I can't believe I found this again after all these years. The product placement, Chodorow's half beard, mama's hands in the meaballs! I love this show. There is something intoxicating about watching the DiSpirito-Chodorow combination fail so spectacularly.
This was one of the best reality shows I have seen. Sucks that it only lasted the one season before the restaurant closed. I waited tables, and worked in the kitchen for about 5 years with Applebees, and while the ambiance was not up to this standard, we did so many things better than this restaurant. We were cleaner, better prepped ect ect. That's the thing with places like Applebees (especially corporate location as opposed to franchise) there were rigorous cleaning schedules done every night before you left. Then you had managers check your work before you could leave. I see some of the bar rescues and kitchen nightmares, and it's made me afraid to eat in anything that isn't a corporate restaurant. Standards just aren't the same.
Can't believe I found this after all this years. I was a waiter in the early 2000s when I was a student and can remember relating to the frustrations of working in a busy restaurant.
Sorry it took so long to reply, but I worked in a restaurant too, and Topher's "counter culture" quote was 100% spot on. It was like a big family, and who else can you hang out with after midnight? Non other than your restaurant friends, because they are wanting to go out at midnight or 1am which is when most people are leaving bars. When you live in a 24 hour city like Reno when I was in Nevada the bars there in the casinos are 24/7. I worked at an Applebee's in Nevada and was the expo trainer, and server trainer. I learned so many different skills there, and was certified to run the fry/broil/mid cook positions. Not to mention that place was clean enough to eat off a floor. I went from a franchise Applebee's in CA to a corporate owned Applebee's and it was night and day in regards to the cleanliness. Same with Taco Bell. When I was 16 I worked for a franchise, and then got poached at 18 years old to work for corporate Taco Bell. Same with Applebee's the cleanliness of the corporate location was way way better than the franchise. It was the best time of my life working in a restaurant and being part of that counter culture who is coming home from bars when the sun is almost up. Crazy crazy nightlife with servers.
Thanks for the upload. I searched for this for years and couldn't find it anywhere. Clearly I gave up a long time ago because this has been up for eight years and I found it just by searching again on a whim.
Ever since this show aired when I was a teenager, i have spent each year perplexed about what in the actual f#*k did Rocco create from a vending machine. Only now, have you brought the much needed clarity and rest that I’ve desired after all these years.
Even though it’s entirely fake, it’s still entertaining. Watching Rocco morph from the lead good guy into his real douche self made his epic failures all the more fun to watch
Damn shame, UA-cam is the only place where you can watch this show. It's not on any of the apps, IMDb, Netflix, NBC, Google play, nowhere! It's not even on Bravo.
23:38 So one customer wants something that's not on the menu and you can't make, a frozen Daiquiri, and you don't have blenders, you're going to run to a store to buy a blender for that ONE customer, at the expense of all your other customers? Bulshit
I feel for each one of the characters, including Rocco. I've been there so many times. Except that I knew what I was doing. My restaurants were successful, from construction to opening and beyond. Guess it's all in the experience ww were given.
I loved this show and have looked for it for some time. You kinda cheer for Rocco at that start, but then the tides change and you see just how douchey he is and how, perhaps, his financier wasn't the "bad" guy in all this.
It's too bad that this was one of the first restaurant reality shows before they had perfected the formula. Otherwise this should have ran for 8 - 10 seasons
And then at the beginning, he says u wouldn’t think a guy like me from a place like wherever would be a chef doing this that or the other thing... nobody in the USA gives a fuck... everyone can be who they want to be if they are willing to work for it... that is the American way.. comments like the one u point out and the one I’m pointing out are annoying as fuck
It kinda reminds me of the vegan joke: Question: You're in a room filled with 100 people and 1 of them is vegan; how do you know which one? Answer: Don't worry, they'll eventually tell everyone in the room.
I love how when Gideon falls, he's wearing a solid red waiters shirt, but when he's helped off the ground, he's wearing a food runners shirt. This show was so cheesy in production value, overdubs, and false drama.
