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FLORENCE: Food courts bring in high traffic and big sales,
and owning a food-court restaurant
could make you a multimillionaire.
Thank you so much.
But the restaurant industry can be ruthless.
Oh, crap. Oh, crap.
Son of a [bleep]
Don't be stressed about that chicken, George.
I'm Tyler Florence, and I've been
in the restaurant business for over 25 years.
My job each week is to help two teams
of aspiring food-court entrepreneurs
get one step closer to their dream.
[ Cheers and applause ]
This could set us up for life.
I'm proud of us.
FLORENCE: Over the next three days,
our entrepreneurs will prove to me
that they have a solid concept
along with a concrete marketing plan.
Who wants to win a bandana?
But, ultimately, the winner will be determined by
who brings in the most cash.
Team Wings. Let's go.
Whoop, whoop!
Opening a restaurant is no easy task.
We got our first problem.
God [bleep]
86 the gumbo!
FLORENCE: But each week, one team will win
the opportunity of a lifetime...
Yes!
I don't want to let us down.
...and own their very own food-court restaurant.
Everybody, come on down!
Welcome to "Food Court Wars."
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
This week, we are at Colony Square Mall
in Zanesville, Ohio,
a state known for its robust tomato and its famous buckeyes.
Located in the heart of Ohio,
the Zanesville area is also a popular destination
for restaurants to test-market their latest products.
Let's meet our two teams.
Ooh, I'm glad I didn't work out today.
All this stirring.
[ Laughs ]
I'm Sadaya Lewis.
I'm Maiya Mullins.
BOTH: And we are the Modern Southern Table.
Do you want me to start the sausage, too?
Yeah, you can, but the sausage,
I want to cook it in the same pan.
SADAYA: We met a little over five years ago
when we were working at the same job.
We both had the same, like, kind of sense of humor.
So we just became friends almost automatically.
That's smelling good.
Modern Southern Table is Southern comfort food,
dishes like gumbos, jambalayas.
But I've added a modern twist to them,
So, for instance, maybe a seafood gumbo,
I may have added French bread
as, like, a crouton, as a dipper,
some new flair to just make it modern Southern food.
Would you mind if I stole a piece?
[ Laughs ]
Do not touch the bacon!
I am Sadaya's sous-chef/helper.
I work in sales. I like to eat.
It's not that I don't enjoy cooking.
I just enjoy eating more. [ Laughs ]
So, who are we delivering to this time?
SADAYA: Currently, Modern Southern Table
is a small catering company
where we sell our dinners to neighbors, family members,
and my closest friends,
But I really want to grow our brand.
All right. Thank you.
I grew up in a Southern kitchen.
I started cooking when I was 9 years old.
My mom died of breast cancer when I was 11,
so, basically, I had to become Mom,
so, at 11, I was worried about cooking a full-course dinner
versus going out, riding bikes with my friends.
I've been working in the finance industry
for three and a half years.
It's computers all day, tons and tons of meetings,
meetings on top of meetings.
I don't want that anymore.
I want to be sweaty and cooking and hot
and standing over a grill,
making sure everybody's taken care of.
Hi! Come to bring you your Friday dinner!
MAIYA: I am here for "Food Court Wars" because of my friend Sadaya.
This is her dream.
I had some experience in a restaurant.
I did front of the house.
But Sadaya's been wanting to open a restaurant
since she was a kid.
It's everything for her,
and for me to help her get that is huge for me.
Special delivery.
This has to work. I need this.
I need to be able to follow my passion.
It's just a huge opportunity, and I'm ready for it.
We will. Have a good night.
Have a good one.
Bye, girls!
Bye-bye.
GABBIE: Aw, you got the best knife.
Okay.
GABBIE: I'm Gabbie.
Brunchoholics.
So, I think by the time your apples are done,
My apples are done, slowpoke.
You have to cook them.
Yeah, are you not cooking them together?
AUDRI: Us growing up sisters,
everything we've done, we've done the same thing.
We both have played volleyball.
No!
We've gone to the same schools our whole life
and finished off at the same culinary school.
All right, the chicken will take the longest,
so I'm glad I got it on first.
GABBIE: Brunchoholics is a breakfast-and-lunch-style place.
We like to serve brunch food with a twist.
We have chicken and waffles,
but instead of your regular chicken and waffles,
we have a sandwich.
We have a roasted-chicken crepe
with caramelized onions and apples.
Good?
Perfect.
GABBIE: We love brunch,
And if you're one of the people like me
who enjoys breakfast food for dinner,
we're gonna be serving that all day for you to enjoy.
GABBIE: I know.
And that does -- it's not even me!
It's not. It's us.
Our father was 22 when he opened his first restaurant.
AUDRI: Gabbie and I started working in our dad's cafe
when were 6 to 8 years old.
