Robert Irvine – Wild Business Growth Podcast #189: World-Class Chef, Restaurant: Impossible

How do you make the impossible, possible – time and time again? Look no further than this week’s Wild Business Growth Podcast guest, Robert Irvine. Chef Robert Irvine is the star of Restaurant: Impossible & Dinner: Impossible on Food Network. Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and your other favorite podcast platforms.

• Episode Summary & Player
• Show Notes
• Wild Business Growth Podcast Summary

Episode 189: Robert Irvine – World-Class Chef, Restaurant: Impossible

Chef Robert Irvine, the star of Restaurant: Impossible & Dinner: Impossible, joins the show to share his journey from joining the Royal Navy at 15 (and a half) to creating Food Network hits. Hear how to create a thriving restaurant, succeed at a difficult cooking challenge, prepare for Plan B and Plan C, perform on camera, and his top fitness tip. This episode covers everything from supporting the troops to Quiche Lorraine. Here’s a small sample of what you will hear in this episode:

• What’s something Robert learned from being in the Royal Navy at a young age
• When did he first see an opportunity to cook on TV
• What advice does he have for anyone with a difficult cooking challenge ahead of them
• How many episodes is Restaurant: Impossible
• Can Robert bench more than Jerry Seinfeld
• Why are family businesses not the best thing for the restaurant industry
• What surprised Robert about working with Jon Taffer on Restaurant Rivals
• Why does Robert spend so much time supporting the military

Connect with Robert at RobertIrvineFoundation.com, ChefIrvine.com, and social media.

Enjoy the shoooooow! Check out the show notes below for much more detail.

Show Notes

• Intro & Royal Navy
  • [0:30] Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool
  • [0:40] Connect with Robert at RobertIrvineFoundation.com, ChefIrvine.com, and social media
  • [2:28] Shoutout JoAnn/Mom!
  • [3:07] How did Robert start in the Royal Navy at age 15.5
  • [3:46] Geeeeez
  • [4:12] Falklands
  • [4:34] What’s something Robert learned from being in the Royal Navy at a young age
  • [5:43] Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Space Force

• Dinner: Impossible & Restaurant: Impossible
  • [6:18] When did Robert first see an opportunity to cook on TV
  • [6:48] Quiche Lorraine
  • [6:56] Atlantic City, NJ
  • [7:14] Dinner: Impossible
  • [7:36] Food Network
  • [7:42] Black 7 Series BMW
  • [8:00] Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible
  • [8:18] What advice does Robert have for anyone with a difficult cooking challenge ahead of them
  • [9:29] How far in advance do you create Plan B & Plan C
  • [9:40] Super Bowl
  • [10:05] Doritos
  • [10:22] True story
  • [10:27] How many episodes is Restaurant: Impossible
  • [10:39] Seinfeld
  • [10:47] Can Robert bench more than Jerry Seinfeld
  • [11:26] How do you create thriving restaurants
  • [12:32] Customer
  • [12:39] Fish & Chips, Gumbo
  • [13:37] Our Family Business
  • [13:43] Why are family businesses not the best thing for the restaurant industry
  • [14:45] Board
  • [15:44] How do you perform on camera
  • [16:08] Never!
  • [18:26] George Clooney
  • [19:05] A+ List
  • [20:16] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool

• Rapid-Fire Q&A
  • [20:45] What surprised Robert about working with Jon Taffer on Restaurant Rivals
  • [21:33] What is an underrated food town
  • [22:13] Not bad if I must say
  • [22:42] What caught Robert off-guard about the life of a professional wrestler
  • [23:48] What’s his #1 fitness tip
  • [25:05] What inspires him to spend so much time supporting the military
  • [26:36] Mosul, Iraq, 101st Airborne Division
  • [26:40] Jeff Ross
  • [27:26] Connect with Robert at RobertIrvineFoundation.com, ChefIrvine.com, and social media
  • [28:07] What are Robert’s Final Thoughts
  • [28:57] Follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about the podcast. And 5 stars on Apple Podcasts & Spotify if you’re feeling super nice
  • [29:14] Check out the Wild Business Growth Podcast on GoodPods, where you can see what your favorite people are listening to
  • [29:16] Connect with me on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn @MaxBranstetter
  • [29:18] Save time with your high-quality podcast. Email me at to bring your podcast to life and use it as a business-building tool
  • Theme music: Freestyle Percussion Magik – “Jungle Tribe” – provided by Jamendo

What is the Wild Business Growth Podcast?

Wild ideas. Wild growth. Every Wednesday morning a new entrepreneur joins the Wild Business Growth Podcast to share the wildly creative and unusual ways they grew their business – and teaches you how to do it, too. Hear the minds behind WordPress, Stacy’s Pita Chips, Drybar, the voice of Bart Simpson, and more wild stories. Hosted by Max Branstetter (that’s me), Founder and Podcast Producer at MaxPodcasting.

How do you start a podcast?

Interested in starting a professional-sounding podcast for your brand, but don’t want to deal with the time commitment of all those behind-the-scenes details? I’ve got you covered. Email me at to save time with your high-quality podcast and use it as a business-building tool.

Thanks for listening to Robert Irvine on the Wild Business Growth Podcast. To hear more Wild stories like this one every Wednesday morning, follow the Wild Business Growth Podcast and tell a friend about it. And arm wrestle them for 24 hours straight. Until next time, Let your business Run Wild…and Bring on the Bongos!!