10:46 “There’s no one on the streets, this place is so low end, there’s no energy here.” Chelsea market and the meat packing district a couple of blocks away. Boy, was Rocco wrong...
Too much hair gel, suits that were oversized, box-toed shoes, visible undershirts, and dress shirts untucked. Oh, and trucker hats. Don't forget the trucker hats. All that is missing are the god awful Ed Hardy t-shirts. It must be the early 2000s.
So Coors, amex, Mitsubishi and Adidas sponsored this....wow so coreographed.....but remember this was the days of the reality tv explosion. And the MTV guy from real world/road rules was executive producer
Do other comments open 'can't believe i just found this...'? One I can watch again and again. An ego/pragmatism sandwich with a wannabe filling. The Restaurant created a genre but has never been matched. Great image quality too. Thanks!
"when you have a name like Rocco, you drive a car like that"...LOLOL...I don't know any ladies "magnetized" by a Mitsubishi SUV. And the crowd size from the side shot sure didn't look the same as the crowd shot from the front view looking down the block. Cripes I forgot how cheesy "reality" this show was.
yo @ 52:33 100 percent sure having construction work, where food is being served is NOT legit. LMFAO That's either sparks from metal or stone, neither of which you want in your salad.
27:20 shit, twenty years ago as a kid, I was a new waiter opening a new restaurant in a Chicago Italian restaurant chain. Yeah, it was the most stressful thing I had ever been through. The hiring managers assured me they would fully train me from zero. But training took place in different, smaller locations than the new Suburban one which they were opening. The new space was gigantic -- from Kitchen to the farthest corner of the dining room was like a football field. Opening it became clear that they had bitten off more than they could chew. I and some others wound up getting fired because we weren't coming along fast enough. Definitely I blame myself -- my multitasking game was not that great and I was devoting too much time to my girlfriend and not sleeping enough for my brain to be100%. But their s*** was not fully together either. 2023, I go back into serving, 2 months as a server/bartender at a usually slow hotel bar and grill, and now a server at a much faster paced, higher-volume restaurant. It is every bit as insane and stressful but at least I've lasted longer than that first gig 20 years ago -- and I'm making better money.
That's funny because I can relate. When this show aired, I was fairly new to the city I had moved from, being here about four or five years, and I moved from a job in the restaurant field. I was part of opening two new restaurants too, both also chain restaurants, and it was in the mid to late eighties. There were indeed standards to adhere to and yes, corporate had a lot of say, but these were franchise stores from a Canadian company, so there was more pressure on the franchise owner and the general manager. I enjoyed this show so much not only because, scripted as they obviously were, it encompassed the real, well, realities of working in a fast paced restaurant atmosphere. Secondly, as someone who VERY happily left that field for a less stressful, more work hour happy and accommodating job, it was enjoyable to watch and look back and KNOW that wasn't my life anymore. I mean, I literally went fifteen years without a weekend off other than a vacation or, OR, a holiday weekend or holiday off. OTHER than Thanksgiving and Christmas, the ONLY days of the year we were closed. LOL. It's MUCH more suited for younger and energetic people like the ones on this show, and also, Jeffrey was spot on with the corporate figure. Or Geoffrey if that is his name. SPOT on. It brought back precious memories, but also memories that I'd never, ever want to relive again. On a side note - and this may be mean or sound wrong, Rocco's mother was way, way too often highlighted in this. It got to the point where once the cute and cultural nuances and novelty wore off, I'd literally change the channel when they'd feature her. God bless her and rest her soul, you could only see so many hugs and hand cheek held kisses per episode, and it got really old.
This is the first reality show I saw where I didn't realize it was a reality show, as in totally scripted, until a few episodes later. In defense of my naivety, reality shows were in its infancy. I very much enjoyed it, but after you realize how everything went to plan and was, again, scripted, it kind of took away the luster. Still, an entertaining show.
Ahhaaaa' they turn out on the Chelsea market location' close to Google...one of the most coolest place in Manhattan.....this people doesn't have any long term vision....but it's understandable back 20 years ago...