Here you go. Ready?
[ All cheering ]
Here's number two! Here we go!
Oh, it's a touchdown!
GABBIE: Our cooking experience comes from not only our father,
but also our grandparents.
Our nonna was such a huge inspiration.
She was so amazing.
AUDRI: Nonna passed in 2009 of cancer.
[ Voice breaking ] The hardest day of my life.
The day I'll never forget.
Um...
GABBIE: I'll let you take the first bite.
Okay. Thanks. I feel privileged.
GABBIE: Having this restaurant
would be a huge dream come true --
to be able to serve her recipes
and let everybody else try how good of a cook she was.
We don't want that to end, so this is for her.
How good is that?
Is that not delicious?
Oh, my God.
SADAYA: Knowing that this is my passion,
I'm really focused and determined to win.
To have my own restaurant would be a game changer for me.
My sister and I, we're trying to prove to everyone,
"Yeah, we're in our 20s, we're young, but we're ready."
Good morning.
ALL: Good morning!
Welcome to Colony Square Mall in Zanesville, Ohio.
Brunchoholics, Modern Southern Table,
over the next three days, you'll be tested
on the three key elements of running a successful restaurant.
First, we'll test your restaurant concepts.
Then, on Day 2, we'll work on your marketing.
Then, on Day 3, ready or not, it's opening day.
This is when your fate will be decided.
Your restaurant will be open for business
right here in this very food court.
The restaurant that earns the most money on opening day
will win their space rent-free for one year.
That is a lease worth over $100,000.
As a restaurateur,
I can't tell you how valuable that is.
Today, you're gonna be tested on your concepts.
You will be making your signature dish
for one of the most successful businesswomen
in the restaurant industry.
Our guest has over 1,000 franchise locations
in 56 countries worldwide.
She is the president of Cinnabon, Kat Cole.
FLORENCE: Hi, Kat. How are you?
Yeah.
Hi, teams. How are you?
Hi!
Well, I started my first job in a mall just like this.
Today, I get to run
one of the most delicious and differentiated brands
in malls anywhere in the world.
But it is not getting any easier
to run a business in malls today.
You've got to be unique, special, and fresh.
Malls want it, and the consumers demand it.
FLORENCE: Kat Cole will be determining the winner
for this concept test.
Make sure you put your best foot forward.
The winner will get some sit-down time
with Kat Cole and also Loryn Franco,
senior manager for Cinnabon public relations worldwide.
This is a big deal.
Let the food-court wars begin, guys!
All right, good luck!
We're gonna do shrimp and grits.
Yes.
SADAYA: So, today, we got to make our signature dish.
Mine is the shrimp and grits with green tomato,
Andouille sausage, bacon, onions and peppers,
and Worcestershire sauce.
I got to really bust this out and get this to be perfect.
Fist bump!
Whoop, whoop!
[ Both laugh ]
What do you want to make?
Ooh!
My sister and I,
we're planning on making our chicken-and-waffles sandwich.
It is our fried chicken on two pieces of waffle,
some lettuce, tomato, and a maple Dijon dressing.
I'm gonna get the chicken marinating in the buttermilk,
just so it can sit as long as possible.
Right. And then I'll do the waffles.
Oh! Starting to burn! Losing my bacon!
Getting a little too dark.
SADAYA: I'm really nervous.
I really want this advantage,
to just meet with Kat and Loryn from P.R.
It's just a huge opportunity for me to learn
from some of the best people in the industry,
so the pressure is crazy.
MAIYA: Looking good?
GABBIE: Start getting all the waffles on.
AUDRI: There we go.
SADAYA: Oh, those are beautiful!
Grits look good and creamy.
GABBIE: Start building.
Onion.
Okay, stab it.
GABBIE: After looking at the sandwich that we've made,
I think it came out a little bit bigger than we planned.
Obviously, I'm nervous.
This is the first time they're trying our food.
I can only hope and pray
that it tastes as amazing as it usually does.
We done good.
All right, cool.
SADAYA: Oh, the tails! The tails on the shrimp.
SADAYA: I looked down,
and I noticed that the tails are still on the shrimp.
I didn't even catch it while I was frying it up.
I know Tyler and Kat's gonna notice the shrimp tails on.
I'm really worried about this.
Dang it, Sadaya! I didn't think about it.
Right now, Kat and Tyler's coming.
I can't get them all off each plate.
Losing the advantage would set me back big time.
This ain't good.
[ Sighs ]
Hi! How are you?
How are you?
SADAYA: Just before service starts,
I realized I left the tail on the shrimp.
That is not right.
It only should be on shrimp cocktails.
SADAYA: So, we have our modern take of shrimp and grits.
