America’s Next Great Restaurant: Interview With Bobby Flay and Steve Ells

The growing popularity of food-centered television has evolved far past the likes of Julia Child in recent years, with such domestically gifted multi-taskers as Rachael Ray and Martha Stewart dominating the daytime market, and monstrously successful reality competition shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Bravo darling Top Chef making cooking cooler than ever. The Food Network has enjoyed a meteoric rise in ratings, thanks to such powerhouse staples as The Next Food Network Star, Iron Chef America, and Throwdown With Bobby Flay all helping to satisfy the increasing demand for foodie-friendly programming.

With niches as specific as cake decorating already acknowledged with multiple shows (Food Network’s Ace of Cakes and TLC’s Cake Boss), it seems as though there couldn’t possibly be a facet of the food genre that TV hasn’t tackled yet, but the upcoming America’s Next Great Restaurant will attempt to challenge that notion. Celebrity chef Flay and Chipotle founder and co-CEO Steve Ells are teaming up with NBC to try and introduce an aspect of the restaurant business the viewing public hasn’t seen yet: the complete execution of a restaurant idea, from conception to grand opening.

Contestants from all over the country, with their own idea of what would make the next great, “fast casual” restaurant chain in America, will vie for an ultimate prize of having their concept brought to life with three startup locations in Los Angeles, Minneapolis and New York City. Flay and Ells, along with chef and restaurateur Lorena Garcia and renowned Australian cooking personality Curtis Stone (The Biggest Loser, Take Home Chef), will serve as both judges and mentors to the top ten contenders throughout the season and also personally invest in the winning business model.

Flay and Ells were recently on hand to discuss their upcoming venture into network primetime programming and reveal why they’re willing to include a personal financial stake in the show’s winning idea.

Ells discussed why he thinks adding the investment element puts America’s Next Great Restaurant ahead of other food-related competition shows.

“I think that’s part of the brilliance of the show. I think that, because we are investors, we have this vested interest in making sure that the person who wins really is going to be successful, as opposed to, you know, a reality show where there’s a prize and then that’s it,” Ells said, adding that the benefit of the financial support of the judges is a grand prize that keeps on giving. “Really, the winner wins more than just these three restaurants. They win the ability to continue to grow this business and turn it into something that could be quite large and quite valuable.”

Aside from providing the initial capital to get the winner’s restaurant concept up and running, Flay explained why he enjoyed using his success and experience in the culinary industry to help contestants who ordinarily might have never found an opportunity to present their idea at all, much less to four experts of the trade.

“First of all, it’s a great way to mentor people who are looking to get into the restaurant business. You know, the restaurant business is one of those things that is intriguing to almost everyone. And I think that almost [every] single person has said at least one time in their life, ‘I have a great idea for a restaurant.’ … And this was a perfect opportunity for anyone, no matter who you are, to come and pitch your ideas to four people that have had success in the restaurant business.”

Flay expanded on his personal experience rising through the culinary ranks, revealing a little-known tidbit about his educational background that also speaks volumes about his dedication to his craft.

“I have spent my entire life in the restaurant business; my entire adult life, I should say. I dropped out of high school, and I went to work in a restaurant, and I’ve been there ever since. I’ve been cooking for 28 years. And I’ve been lucky enough to have some success through the years,” Flay said.

Ells also found his experience on America’s Next Great Restaurant to be an opportunity for him to reflect on the path he’s taken throughout his career, reflecting on his own humble beginnings that resembled the contestants’ starting points.

“It’s interesting; on the first episode, as the contestants were pitching their ideas, it took me back. It took me back, you know, over 18 years ago as I was describing the idea for Chipotle … I was in their shoes over 18 years ago. And I know how it felt,” Ells said, before hinting that his journey, from square one to the current success Chipotle has found, wasn’t necessarily a smooth one. As a result, he enjoyed working with the contestants even more. “Having been involved in taking something from just an idea and maybe even an idea that’s not, you know, thought to be such a great one and [then] turning it into a success has been exciting … To be able to share that experience with these contestants was really a pleasure.”

An interesting factor within the structure of America’s Next Great Restaurant is that the finalists aren’t necessarily chefs, or even cooks. This departure from the sturdy, white-jacketed framework of Top Chef and other successful food shows, gives America’s Next Great Restaurant a fresh outlook on the aspects of a restaurateur’s life outside the kitchen. According to Ells, the show’s underlying message can even be construed under a broader definition.

“I think the show appeals to people who might want to start any kind of a business,” Ells said. “I mean, there is a lot of emphasis placed on, you know, entrepreneurship and the ability to not only have a good idea, but to take that idea and really evolve it and prove that you know how to put all the pieces together. So there are so many aspects to the show beyond just food and restaurants.”

Flay explained why their search for the ideal contestants involved assessments of the contenders’ overall potential for success after the cameras stopped rolling. A great idea on its own, according to Flay, is only the beginning. The ability to turn that idea into a successful franchise is the, ahem, meat and potatoes of the project, so to speak.

“Anybody can come up with a really good pitch, but the question is, do they have the repertoire of personality and also the drive to see the thing through, because ultimately that’s what they have to do. Getting the restaurant open might be easiest part of this,” Flay said. “Making it work and growing the business is going to be the really tough part.”

In addition, Flay mentioned how potential contestants’ desire for their 15 minutes of fame made no difference in the judges’ decisions. In fact, those specifically looking for camera time were ultimately shot down.

“What I wanted to know from these people, first and foremost, is why they wanted to do this. Did they want to do this because they wanted to be on television? Obviously, [that] was not going to work for us,” Flay said. “Do they want to do this because this is really a lifelong dream of theirs? And if so, you know, what has caused that?” he continued, “For me, the real question is, why were you doing this and what is driving you to basically commit your entire career and the rest of your life to making this work?”

The contestants will have numerous chances to display the drive and commitment the judges are looking for by participating in various challenges that will showcase their ability to handle multiple aspects of the restaurant business. The winner will ultimately have to master their understanding of these facets of the industry in order to bring their restaurant concept to full fruition. Ells acknowledged the diversity of the weekly challenges, but echoed Flay’s sentiment that the heart of the matter lies within the contestants themselves.

“There are cooking competitions. There are service competitions. There’s design and creative [competitions], both in uniforms and designing their interior and their logos,” Ells said. “I think the thing that is really important is that you get to see [that] we, as investors, are trying to see who has the right personality, who has the right work ethic, who has the ability to really make this thing work…. It’s about the specific competitions, but yet, also, it gives us an insight into the characters of the individuals.”

Flay summed up his experience working with the contestants by commenting on their gradual adjustment to the reality-show format. While some initially started out preparing themselves for their television debut, all of them had shifted focus entirely to the task at hand when the competition got underway. Eventually, according to Flay, the reasons these people chose to exhibit their livelihood and personal goals on television evolved past the cameras and spoke for themselves.

“It was interesting to see the variety of people. Some of them were very shy. Initially, in front of the camera, you could tell that they felt uneasy. And some of them were really hamming it up in front of the camera,” Flay said. “But, as the episodes went on, I think people just sort of forgot the camera was there, and then you really got to take a look inside this person, and you really got to see their personalities emerge. There was no faking it towards the end. You really got to see the real person.”

Don’t miss the series premiere of America’s Next Great Restaurant Sunday, March 6 at 8/7c on NBC.

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Images courtesy of Peter Kramer & Mitchell Haaseth/NBC and NBCUniversal, Inc.