The Restaurant (UK TV Series) - Format

Format

Nine couples with little or no restaurant experience competed in a series of challenges whilst running their own restaurants. Challenges were set by Raymond Blanc, a successful French chef who owns a number of restaurants in the UK, most notably Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons. The couples lived together in a shared house during the eight-week series.

Each week, Blanc set a task, such as to make as much profit from selling cocktails or desserts. Each couple's restaurant was visited by Blanc's "inspectors" – restaurant industry experts David Moore and Sarah Willingham - who reported back to Blanc on the service, food and organisation of each. There was then a "boardroom" showdown in which each couple was given individual feedback. All couples were then called in together and the "Restaurant of the Week" award was presented to the couple deemed to have performed the best during the task. Blanc then named the three (or two in later episodes) poorest performing couples that would perform a further challenge.

In the specific challenge, the three couples chose or were assigned helpers from amongst the other contestants. They then competed again in tasks such as selling the most meals in a cafeteria. The couple deemed to be the worst performing were eliminated by Blanc, with the line "I'm closing your restaurant".

For its first two series, The Restaurant was shown twice a week; the first being the task in which all couples took part, and the second being the challenge and subsequent elimination of one couple. In the third series, this was reduced to one episode a week.

The theme music was written by Dru Masters, and other music used included "Waltz No. 2" from Shostakovich's Jazz Suite and '"Showtime" from the soundtrack to Magnolia composed by Jon Brion. Some music from the Amelie soundtrack was used the series. "Let's Groove Again" by Gonzales was used as the music for the programme's promotional trailer.