We have a fried green tomato fried in panko and cornmeal,
topped with a white-cheddar grit.
The shrimp is seasoned with a pan sauce
of bacon, Andouille sausage, onions, peppers, mushrooms.
I hope you enjoy it.
Enjoy!
Thank you.
Yeah, very cool.
[ Both laugh ]
Hi, guys!
What's up, Brunchoholics?
Fantastic.
AUDRI: I really hope Kat likes this dish.
Gabrielle and I need to win this advantage with Kat Cole.
It could change a lot for us.
We made it small.
We have our fried chicken. It's got a bunch of spices.
And then we topped it with tomato, lettuce
and pickled red onion.
And tell me about the dipping sauce.
It is a Dijon maple sauce.
We have a little shaved garlic in there
to kind of give it a little zing.
Thank you very much. Thanks.
All right, we did good. We did the best we could do!
All right.
Modern Southern Table.
And this is their interpretation of shrimp and grits.
So, this we have to take off, which is not fun in a mall.
It's messy, right?
The only thing that a tail should ever be on
is a shrimp cocktail.
Yeah.
So, flavor-wise, I think it really, really works.
All right, so let's talk about
Let's do it.
Yeah, yeah.
...fork-and-knife it, and then maybe eat the individual pieces.
It's a nice chicken bite.
It definitely has some nice, flavorful marinade in there.
All right, so, we've got two choices here.
Which one do you think is good enough
to get to spend some quality time with?
It's a really tough choice.
They both have great potential,
but one team has some nice culinary edge,
so I've made my decision.
All right, well, let me get the teams together.
All right.
Good work, everybody.
Thank you.
So, one team
gets an opportunity to sit down with you
and also Loryn from public relations with Cinnabon.
Who wins the advantage?
So, the team that I have chosen to give advice to is...
The team that I have chosen to give advice to is...
...Brunchoholics.
Wow!
Thank you!
KAT: You are very welcome.
You both did some good cooking.
AUDRI: I'm so happy we won this advantage with Kat.
I can't wait to get advice from her.
I can't believe we pulled it off.
Brunchoholics, congratulations. How do you feel?
So excited to talk to you!
Absolutely.
Next, you'll be tested on the second element
of running a successful restaurant,
and that's marketing.
For your marketing event tomorrow,
you're headed to Longaberger Homestead.
This American manufacturer
makes beautiful, hand-woven maple baskets
and home-lifestyle products.
Longaberger employs a lot of Zanesville residents
and also attracts a lot of local shoppers.
This is a perfect opportunity
for you to attract a crowd for opening day.
You will both be at the same marketing event,
so you need to make sure you stand out.
Brunchoholics,
you guys will get a chance to sit down with Kat now.
Have a good time. Ask really good questions.
I'm going to be spending one-on-one time with both teams.
Let's do it.
I can't believe we won.
That was such a good job.
Hi. How are you?
AUDRI: Nice to see you again.
Nice to meet you!
Loryn is our incredible head of P.R. and communications
for Cinnabon,
so we're very lucky to have her here.
GABBIE: Having two women that are so high up in this industry
come here to talk to us,
I think it's gonna get us
a huge advantage in this competition.
I'm excited. I'm ready and ears open.
Keep in mind Cinnabon started as one shop, you know,
just like what you're trying to do,
so don't let that be intimidating.
So, tell me about your brand.
Like, for example, think if you had to write a headline
in a newspaper describing what you are,
what would your headline say?
Our saying so far has kind of been, like,
"Who needs dinner?"
And I would challenge you on that really quickly.
You are in a mall that is busiest at dinnertime, always.
We say Cinnabon is a bakery
serving world-famous cinnamon rolls.
That's it.
So, homework assignment number one
is to come up with your tag line.
So, think about that a little bit.
AUDRI: Kat's advice is amazing.
We have some changes we need to make,
and I think, from her advice,
we will definitely pull marketing day off.
It's good advice, yes.
It was.
SADAYA: We can turn this around.
Hello, ladies.
Hi!
So, Modern Southern Table.
Okay.
I felt that the dish that I saw today,
I just don't think you put on the plate
Okay. okay.
To me, like,
a modern translation for a Southern dish
would be catfish and chips.
Is that kind of a good example
of what a Modern Southern Table could be?
Do you like that direction?
Yeah, that is a good direction, yes.
So, what are you making tomorrow?
I was thinking about doing, like,
a chicken-and-sausage gumbo.
Okay. What's your modern twist on that?
I thought about maybe doing,
instead of regular rice, maybe do, like, a risotto,
and maybe do a bed of risotto with gumbo over top of it.
That, to me, reads jambalaya.
Jambalaya's a rice dish.
Gumbo's soup, right?
Like, what would you put on top?
Parsley? Green onion?
