The BEST episodes of Restaurant Stakeout

Every episode of Restaurant Stakeout ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Restaurant Stakeout!

There are shows on TV, including Food Network's own ``Restaurant: Impossible,'' in which chefs help struggling restaurateurs turn their businesses around. ``Restaurant Stakeout'' takes that format to another level by using hidden cameras to surreptitiously watch the crew to see what really goes on when waiters, bartenders, kitchen staff and other employees think no one is watching. Analyzing that hidden-camera footage is restaurateur Willie Degel, who owns a chain of steakhouses in New York. After seeing how the staff acts, Degel uses his tough-love approach to improve the employees' work ethic and, ultimately, turn around the restaurant's fortunes. If employees don't improve their poor working habits, Degel shows them the door because his goal is making things better for the struggling eatery's owner.

Last Updated: 2/3/2024Network: Food NetworkStatus: Ended
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Complete Pushover
star
10.00
1 votes

#1 - Complete Pushover

Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/2/2013

Willie rushes to 90 Park in North Bergen, N.J., to come to the rescue of chef/owner Antonia. Due to a family illness, Antonia shifted her attention away from the restaurant and now she's paying for it, even borrowing against her house to keep the business running. Though a wizard in the kitchen, Antonia is a disaster when it comes to managing her staff and handling the finances. Without Willie's help, she'll lose her business and her home.

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The Son and the Father
star
10.00
28 votes

#2 - The Son and the Father

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/28/2012

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Find the Leader to Follow
star
9.28
36 votes

#3 - Find the Leader to Follow

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/21/2012

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Willie Shuts It Down
star
8.75
4 votes

#4 - Willie Shuts It Down

Season 5 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/6/2014

After recovering from a terrible motorcycle accident, Ricky swooped in to save the day when his mother and her restaurant were the victims of a massive theft. However, with no money coming in, an entitled staff and only his girlfriend by his side, this novice restaurateur is about to make Restaurant Stakeout history when Willie does the unthinkable.

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Father Daughter Stakeout
star
8.40
5 votes

#5 - Father Daughter Stakeout

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/20/2014

Restaurateur Nicky's daughter fears that if the stale energy and archaic ways of running Villa Monaco in West Islip, N.Y., continue, in just a few short years the restaurant could become extinct! Without an intervention from Willie to help enlighten Nicky to the real problems at the restaurant, he could lose the business and his relationship with his daughter.

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Little Place, Lotsa Drama
star
8.00
1 votes

#6 - Little Place, Lotsa Drama

Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/28/2012

Willie helps first-time owner, Michael, fix his struggling Mexican restaurant, Taqueria Autentica, in Bloomfield, N.J. Opening just one year ago, Michael's restaurant has wrestled with novice mistakes, botched food orders and a young staff behaving inappropriately. Now, a wave of negative customer reviews is seriously threatening the restaurant's bottom line. If things don't change fast, the restaurant may have to close its doors for good.

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Three Strikes And You're Out!
star
8.00
2 votes

#7 - Three Strikes And You're Out!

Season 3 - Episode 4 - Aired 4/3/2013

Willie is called in to help Mohammad, owner of Shiraz Persian Restaurant in Elmsford, N.Y., who has already been forced out business twice before. But with staff infighting, laziness and an owner who is too afraid to lay down the law, Willie quickly discovers that there may be more problems at Shiraz than even he can fix.

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What Are You Servin' Here?
star
8.00
1 votes

#8 - What Are You Servin' Here?

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 6/26/2013

Willie comes to the aid of Rene, co-owner of Barzola Restaurant in Flushing, N.Y. Rene inherited the restaurant from his parents but is now struggling to make ends meet, and has no idea what needs fixing. Willie's surveillance uncovers a lack of knowledge on the menu, bad attitudes on the floor and a serious lack of inventory, that may be dragging the restaurant down.

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Somers Almost Over
star
8.00
1 votes

#9 - Somers Almost Over

Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired 12/11/2013

Willie is called in to help lifelong best friends and current business partners Joe and Gene. Four years ago the former Wall Street hotshots opened Somers 202 in Yorktown Heights, N.Y. While locals initially loved the restaurant, lately business has bottomed out. The owners dream of passing the restaurant down to their children, but without Willie's help, shutting the doors on Somers 202 may be their only reality.

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Unlucky in Vegas
star
8.00
2 votes

#10 - Unlucky in Vegas

Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 6/25/2014

Willie is called in to Lake Las Vegas to assist Chanthy, owner of Sonrisa Grill, where the once lively Mexican restaurant is suffering at the hands of the staff. Chanthy has borrowed over $300,000 from relatives and sacrificed splitting up her family to keep this desert oasis alive. Can Willie help Chanthy save Sonrisa Grill so she can pay her relatives back and get her family reunited for good?

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Cioa, Vegas
star
8.00
2 votes

#11 - Cioa, Vegas

Season 5 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/16/2014

Willie is called in to help Riccardo, the young owner of Gina's Bistro in Las Vegas. Italian traditions meet the American Dream as Riccardo attempts to turn his immigrant story into a successful one. Can Willie get this restaurant back on track, before Riccardo is forced to close and move back to Italy?

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Million Dollar Stakeout
star
7.80
5 votes

#12 - Million Dollar Stakeout

Season 5 - Episode 13 - Aired 9/10/2014

After opening a successful pizza restaurant with his brother, Anthony thought branching off on his own, with Trovato's Due in Oakland Park, N.J., would be a piece of cake. Now, he's drowning in a million dollars of debt and has called in Willie for help. Can Willie tame Anthony's stubborn nature before the damage is done?

