I'm gonna do --

crispy chicken sandwich.

I'm gonna start with chicken thigh into seasoned flour.

Into the fryer.

Little bacon.

A nicely toasted bun.

Chicken is ready.

French fries, salt and pepper, spicy ranch dressing,

and the chicken.

There we go.

Crispy chicken sandwich with bacon, french fries.

All right. I did a french onion soup.

Some way to use some of the leftover bread.

This one is a ranch-marinated chicken thigh, bacon,

a little sriracha, give it a little spice.

It literally takes three minutes, four minutes

to do this dish.

Now, look, try the soup first.

Paul: Let me see.

I tell you what -- that's tasty.

Really, really, really tasty. Very good.

Gonna take a bite of the chicken.

Mmm.

That's good.

And by the way, this will go a long way

to solving your sandwich problems.

Everybody loves a fried-chicken sandwich.

And you know what it does?

Salt and spice... Mm-hmm.

...Increases your need for...

Something to drink.

-...Alcohol. -Alcohol.

Even though you have a small kitchen,

you can still create magic food.

I'm gonna love you, leave, and tell you this --

it's been awesome to see you both.

To see the people that I saw five years ago

still sitting in these chairs and some fresh faces upstairs,

it just goes to show that you're doing something right.

I'm very proud of you. Thank you.

It's heartfelt, really.

Thanks, robert. Thank you.

Robert -- he was very happy with us.

-Thank you, pal. -Take care of him.

Yeah, take care, robert.

It makes me feel wonderful.

You know, like, five years hasn't gone wasted.

We got the guru to tell us, "yeah, you passed the test."

-[ chuckles ] -appreciate it.

Before robert came, a lot of people associated

with a dive bar.

After robert came, it became more lively.

We have bands now. We have djs now.

We get different crowds in, and everyone really likes it.

You think I can eat a wing?

-Yes. -With your permission?

-Yes, you can. -My name is andré sayegh.

I'm the proud mayor of the city of paterson,

and we appreciate paul's bar because it's an institution.

This is the kind of place where everyone knows your name.

[ indistinct talking and laughing ]

the bread on this french onion soup

tastes just like garlic bread.

The cheese on top makes it absolutely pop.

It's delicious.

If they're gonna have this as a new item,

I would eat it all the time.

I ordered a bacon, chicken, and ranch sandwich.

It was crunchy, tasty, and I love the bacon.

Paul: Robert comes back in five years,

I'm thinking that he's gonna be very impressed again,

and if we get out of debt totally and no new debt,

he's gonna be ecstatic.

Irvine: People think I'm tough at what I do,

and I make no apologies for being tough or being direct

because if you're gonna make a change,

you need to jolt the system.

We jolted the system here, and look -- five years later,

we're still in business, five years of life.

I mean, there's plenty of years left to go, so...

And I say if you listen, you can be successful,

and you have to do the work --

in this case, paul, tina, ed, and the rest of the team.

Here we are. That's why I love my job.

♪♪