Food Network to air Spunky Monkey makeover on Jan. 15

Auburn's Spunky Monkey makeover will be aired on the Food Network's "Restaurant Impossible" series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, with repeats at 1 a.m. Jan. 16 and 11 p.m. Jan. 19, according to www.foodnetwork.com.

January 10, 2014 2:09 pm
Celebrity chef Robert Irvine and his 'Restaurant Impossible' crew completely transformed the struggling Spunky Monkey eatery in late October.
Celebrity chef Robert Irvine and his 'Restaurant Impossible' crew completely transformed the struggling Spunky Monkey eatery in late October.

Reporter staff

Auburn’s Spunky Monkey makeover will be aired on the Food Network’s “Restaurant Impossible” series at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, with repeats at 1 a.m. Jan. 16 and 11 p.m. Jan. 19, according to www.foodnetwork.com.

Celebrity chef Robert Irvine and his team of designers from the reality TV show were in Auburn on Oct. 28-29 tearing down and rebuilding the struggling restaurant on Second Street Southeast.

The popular series challenges Irvine and his crew to “flip” a restaurant in two days and on a $10,000 budget.

It took the crew 36 hours to update the decor and completely change the menu.

An episode description, according to the Food Network:

“When Chef Robert Irvine first sees the Spunky Monkey Bar & Grill in Auburn, he’s appalled by the restaurant’s condition: inches of dust, mounds of grime, years of neglect, and an owner who doesn’t seem to care at all. Robert and his team are at a complete loss as to which disaster to address first: the health code violations, the subpar food, the design roadblocks or the lackluster staff.”