Maybe some French bread and rice.
Sure. I think the French bread sounds really great.
Like, to me, there's something nice about,
you know, just beautiful, like, gumbo just, like,
soaked over top of a crispy piece of bread.
Something sounds really nice about that.
I like it.
There is plenty of room inside food courts across America
for a slick new Southern concept.
Okay.
I want you to work for this
like you've never worked for anything else in your life.
SADAYA: I hate that we lost,
but I think it's just made us more hungry.
I already know that we're gonna work our marketing skills,
'cause me and Maiya both have great backgrounds in marketing.
So, we're ready.
[ Both sigh ]
BOTH: Hi!
How are you?
Good. How are you?
Fantastic. How was your meeting with Kat?
She gave us a lot of good advice
on what we need to know for our business.
So, did Kat give you guys any homework?
Tag lines.
So did you guys come up with one?
Are you working on one, or what?
We were thinking about
"Two sisters making scratch-made brunch all day long."
That's really too long.
That doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.
Now that I'm saying it to you, it doesn't.
Max?
That you can clearly explain what you're all about.
Clear, concise, simple.
What do you guys plan on serving at Brunchoholics,
as far as, like, the menu profile?
We have a chicken pot pie,
but instead of baking a crust on top,
We have a homemade biscuit on top.
We have some savory crepes.
We have a roasted-chicken crepe
where we do some caramelized onions and apples.
French toast is great.
We have stuffed French toast, two different options.
To have a really big menu
sounds more like a four-wall restaurant experience.
In a food court,
you really have to kind of put your food-truck hat on, right?
It's got to be a single thing.
I think the waffle is a singular food concept
people can get their head around and talk about.
Tomorrow is the marketing event.
Don't change your menu right now.
I want you to put, like, yummy food in front of people,
and I want you to sell yourselves,
and I want you to sell your brand, All right?
That's the most important thing.
Tomorrow afternoon,
I'm gonna put together some solid concepts for you
that I feel would be very competitive.
All right, see you guys tomorrow, yeah?
Get some sleep.
See you tomorrow. Thank you.
Yes.
MAIYA: This is definitely not
how we wanted to start off the competition.
First day, and we lost the challenge.
SADAYA: So, as far as the gumbo...
...stick to the roots.
We're trying to bring Southern to the North, so...
Our gumbo is out of this world, and tomorrow is so important.
We can't mess this up.
So, as far as the marketing, what else?
Oh, the pie-eating contest.
Yes. I think that's gonna be so much fun.
[ Laughs ]
We think, for fun, that we should do
a sweet-potato-pie-eating contest.
People want to have fun,
so they see us as a fun business,
then they'll definitely support that.
Yep.
Whoop, whoop!
[ Laughs ]
So, I definitely think, right now,
Chicken and waffles, absolutely.
No.
I think we should do the stuffed French toast.
Berry sauce.
We really have to impress people at the Longaberger Homestead.
It's very well-known in Ohio.
It's gonna be a great place
to get our name out there and have people try our food.
So, what's the next thing to worry about?
Our ambassadors.
Or our cheerleaders.
We have to make sure
that they are giving out the right information.
GABBIE: Our whole strategy is revolving around our street team.
We have about 10 friends coming to support us,
so it's all up to them to get our name out there.
So, we need to give them a tag line,
and that's how they'll sell it to other people.
My sister and I still have to figure out a tag line
and a message, so we have a lot of work cut out for us tonight.
Oh, my God. What are we going to do?
We have to get this done, and it has to be done right...
...to get it done.
AUDRI: It's marketing day.
We're going to have a marketing event at Longaberger Homestead.
Longaberger is the perfect place to test our brand out.
It's a staple in Zanesville.
Being there can hopefully get us a lot of people
to come support us on opening day.
All right, let's, like, make sure we have everything.
All right, I'm going to do the waffles,
and I'm gonna cut them out with the ring mold over them.
GABBIE: Today, we will be serving
our chicken-and-waffle sandwich with a maple mayo,
and we are also going to be serving
our stuffed French toast with a berry sauce.
I think it's gonna go great!
SADAYA: So, today, first thing we're going to do --
we're going to make the gumbo.
SADAYA: Today, we're gonna make chicken-and-sausage gumbo
with rice and French bread
and mini sweet-potato pies for the pie-eating contest.
So, only thing we have to do now is just get everything cut up
and get the roux going
Okay.
GABBIE: Okay, so, tag line.
AUDRI: We still need to come up with our good one.
What did we have from last night that we thought of?
AUDRI: We have to get our tag line perfect.
Me and Gabrielle really have to figure this out.
Uh, "It's never too late for brunch?"
Is that what we said?
And, "It's brunch time anytime,"
like, you can have it any time of the day.