Personally I really don’t care what others think , but I think Rocco is a genius! Not to mention not bad to look at! Oh yeah, Jeffery is a complete azz!
Well 😴 it doesn't matter, it was like that at the time!! I think you reply accordingly 😌 otherwise you can go to the one open now and you'll have the same feeling. Thanks 😊 🙏
I can't believe I found this again after all these years. The product placement, Chodorow's half beard, mama's hands in the meaballs!
I love this show. There is something intoxicating about watching the DiSpirito-Chodorow combination fail so spectacularly.
It made for the best entertainment.
The dubbing & the product placement was ridiculous but I did love the show.
This was one of the best reality shows I have seen. Sucks that it only lasted the one season before the restaurant closed. I waited tables, and worked in the kitchen for about 5 years with Applebees, and while the ambiance was not up to this standard, we did so many things better than this restaurant. We were cleaner, better prepped ect ect. That's the thing with places like Applebees (especially corporate location as opposed to franchise) there were rigorous cleaning schedules done every night before you left. Then you had managers check your work before you could leave. I see some of the bar rescues and kitchen nightmares, and it's made me afraid to eat in anything that isn't a corporate restaurant. Standards just aren't the same.
Very good combination, Chaldro and Rocco!!!
Same !!!
Can't believe I found this after all this years. I was a waiter in the early 2000s when I was a student and can remember relating to the frustrations of working in a busy restaurant.
Sorry it took so long to reply, but I worked in a restaurant too, and Topher's "counter culture" quote was 100% spot on. It was like a big family, and who else can you hang out with after midnight? Non other than your restaurant friends, because they are wanting to go out at midnight or 1am which is when most people are leaving bars. When you live in a 24 hour city like Reno when I was in Nevada the bars there in the casinos are 24/7.
I worked at an Applebee's in Nevada and was the expo trainer, and server trainer. I learned so many different skills there, and was certified to run the fry/broil/mid cook positions. Not to mention that place was clean enough to eat off a floor. I went from a franchise Applebee's in CA to a corporate owned Applebee's and it was night and day in regards to the cleanliness. Same with Taco Bell. When I was 16 I worked for a franchise, and then got poached at 18 years old to work for corporate Taco Bell. Same with Applebee's the cleanliness of the corporate location was way way better than the franchise. It was the best time of my life working in a restaurant and being part of that counter culture who is coming home from bars when the sun is almost up. Crazy crazy nightlife with servers.
Have been searching for this series forever and gave up years ago, thanks fo rsharing this...I've already watched both seasons back to back 3 times!
thank you so much for these videos, been looking forever!
People are missing out on this lil gem of a show.
Damn right!
Thanks for the upload. I searched for this for years and couldn't find it anywhere. Clearly I gave up a long time ago because this has been up for eight years and I found it just by searching again on a whim.
I thoroughly enjoyed the series ❤so exciting to see Rocco working Amazing energy ❤BRAVO 👏 ❤Greetings from England 🇬🇧 love 💘 alphaomegabutterfly 🦋 👑❤
I have been trying to find this since it first aired !!! Thanks so much for this 😃👍
thank you so much for uploading this! greetings from Pakistan!!!
1:12:01 Like this talk between Lonn and Gideon.
thanks sooo much for these vids of this show been waititng for sooo long to watch it again much appreciated!!!!
Ever since this show aired when I was a teenager, i have spent each year perplexed about what in the actual f#*k did Rocco create from a vending machine. Only now, have you brought the much needed clarity and rest that I’ve desired after all these years.
I lived and worked in lower nyc when they were filming this, and I can 100% tell you that all of this was total bullshit.
Well, that's most of reality TV, it's all bullshit.
Rocco never should have fired the chef Tony! Rocco was just better at interacting with his guests than being in the kitchen!
forgot about this show....watched it back when it was on air. Can't believe its 14 years ago...2003...not even in HD.
Been looking for this for the longest time! Thank you
Even though it’s entirely fake, it’s still entertaining. Watching Rocco morph from the lead good guy into his real douche self made his epic failures all the more fun to watch
thank you from Pakistan for uploading this show!!!
