Can Restaurants Pay To Be Featured On Diners, Drive-Ins And Dives?
Being part of Guy Fieri's popular show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" is no joke. For Fieri and his team, it's important to understand what the food culture is like in a particular town before they pick a place. As the chef told Deadline, "We put blood, sweat, and tears into making these shows happen, and finding the best places ... we spend two to three months evaluating the city, and looking at the food scene."
Additionally, per Delish, getting featured on the show isn't straightforward and producers like to be thorough during the screening process. This means that business owners have to be comfortable participating in many interviews and meetings before filming takes place. Also, eateries are asked for their recipes beforehand and Fieri ultimately gets to decide which restaurants will make the cut. He gets involved a couple of months before filming and examines the restaurant options his producers have come up with up to that point.
So what can said restaurants do to improve their chances of being featured on Fieri's hit show?
It's not easy to get on 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'
Per Delish, it is not possible for restaurant owners to pay to appear on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives." The show's team focuses on the quality of the dishes at the eatery and isn't willing to compromise. Additionally, restaurants do not receive money to be featured on the show, either, because they subsequently receive a lot of publicity just for being a part of the show itself.
Unfortunately, this means that restaurants have to be comfortable with taking care of all the additional expenses on their own and dealing with food waste. Also, in terms of making it to the show, it is a huge advantage if the restaurant has something different to offer to its customers. An executive producer named Frank Matson said, "Guy [Fieri] will spot a unique ingredient or a way of preparing a dish that's different and chooses that" (via People). When it comes to celebrity chefs, Fieri's certainly original — and that's clearly what he looks for in a restaurant, too.