It's not just for breakfast. It's not just for lunch.
You like that?
I like it, too.
"It's brunch time anytime"?
All right.
Hi, everybody.
How are you? How's it going?
It smells good over here, right?
How's the gumbo coming together?
Okay.
And then we're gonna do onions, peppers, and the celery,
but we're gonna add some heat with it with some jalapeƱos.
Nice touch. I like that.
We talked about adding
the one thing that would be a garnish on top
that would make it look modern.
Did you guys think about that?
You said maybe have some French bread on it, or --
That could be nice.
Smells good. This is the flavor of my youth.
All right!
Smells good, girls.
How you girls doing? How are you?
How's it going? Good morning.
How are the waffles working out?
Perfect. We're making them smaller.
Yes!
"Brunch time anytime."
It's brunch time anytime.
You hit the bull's-eye
with your language and your message, right away.
GABBIE: Tyler loves the tag line,
so that was a huge relief off my back.
What time is it?!
Brunch time!
Come on, sis. Let's get it done.
Let's go.
I'm proud of you.
[ Both laughing ]
So, we head over to our service location,
and we start setting up.
It's a beautiful place, so I'm very excited
to get out there and meet the people
and draw them in to my new restaurant.
AUDRI: Aren't those adorable?
And the waffles are nice and crisp.
I do, too.
AUDRI: So, it's time to go show everybody what we've made.
I hope they're hungry and ready to eat,
'cause we're ready to serve them.
Good.
So, you have a choice between French toast
and a chicken-and-waffle sandwich.
They're both amazing, so you won't go wrong with either.
All right, guys. Come on and try!
MAIYA: It's awesome. Please enjoy!
We've got some chicken-and-sausage gumbo
You can take a spoon as well.
And a little bit of French bread.
Really good flavor. Chicken's tender.
WOMAN: Yeah. Everything's fresh.
What can we do for --
Oh!
Hi!
AUDRI: Our street team is here, and I'm so happy.
Our street team is some of our closest friends.
They are an amazing and huge part of our marketing strategy.
MAN: So, what do we need to do?
Okay, say, "Tomorrow, come to the Colony Square Food Court.
It's brunch time anytime."
And we got Frisbees with our logo.
How are you? How you doing?
Good, good.
How are you? How's it going?
We're doing fabulous.
Yes.
Excellent.
All right, there you go.
Enjoy some of the Modern Southern Table's
chicken-and-sausage gumbo.
Experience true Southern indulgence
at the Colony Square Mall!
Your energy is infectious.
[ Laughs ]
Yay!
Very infectious. I like it. Nice smile.
Thank you. Thank you.
Enjoy!
Mmm. Whoa.
Please come see us at Colony Square Mall tomorrow.
We're serving brunch foods, and everything's from scratch.
How's it going?
Good! How are you?
There's that.
Okay, great.
Nice portion. Looks good.
How's your street team?
MAN: What time is it?
Brunch time!
All right, well done.
Thank you!
Mmm.
WOMAN: This is delicious.
SADAYA: You love it?
Good!
Come get some more good Southern food tomorrow.
It's at the Colony Square Mall.
And they have brunch time anytime, so...
Hey, guys. How are you?
Wonderful.
Did you get a chance to try everything?
What did you like?
We used to live in New Orleans,
And this is by far the best gumbo that I've had outside Louisiana.
Fantastic.
All right, so, the rules is you have three minutes
to eat as many pies as you can.
MAIYA: So, it's time for our sweet-potato-pie-eating contest.
It's gonna be so much fun.
One...
two...
three -- go!
[ Cheers and applause ]
This is the most fun thing I think I've done in so long.
People are, you know, excited. They're having a great time.
I think that's definitely helping us
to get people to opening day.
ALL: Three...
two...
one!
Stop eating!
[ Cheers and applause ]
Five from Annie.
Four from Erin!
MAIYA: Oh, my goodness!
[ Cheers and applause ]
I think this marketing event was a huge success.
Brunchoholics!
Yay!
GABBIE: There's not a doubt in my mind today
that we're getting our message out.
I know our food's tasting great,
so I'm feeling like we nailed marketing day.
Let's go.
Hey!
How do you feel?
Tired, but awesome.
Awesome, yeah, like, totally amazed.
I was so blown away by you guys today.
Like, some of the best gumbo I've ever had -- awesome.
Okay!
Do you guys have a good system down?
Are you guys prepared for this for tomorrow?
I want to hear a game plan. I want to hear a menu.
We want to do the gumbo, we want to do fried chicken,
and then we have a specialty chicken.
It's called low country chicken.
And then, we also want to do biscuits and gravy
and a Carolina coleslaw with a vinegar base.
Okay.
Okay.
You need to come out with crystal-clear clarity in your brand.
