NBC is hungry for a sequel to its summer reality hit “The Restaurant” – and has reached out to series star Rocco DiSpirito, who’s definitely interested.
“There’s an offer on the table,” said an NBC official, adding that NBC thinks DiSpirito is a “real star” who can sustain another run of the show.
“The Restaurant,” which wraps its six-episode run Sunday night, has followed the ups-and-downs of DiSpirito’s new downtown restaurant, Rocco’s on 22nd Street – which had only seven weeks to get up and running (compared to the usual six months).
DiSpirito, who also owns the nearby Union Pacific restaurants, has been this summer’s “watercooler-conversation” star (with apologies to the Fab Five of Bravo’s”Queer Eye for the Straight Guy“).
Upwards of 8 million people have tuned in every Sunday night to watch the drama unfold as DiSpirito has battled with his staff in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the high-profile Manhattan restaurant.
DiSpirito himself has said that he’d like to do another run of the show – mostly to show that, with enough time and forethought, the results might be different the next time around.
“We had a dining room at times with 12 cameramen in there,” he said. “And people still did things that you just can’t believe they did on television.
“Another thing I’ve definitely learned is to never be that ambitious and fearless again,” he said. “Seven weeks! I really needed six months.”