Plot Synopsis

RESTAURANT STARTUP is on a quest to discover, invest in and launch America's next generation of epicurean superstars. Each week, two teams make their case to two investors, restaurateur Joe Bastianich and celebrity chef Tim Love, for a shot at launching a temporary version of their great concept for a restaurant or a specialty food shop ... be it a bakery, a cotton candy bar, a sausage shop. Under the watchful eye of a culinary consultant (Waylynn Lucas in Season 1; Antonia Lofaso in Season 2), the chosen team has two days and $7,500 to launch a pop-up restaurant, or a store, or a product presentation, come up with a branding campaign and research and write-up a business plan. Then they'll open the doors and test the concept on the public. At the end of the process, Joe and Tim decide whether or not they will put their own money on the line to make someone's dreams come true. In this series, Joe and Tim choose between: U.S. Currency Kraken Congee (Seattle, WA) or Ramy's Falafel Fusion (Portland, OR); Baby's Badass Burgers (Los Angeles, CA) or Bacon Bacon (San Francisco, CA); Kones by K (Brooklyn, NY) or Knead (NJ); Bling Bling Dumplings (Los Angeles, CA) or Mills & Co (Los Angeles, CA); a chickpea pasta concept called Banza or a pasta tasting-bar concept called Ravioli Revolution; Mac-o-licious (Los Angeles, CA) or Bespoke Donuts (San Francisco, CA); The Sticky Pig (Costa Mesa, CA) or Sugar Knife (Oakland, CA); and the snout-to-tail The Whole Beast or a small anchovy pop up Bon Chovie. On Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT, CNBC premiered the second season of RESTAURANT STARTUP, with Bastianich and Love returning to invest their own money in restaurant concepts they believe could make them millions. Joining them this season is chef, restaurateur and TV personality, Antonia Lofaso, who will help guide the hungry entrepreneurs as they are put to the ultimate test: opening a restaurant. Season 2 eateries include: 17 Summer (Lodi, NJ); Crave Culinaire (Naples, FL); Hiatus Urban BBQ (Los Angeles, CA); La Cocinita (Chicago & New Orleans); Lloyd Taco Truck (Buffalo, NY); Lone Wolf Banh Mi (Tulsa, OK); Ms. P's Electric Cock (Austin, TX); Nosh & Swig (Las Vegas, NV); Over Easy Omaha (Omaha, NE); Peculiar Culinary (Pittston, PA); Roast (Santa Monica, CA); Rice Paper Scissors (San Francisco, CA); Rock City Pies (Detroit, MI); Rock The Kasbah (Brooklyn, NY); Sixpence Pie Company (Southington, CT); Smoke Kitchen (Philadelphia, PA); The Inventing Room (Edgewater, CO); The Rarest (Philadelphia, PA); WOW! Food Truck (Atlanta, GA); and Yeah Dawg! (New York, NY). Season 3 of RESTAURANT STARTUP premiered on Wednesday, January 6, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT on CNBC, with restaurateur and consultant Elizabeth Blau joining Bastianich and Love at the deal table, while Lofaso returns as the culinary consultant. The entrepreneurs bringing new culinary concepts to the table this season are: 55 Steak (Glendale, NY); Bocadillo (Portland, OR); Chas Germain (Los Angeles, CA); Full Circle Tavern (Dallas, TX); gastroPod (Miami, FL); Gloria Jean's Fine Southern Provisions (Kingston, TN); I Got Balls (Staten Island, NY); Midgley's Public House (Stockton, CA); Old New York (West Harlem, NY); Peli Peli Kitchen (Houston, TX); Rolz (Louisville, KY); S&R Eatery (Miami, FL); Shamone (Cape May, NJ); Smoke (Harrisburg, PA); Subdus (Chicago, IL); Taste (Oklahoma City, OK); The Chef and I (Nashville, TN); and The Copper Hen (Minneapolis, MN).
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On Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT, CNBC premiered the season finale of RESTAURANT STARTUP. In season ender, "Too Hot to Handle," Joe and Tim hear from two Miami chefs who are known for both their food and their fiery personalities. First up is S&R Eatery, run by a local star who's as colorful as her cooking. Next is gastroPod, owned by a talented chef with a temper and his bubbly wife and partner. Will one of these teams seal a deal? Or will their passion scare away the investors?