Don't ever try too hard
to do and be something that you're not, right?
Your food is beautiful.
I think you guys are ready to roll.
Is failure an option for you two tomorrow?
[ Laughs ]
It's not.
I lost two of my grandfathers in March.
One died doing what he loved.
The other one died -- He had a struggle.
And I said, "I never want to be like that."
I want to make sure I'm following my passion
and doing what I love, not what other people want me to do.
I got to.
If I don't, I will always regret it
Right.
This is such an opportunity for you to get in,
get your foot in the door, and nail it.
It's very scary for me to think about having to leave my job,
but this is my passion.
I'm really hungry for it.
I can't let this slip away.
I'm trying not to cry...
Right.
...'cause...this is it.
All right, come on, girl, let's do it.
All right.
All right, fist bump.
Ready to go?
Whoop, whoop!
Awesome. [ Laughs ]
How are you?
Good. How are you?
So, how do you think you did today?
I think it went really well.
You know, people love your food. They really do.
The French toast I had today was excellent.
Thank you.
So this is what I was -- I'm really thinking about.
If you could imagine, you know,
walking up to Brunchoholics,
and you see a line of waffle irons,
And this beautiful, thin, crepe-like waffle
comes out of these things every minute and a half,
fresh-baked, and they get wrapped around a cone.
That's something you could fill, like,
with just about anything you could possibly think of.
It does.
GABBIE: The waffle cones sound like a great idea.
They sound delicious,
and we've always talked about how we want to be different,
and it's something new that nobody's ever seen,
so I think it's gonna be a hit in this food court.
Do you guys have good family recipes?
From who?
We have some from our nonna.
Absolutely.
Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Is she still with us?
No.
So, this is your opportunity to do something
that would just celebrate her spirit, right?
Yeah, absolutely.
She would be very proud of you two right now.
Very proud of you.
Tomorrow, you need to crush it, all right?
Thank you.
GABBIE: I want to win this competition so bad.
I know that my nonna's looking down on us, so this is for her.
[ Crying ] It's okay.
SADAYA: I don't think I've said "I'm so excited"
so many times in my life.
[ Both laugh ]
[ Gasps ]
SADAYA: Copper Leaf Interior Design Studio
did a wonderful job taking my ideas
and turning it into my restaurant.
It's amazing.
Oh, my God, this is so good!
We have a location.
This is not a dream anymore.
This is not just a flyer out of my house.
This is Modern Southern Table.
[ Laughs ]
Oh!
It's so cute!
Oh, my God, It's so pretty.
Look at the waffle sign!
Having a big sign, having our name up there,
it clicks, you know?
It stands out. It's colorful.
It's -- it's amazing.
It looks so fun.
We have to pull this off.
It's our chance to get our names out there
and show everybody what our nonna's taught us.
Oh, I love you.
Let's go.
Hey, good morning, teams. How are you?
You guys nervous?
Fantastic.
In just a couple of hours, your restaurants will be open.
You will have two hours to prep your food
before you open for business.
The team that earns the most money today
will walk away with their space rent-free for one year.
It's a restaurant lease worth over $100,000.
May the best restaurant win...
and let the food-court wars begin.
Let's go!
Good luck, you guys. Good luck, teams.
[ Laughter ]
It's time to go.
Let's get this started.
All right.
SADAYA: So, today is opening day.
Me and Maiya really have to put our best foot forward
and blow this out of the water.
Today, we're making
chicken-and-sausage gumbo with rice,
Alabama fried chicken,
and we also have Southern mac and cheese
and Carolina coleslaw.
Carolina coleslaw is a vinegar-based coleslaw.
Instead of using mayo or any dairy products,
we just use vinegar.
Fist bump!
Whoop! All right, we got it!
All right, honey, let's get this done.
Hey, what do -- what do we have?
Game plan.
I think I'm gonna get some chicken set out,
gonna start getting that ready,
if you can start getting the brownies done
I'm gonna get the brownies done.
AUDRI: It's a huge day for me and my sister.
And the end of this day, our lives could change forever.
I'm gonna work on bread. You get brownies done.
GABBIE: For our final menu today, we are serving
a crunchy-chicken-waffle roll-up
with popcorn chicken, a maple mayo dressing.
And we are also going to be serving
a sunrise waffle roll-up with scrambled eggs,
a cheddar-chive sauce with some crumbled bacon,
and a Brunchos bacon brownie
with a cream-cheese frosting,
as well as Nonna's bread pudding with our challah bread.
Those brownies need to get done ASAP.
Those need to get in the oven,
I got you.
[ All squealing ]
Hey!
Shawna, Shawna, Shawna!
SADAYA: My little sister Shawna is gonna be my helper today,
and I'm so excited.
