![]() The whole thing ended up being so amazing, we love it now. "At first it was like, 'Oh man, I wish he hadn't done that.' But I can't be mad. "So Guy put his stencil on our fucking hood," Sappington said. One thing every true Triple D apostle has to do before they leave is take a picture in front of a stencil Fieri leaves at every restaurant - the stencil that says "Guy Fieri ate here." It was featured on Season 18 of Triple D despite being neither diner, drive-in, nor dive. They roll up in their RVs and pile out," said Adam Sappington, owner of Portland, Oregon's James Beard-nominated Southern restaurant, The Country Cat. "People come here about once every other week that are on these restaurant crawls across the country. This happens way more often than you'd think. The rabidness of the fans is exemplified in a shockingly common phenomenon: Triple D road trips, where fans embark on cross-country road trips simply to hit up some of Fieri's recommendations. And it really hasn't stopped ever since." "Believe it or not, that's what happened. "He told us to be ready for a 200% increase in business," Bufkin said, which seemed like a pretty lofty prediction considering the place is about an hour off the highway. And he was just amped up, you know? Still really nice, really cool - but like an amplified version of himself for sure," Bufkin said.įieri did have some encouraging parting words of advice for Bufkin regarding the impact of his show. was a real nice, down-to-earth guy."īut when he came back for filming, it was like he slipped his "Guy Fieri" persona on like a Halloween costume. "He introduced himself, talked to every one of our employees. "I barely even recognized him," said Bufkin. When Fieri first stepped foot in Southern Soul, he came in a plain white T and cargo shorts, his normally spiky hair flaccid and un-frosted. ![]() "We weren't really sure what to expect… from the show or Fieri himself," Bufkin said. The restaurant, featured in Season 9, is 40 miles from the nearest highway. Simons Island, Georgia (population ~14,000). Griffin Bufkin owns Southern Soul Barbeque, a smoke shack on St. "When you get the call that they are going through with it, they warn you: This will change your business forever," Biederman said. Once this is all laid out, things go silent - excruciatingly silent - as Fieri and his crew decide whether the restaurant has the right story for them. After all that, the restaurant is submitted to Fieri for final approval. Some are just consumed as part of the research process. They also agree to make any and all menu items upon the host's arrival. Restaurant owners spend hours on the phone with writers who develop a story around the restaurant, and then they have to agree to close up shop for a few days. The team does extensive scouting on every place they visit. While TV magic makes it seem like Fieri just rolls up in his signature convertible with a camera crew in tow, the reality is each visit is months in the making. "They reached out to us and we basically had to sell them on our place over the course of a few weeks." ![]() Biederman, owner of Steuben's in Denver, Colorado, featured in Season 11 of Triple D. "In our case, the producers called a bunch of food writers in Denver to find some good local places," said Emily N. It always begins with a quick phone call and a lofty proposition. ![]() Here are the stories of six businesses featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives, (or "Triple D," as it will now be exclusively referred to) and how it all goes down. But after taping wraps, what happens to these restaurants? Does the buzz hit hard, forcing their regulars to move on? Do these treasured local joints become tourist traps for meaty dudes shouting about "Donkey Sauce"? The hedgehog-haired mayor of Flavortown might be a punchline for food writers and at least a few notable contemporaries, but even their favorite restaurants open up their kitchens to Fieri for a 10-minute slot on the show. For 260 episodes and 24 seasons, Fieri's hugely popular Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives has been shining a light on mom-and-pop shops with honest-to-goodness food all across America. In a tornado of frosted tips and fire decals, Guy Fieri comes to restaurant owners armed with a simple proposition: Close your place for a few days, relinquish control of your business to a TV crew, and cook pretty much every item on your menu.
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