1:14:39 "You guys are so gay, man!" Cut to the gay trans couple 1:14:41.
1:10:15 They were way too hard on Pete!
I had such a crush on Topher back when I was a teenager and this show first came on
great thank you for the comments enjoy watching it over and over
booker D can you find season 2 I was on the show and I'd love to see it again it's been a long time.
It's on my channel, check on my videos page, 2nd season is on there, Enjoy!!
Man! I remember watching this. I remember the guy telling Rocco the meatballs were good,but then talked shit about them. Lol
Anyone else here to see more of Chodorow after watching Bad Vegan?
Damn shame, UA-cam is the only place where you can watch this show. It's not on any of the apps, IMDb, Netflix, NBC, Google play, nowhere! It's not even on Bravo.
I know I remember seeing this and it was really
Good !! A shame they didn’t continue this show
5:32 If they had gotten the basement space the series might have had a happier ending!
I remember watching this show when it came out. Thanks for posting it. None of this food looks good to me but I remember it gets better.
“As a kid I wouldn’t allow my parents...” wow I had it like that as a kid
I'd love to work at a restaurant like that, it's intense and challenging. It'd be so fun!
THANK YOU for posting!!!!
If ever worked at a restaurant you'd like this show.
That's Carla from Bon Appetit doing the interviews with Rocco
Nothing gets by you.....
23:38 So one customer wants something that's not on the menu and you can't make, a frozen Daiquiri, and you don't have blenders, you're going to run to a store to buy a blender for that ONE customer, at the expense of all your other customers? Bulshit
Love this!
1:15:28 Fred Armisen looks great in drag!
Hilarious
Omg wow thank u for this been looking for this for a long time!!
I feel for each one of the characters, including Rocco. I've been there so many times. Except that I knew what I was doing. My restaurants were successful, from construction to opening and beyond. Guess it's all in the experience ww were given.
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡!!!!!
I loved this show and have looked for it for some time. You kinda cheer for Rocco at that start, but then the tides change and you see just how douchey he is and how, perhaps, his financier wasn't the "bad" guy in all this.
I remember watching it amd every week the show got worst and boring and nbc finally canceled it
It's too bad that this was one of the first restaurant reality shows before they had perfected the formula.
Otherwise this should have ran for 8 - 10 seasons
you mean having script writers behind the scenes secretly making up story-lines and drama for people to act out on the show? 🤔
The first time I saw this on TV, I was young.
"believe me, I'm Italian"...why do Italians have to constantly remind you they're Italian when it comes to certain things?
O
And then at the beginning, he says u wouldn’t think a guy like me from a place like wherever would be a chef doing this that or the other thing... nobody in the USA gives a fuck... everyone can be who they want to be if they are willing to work for it... that is the American way.. comments like the one u point out and the one I’m pointing out are annoying as fuck
It kinda reminds me of the vegan joke:
Question: You're in a room filled with 100 people and 1 of them is vegan; how do you know which one?
Answer: Don't worry, they'll eventually tell everyone in the room.
Every culture does that
Seriously it’s very annoying
I love how when Gideon falls, he's wearing a solid red waiters shirt, but when he's helped off the ground, he's wearing a food runners shirt. This show was so cheesy in production value, overdubs, and false drama.
No shit Gideon was the first hired and the first hurt and fired. A lot of this is bullshit.
@@cranberry411 Workman's comp? How about you're fucking fired, now find your own way to the hospital?
@@chcarroll5164 lol.. most of this show was bullshit..
Wow, never noticed that. Good catch!
10:46
“There’s no one on the streets, this place is so low end, there’s no energy here.”
Chelsea market and the meat packing district a couple of blocks away. Boy, was Rocco wrong...
True but east of 5th was a bit sleepy.
A biography Rocco dispirito is hilarious trust hilarious!
he should of hired Gordan Ramsay as a consultant
Too much hair gel, suits that were oversized, box-toed shoes, visible undershirts, and dress shirts untucked. Oh, and trucker hats. Don't forget the trucker hats. All that is missing are the god awful Ed Hardy t-shirts.