We've been cooking since we were little girls,
so she knows how to work with me and how to get this done.
All right, here you go.
I'm, like, shaking now. I'm...
GABBIE: Oh, my God!
Love you. Hugs later.
Nonna is here with us.
Thank you, Daddy.
AUDRI: I am so happy to see my dad,
someone who works really well with us in the kitchen.
Usually, we're working at my dad's restaurant all the time.
He tells us what to do in the kitchen.
But today, Gabrielle and I are in charge.
Okay.
Get that done, okay?
Yes, ma'am.
GABBIE: I'm officially nervous.
We are your bosses today!
Sheesh!
Shawna's -- what? What's up?
That bag bust -- broke.
What bag?
[ Gasps ]
SADAYA: So, as I'm stirring the gumbo, I realize
that one of the spice bags had opened up,
and now the meat is covered in these spices,
so instead of having a slight kick to the gumbo,
this is gonna be hot, which is horrible.
MAIYA: That's gonna be dangerous.
I have a feeling that's super hot.
Like, uneatable hot, or just super spicy?
Super hot.
My bread pudding hasn't finished cooking in the least bit.
Not done?
They look almost done?
I don't -- Go, go!
I'm going. What do you think I'm doing?
GABBIE: Very rarely do you see me panic,
but today, I'm in a panic, I'm nervous.
GABBIE: We've still got to do the cheese sauce.
We've still got to do the mayo sauce.
We've still got to do the cream-cheese filling.
Okay, Gabriella. Relax.
I know how much time things take to get done, so I'm going crazy.
No.
Me?
You go, girl.
Okay. Calm down.
MAIYA: Breathe.
SADAYA: I need to kill this heat,
so I'm thinking that maybe if I dilute it a little bit,
maybe that can kill some of the spice.
I don't think it's...
Not painful?
Not painful.
It'll work.
Okay, we'll roll with the punches.
Dad, just pour! Dad?
You got it.
MAIYA: Modern Southern Table!
SADAYA: Let's go!
MST, let's get it!
Mazel freaking tov.
Ugh.
Oh, there you go.
I'm ready to roll. It look good.
The Modern Southern Table is now open for business!
[ All cheering ]
Welcome to the Modern Southern Table!
Brunchoholics!
Brunchoholics! It's delicious!
We need more waffle batter, Dad.
Tell him to bring it to me, and I'll explain it to him.
AUDRI: We're open for service, and I'm feeling stressed.
The line is long. It's really long.
And I don't have enough waffles.
I don't know how we're gonna pull this off.
AUDRI: Oh, hi, guys!
You're serving everybody. What can I get for you?
Can I get a crunchy chicken, please?
Want the crunchy chicken? Crunchy chicken.
We're not ready, and our dreams of opening up our own restaurant
is riding on this.
I'm scared.
Dad, where'd you put the maple mayo?
WOMAN: The crunchy chicken and the bacon brownie, please.
GABBIE: That'll be $16.
Audriana, get six going right now.
I'm not losing any of these customers.
So, service starts, and we're still scrambling.
Audriana, we have a huge line right now.
Huge, huge.
We're ready to serve,
just not as organized as I would've liked.
Crunchy chicken and a bread pudding.
Where's the maple mayo? Maple mayo?
Maple mayo. $8!
MAIYA: [ Laughs ] All right, what can I get you?
So it's opening day -- game day.
Our menu today is the sausage-and-chicken gumbo,
since it was such a hit at our marketing day.
We also have our Alabama fried chicken.
For our sides, we're doing
the Southern-style macaroni and cheese
and the Carolina coleslaw.
I will try the crunchy chicken.
GABBIE: Crunchy chicken?
All right, I got another crunchy chicken.
Two sunrise, two crunchy all day.
AUDRI: Today we're serving waffle roll-ups.
The sunrise waffle roll-up is
scrambled eggs, bacon, and a cheddar-chive sauce on top.
The crunchy-chicken waffle roll-up is
my sister's fried chicken in there with lettuce, tomato,
and we have our maple mayo on top.
We also have our nonna's bread pudding,
which we're serving with our berry sauce,
And our Bruncho bacon brownies,
with chocolate ganache and bacon cream-cheese frosting.
Thank you, sweetie.
Thank you.
All right, you got another sunrise.
All right, what am I at?
Three crunchy, four sunrise.
AUDRI: We are really in the weeds right now.
I feel really sick to my stomach at this moment.
I know we're capable, but it's opening day.
[ Voice breaking ] I just really don't want to let us down.
GABBIE: You're not gonna let us down. Don't say that.
Thank you for being amazing. I love you.
I love you.
Can I try the sausage-and-chicken gumbo?
MAIYA: Sausage-and-chicken gumbo -- great choice.
And a side of the Southern-style mac and cheese.