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Grand Opening Stakeout
star
7.80
5 votes

#13 - Grand Opening Stakeout

Season 5 - Episode 12 - Aired 9/3/2014

Pat closed the doors on the Brookside Grill in Highland Mills, N.Y., due to problems with his former partner. Now he's tempting fate to re-open the Grill with new partners. Willie must re-ignite the Brookside Grill, or else Pat's dreams will go up in smoke for good.

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Standup Stakeout
star
7.80
5 votes

#14 - Standup Stakeout

Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired 8/27/2014

Willie is called to help the owner of The Stress Factory comedy club in New Brunswick, N.J. This 20-year-old institution is a comedy club first and owner Vinnie is watching the restaurant quickly sink. It's no laughing for Vinnie, who doesn't have a back-up plan if he can't take the restaurant to the next level and needs Willie to de-stress the Stress Factory before it's too late.

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Paint By Numbers
star
7.75
4 votes

#15 - Paint By Numbers

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 4/4/2012

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Hammered in Vegas
star
7.67
3 votes

#16 - Hammered in Vegas

Season 5 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/2/2014

Willie is called in to help former professional hockey player Bob Fleming with his struggling Hammer's Grill and Bar. In 2007, Bob moved the bar's original location from Illinois to Henderson, Nev., just outside of Las Vegas. Since then, Hammer's success has started to melt away. Known as The Hammer in his hockey days for his brawling ways, Bob is now in the fight of his life to keep Hammer's open.

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To Catch A ''restaurant'' Thief
star
7.50
2 votes

#17 - To Catch A ''restaurant'' Thief

Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 4/24/2013

Willie comes to the aid of Danny, owner of Danny's Steakhouse in Red Bank, N.J. After 42 years in the business, Danny has seemingly tried everything, but his business is struggling. Danny is desperate to slow down, but doesn't think his staff can manage without him. Willie discovers that not only is the staff incompetent, but there may be a thief in their midst.

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Your Mom's Gotta Go
star
7.50
4 votes

#18 - Your Mom's Gotta Go

Season 4 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/18/2013

Willie is called in by Alan, owner of Sugo Cafe, a family-run business in Long Beach, N.Y. For the past six years, Alan, a total control freak, has devoted every waking moment to his struggling restaurant at the cost of spending time with his wife and watching his kids grow up. Desperate to spend time with his loved ones, Alan has staffed Sugo with family and friends, but immediately discovers that business and family do no mix and, in fact, could be the recipe for disaster at the cafe.

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Fuggedabout Mario
star
7.50
4 votes

#19 - Fuggedabout Mario

Season 5 - Episode 8 - Aired 7/30/2014

Willie is summoned to Union, N.J., to help owner John with his struggling family restaurant, Mario's Tutto Bene. John's parents passed over the 32-year-old restaurant to him seven years ago but now this restaurant runs more like the Wild West than a cozy family restaurant! The staff at the restaurant has run amok and the owners need Willie's help to not only save their struggling store, but to help mend their family ties.

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Joe Broadway's or Bust
star
7.40
5 votes

#20 - Joe Broadway's or Bust

Season 4 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/11/2013

Joe is struggling as a first-time restaurant owner. After his mother's passing, Joe took a big gamble and used his inheritance to open Joe Broadway's Billiards & Sports Pub in Staten Island, N.Y. For the past year, Joe has run himself into the ground simply trying to stay afloat. He's not making any money, his staff is unprofessional and his chef is at wit's end and about to quit. Without Willie's help, Joe's big gamble will go bust.

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Giving Away the House
star
7.33
3 votes

#21 - Giving Away the House

Season 3 - Episode 7 - Aired 5/1/2013

Willie comes to the aid of Audrey, whose brother, Ernie, took over the family-run eatery Gus's Franklin Park Restaurant in Harrison, N.Y., almost a decade ago. Now the struggling business is in need of serious help: Willie discovers that an overly generous Ernie may be the root of the restaurant's problems.

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Kiss Beso Goodbye
star
7.33
3 votes

#22 - Kiss Beso Goodbye

Season 4 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/9/2013

Willie is called in by Donna, the owner of Beso Restaurant and Bar in Brooklyn. Though a successful businesswoman, Donna's first try at running a restaurant is coming as a shock. A strong early start has recently turned into bad reviews and plummeting profits and Donna's iron grip on the staff hasn't improved service. Without Willie's help, this once promising establishment will close its doors for good.

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From the Top Down
star
7.03
31 votes

#23 - From the Top Down

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/11/2012

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Golf Course Stakeout
star
7.00
4 votes

#24 - Golf Course Stakeout

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 7/23/2014

When Brian and Brian opened Oh' Brian's On the Green in Clark, N.J., they thought it would be a hole in one. But their manager is perfecting a disappearing act and the staff is left to fend for themselves while customers grow unhappy. Before their dream of building a restaurant empire gets caught in a sand trap, the two Brians call Willie to save their reputation.

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Whine Bar
star
7.00
3 votes

#25 - Whine Bar

Season 4 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/4/2013

Willie steps in to help Rich and Jeanie, owners of 12 Grapes Wine Bar in Peekskill, N.Y. Five years ago, Rich retired from his corporate job to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning a music venue/restaurant. Rich has invested everything they have into the business, but now, his dream is jeopardizing the couple's financial future. Can Willie wake Rich and Jeanie from this nightmare before it's goodnight for 12 Grapes?

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