It must be the early 2000s.
We thought this was fashionable back then
@@junebugspade7771 I have to admit I was part of that look to an extent. Not many photos to validate that statement, thank god.
And if you were curious, yes, AMEX, Mitsubishi, and Coors Light were promotional sponsors of this show.
This was like early reality bullshit TV that everyone bought at the time. Couldn’t stop watching it.
This was way before hells kitchen
Will Ferrel should play Jeffrey in the Restaurant movie. Who should play Rocco?
Bradley Cooper!
Ryan Reynolds with dyed black hair lol
46:28 can't take the heat, stay out of the dining room
So Coors, amex, Mitsubishi and Adidas sponsored this....wow so coreographed.....but remember this was the days of the reality tv explosion. And the MTV guy from real world/road rules was executive producer
@1:17:11 we get it....you're Italian. Why am I commenting on everything I'm seeing.
52:33 nice poisonous metal getting in your food.
I`m used to Arby`s, McDonalds, Wendy`s, Sonic, Krystal...if you`re in the south...but I like these that pay so much for food in their stomach...haha
Do other comments open 'can't believe i just found this...'? One I can watch again and again. An ego/pragmatism sandwich with a wannabe filling. The Restaurant created a genre but has never been matched. Great image quality too. Thanks!
Why are all chef’s complete muppets ?
They need to release this show on Blu-ray.
I Always wondered who sung the opening theme
Rocco,s mom
@1:14:45 woman or man?
Guy
1:19:36 "Gettin' dinner here is like pullin' teeth out of a friggin' a cow." 1:19:40 They cut to the cow.
they sure are plugging the AMEX card
Howd rocco go from " fire gavin " to making him head chef by the last episodes??
What's the name of this theme song?
The first thing that seems wrong here is that he has been driven by his publicist where he should be the one in charge.
1:14:45 Is that a man in a dress?
What an amazing Chef, at 1:21:24. Quick flash of the great Daniel Boulud, just behind that egotistical black hole Rocco.
More like at 1:21:10!
Who are your favorite waiters, staff members.
Is this the whole ep? Or just cut up parts pasted together?
"when you have a name like Rocco, you drive a car like that"...LOLOL...I don't know any ladies "magnetized" by a Mitsubishi SUV. And the crowd size from the side shot sure didn't look the same as the crowd shot from the front view looking down the block. Cripes I forgot how cheesy "reality" this show was.
On 4th street the heirloom tomatoes on Wednesdays a market outside still stolen food...
Mistake #1 was Rocco getting directly involved with that fucking snake Chodorow.
yo @ 52:33 100 percent sure having construction work, where food is being served is NOT legit. LMFAO That's either sparks from metal or stone, neither of which you want in your salad.
Heirloom tomatoes pasta with a press vegan cheese Rocco cannot have .....the radio goes running
Oh the underground housing down below some couples live that way and eat spam out of the can and use sharpie markers for rings and just stay there
18:27 I'm sort of the queen of restaurants that have gone out of business! Well, the fate of this restaurant adds to that!
27:20 shit, twenty years ago as a kid, I was a new waiter opening a new restaurant in a Chicago Italian restaurant chain. Yeah, it was the most stressful thing I had ever been through. The hiring managers assured me they would fully train me from zero. But training took place in different, smaller locations than the new Suburban one which they were opening.
The new space was gigantic -- from Kitchen to the farthest corner of the dining room was like a football field. Opening it became clear that they had bitten off more than they could chew. I and some others wound up getting fired because we weren't coming along fast enough. Definitely I blame myself -- my multitasking game was not that great and I was devoting too much time to my girlfriend and not sleeping enough for my brain to be100%. But their s*** was not fully together either.
2023, I go back into serving, 2 months as a server/bartender at a usually slow hotel bar and grill, and now a server at a much faster paced, higher-volume restaurant. It is every bit as insane and stressful but at least I've lasted longer than that first gig 20 years ago -- and I'm making better money.
