AllMovie

Produced by Survivor's Mark Burnett, the six-week reality series The Restaurant chronicled the establishment of a trendy new Manhattan dining place, from the purchase of the building to opening night. The eatery was the life's dream of master chef Rocco DiSpirito, who emerged as the "hero" of the piece. Unlike Survivor, no one was voted off the island (or out of the kitchen, for that matter), but there was no shortage of backstage intrigues, beginning with the snotty "class war" between the restaurant's servers and its cooks. The Restaurant premiered July 20, 2003.