Gotcha.
What are you waiting on?
You got it.
AUDRI: My dad is doing amazing.
He's keeping up. He's talking to the customers.
He's getting everybody pumped up.
Hey, let's hear it for Brunchoholics!
[ Cheers and applause ]
Hi, what can I get for you?
All right, that'll be $9.
Okay.
All right, so that's gonna be $8, $16, and $21!
Hi!
I'm gonna do the crunchy chicken
and your brownie.
Uh, $8.
AUDRI: We are all working as a team.
Our family, we come together.
We're not in the weeds anymore.
We have our groove going, and I think we've got this.
She's got it.
MAIYA: All right, so, what we looking at?
Right now, we're out of mac until we get some more.
But if they want chicken, we're good on that?
Yeah, we're good, yeah.
Okay.
Okay.
SADAYA: We ran out of macaroni and cheese,
so we're about to 86 this, and this hurts.
I need all four menu items to please all my customers.
MAIYA: Hey!
Hello. I'll have a mac and cheese.
Mac and cheese -- we're out of mac and cheese right now.
MAIYA: It breaks my heart, having to turn a customer away.
I want them to enjoy our food,
but also, I know it's gonna hurt our sales.
Thank you.
And that's gonna be $8 for you both.
AUDRI: $5, a crunchy and a sunrise.
Thank you very much.
All right, out of $20.
How's the coleslaw?
It is amazing.
It's my favorite.
This gumbo is good. It's spicy, though.
It's hot, though. You got to be a real woman!
[ Laughter ]
MAN: This is good.
WOMAN: The pudding is really good.
You guys doing all right?
Yeah, we're doing good. We're running out of stuff.
This line is all you got. The contest is almost over.
We're getting through it!
FLORENCE: So, the competition's almost over.
You guys got to step it up and get through the line as fast as possible.
Don't leave any customers hanging.
You got to get through the line, okay?
All right, this is our last push.
We got to get more orders out.
I need two bacon brownies, please.
GABBIE: Two bacon brownies.
MAN: Hi, do you have any gumbo left?
MAIYA: We have one gumbo left.
Yeah.
All right.
AUDRI: All right.
We have three more bacon brownies, and that's it.
May I have your attention, please?
The food-court war is now over!
[ Cheers and applause ]
Thank you, guys.
Please give an amazing round of applause
for Modern Southern Table and Brunchoholics.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Is that too loud?
Congratulations.
Modern Southern Table, Brunchoholics, job well done.
Thank you.
As you can see, your family and friends are here to support you.
Would you guys give them a round of applause?
They did a great job today.
[ Cheers and applause ]
Modern Southern Table, your customer service was great,
but you ran out of mac and cheese, and it cost you.
But people loved the gumbo, and they loved the fried chicken.
Brunchoholics.
Customers loved the idea of an all-day brunch in the mall.
You nailed it. Great concept.
Thank you.
You were in the weeds nearly all of service.
Yeah.
But once you found your groove in the waffle station,
you picked up pace.
Yeah, thank you.
And the new waffle cones are awesome.
Slammin'.
They are.
People loved both restaurants.
I've tallied up the money.
With a grand total of $1,271,
a difference of just $47...
...the winner of "Food Court Wars" is...
[ Cheers and applause ]
[ Both laughing, crying ]
SADAYA: It's amazing to have my dreams come true.
[ Voice breaking ] I've been dreaming of this for a long time,
and I've been through a lot.
I couldn't have picked a better person for it.
I love you.
I love you, too. [ Sniffles ]
Yes! [ Laughs ]
Oh, my God.
Oh, yay!
Don't cry. I'm so sick of crying!
Oy vey!
You both were incredible. I'm so proud of you!
Yeah.
But we're gonna have our own place one day.
So, win or lose, we're not stopping.
We're not going to.
I think Nonna would be very happy, so we did her proud.
Hi, ladies. How you feeling?
Great!
Can I introduce you to your new best friend?
Yes!
Terry Schaller,
and she is the general manager of Colony Square Mall.
Hi, Terry!
We are excited to have you.
Welcome.
Do you know what she has in her hand?
The lease?
Yes!
Uh-huh.
Whoo!
I want to give you the first dollar you ever made.
[ Squeals ]
Look! "Best gumbo I ever had!"
[ Squeals ]
Fantastic.
You did it. I'm so proud of you.
Thank you!
SADAYA: For everything I worked for, this moment is huge,
and I'm very excited for this new future that I have
of being a small-business owner
and owning my own restaurant.
What do you think?
Modern Southern Table!
They won themselves a restaurant!
BOTH: The Modern Southern Table is now open!
[ Laughter ]
What do you think?
Congratulations. So huge.
Thank you so much!
Thank you, thank you.