That's funny because I can relate. When this show aired, I was fairly new to the city I had moved from, being here about four or five years, and I moved from a job in the restaurant field. I was part of opening two new restaurants too, both also chain restaurants, and it was in the mid to late eighties. There were indeed standards to adhere to and yes, corporate had a lot of say, but these were franchise stores from a Canadian company, so there was more pressure on the franchise owner and the general manager. I enjoyed this show so much not only because, scripted as they obviously were, it encompassed the real, well, realities of working in a fast paced restaurant atmosphere. Secondly, as someone who VERY happily left that field for a less stressful, more work hour happy and accommodating job, it was enjoyable to watch and look back and KNOW that wasn't my life anymore. I mean, I literally went fifteen years without a weekend off other than a vacation or, OR, a holiday weekend or holiday off. OTHER than Thanksgiving and Christmas, the ONLY days of the year we were closed. LOL. It's MUCH more suited for younger and energetic people like the ones on this show, and also, Jeffrey was spot on with the corporate figure. Or Geoffrey if that is his name. SPOT on. It brought back precious memories, but also memories that I'd never, ever want to relive again. On a side note - and this may be mean or sound wrong, Rocco's mother was way, way too often highlighted in this. It got to the point where once the cute and cultural nuances and novelty wore off, I'd literally change the channel when they'd feature her. God bless her and rest her soul, you could only see so many hugs and hand cheek held kisses per episode, and it got really old.
That first guy waiting in line seemed like an obvious actor...looked him up and he is an actor named Gideon Horowitz lol.
Gideon is now married, has children and is a restaurant manager in Florida. He's a good guy!
@@lisajanefox well thats good!
I wonder if coors , Mitsubishi or American express had any stake in this ??? 🤔
It was great seeing this conceited narcissist get humbled.
He dressed them like clowns, so he could clown them hahaha brilliant. And never apologize to a coworker for given a shot of advancements, NEVER!!!
This is the first reality show I saw where I didn't realize it was a reality show, as in totally scripted, until a few episodes later. In defense of my naivety, reality shows were in its infancy. I very much enjoyed it, but after you realize how everything went to plan and was, again, scripted, it kind of took away the luster. Still, an entertaining show.
HI WHEN DID FOOD NETWORKSOGN Rocco DiSpirito!
Ahhaaaa' they turn out on the Chelsea market location' close to Google...one of the most coolest place in Manhattan.....this people doesn't have any long term vision....but it's understandable back 20 years ago...
The movie Hannibal brought me here.
i love!!!!! this show
It's 14th street Wednesdays heirloom tomatoes still stolen food ..
rocco recently had an eye lift. the results are so sad....when did a location become a space?
Personally I really don’t care what others think , but I think Rocco is a genius! Not to mention not bad to look at! Oh yeah, Jeffery is a complete azz!
Ilove watching
This show was front of the house centered and practically ignored the kitchen crew
I get roocos vision , but it doesnt work unless you got the money to let it happen
1:14:45 is that a guy in a dress?
Is that Lonn? The black waiter? Long time no see. Hit me up if you see this message.
17:24 Gideon!
This comment section is nuts. So many bots claiming to have a great time going to this restaurant that has been closed since 2004.
HI HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN ON CHOPPED rocco disrito
When New York was great. Now it’s a dump thanks to DeBlasio
Eh bou bou eh vou vou HOH HOH HOH - The French dude is the guy you LOVE to hate!
When you go to his restaurant you feel like part f the family ❤ I thoroughly recommend it ! Greetings from England 🇬🇧 love 💘 alphaomegabutterfly 🦋 👑❤
What on earth are you talking about? This restaurant has been closed for 2 decades.
Well 😴 it doesn't matter, it was like that at the time!! I think you reply accordingly 😌 otherwise you can go to the one open now and you'll have the same feeling. Thanks 😊 🙏
Maybe you should put my word in past tense!!
If you. Ever. Saw the series you should know how it feels. I was in his restaurant in New York and it was absolutely 💯 wonderful 👏 thanks respectfully
If it has been closed what on earth are you bring it it up? Respectfully
People getting a free meal, complaining about First Night