Season 3

2013 · 13 episodes

Episodes

1Dining in the DarkThe owner of Catharsis in Miami, Florida receives complaints about inappropriate touching and theft of items during the restaurants "Dining in the Dark" event. The targets are three newly hired servers (two waiters, and one waitress). The Mystery Diners head into the restaurant and discover that the new waitress and waiter have created a game by screwing with both the customers and food and stealing from them. The waiter and waitress are both fired during the confrontation. The narrator revealed that the former servers have gone their separate ways. The remaining new server has been promoted to head server.
2Cheese-BurglarThe female owners of Cheeseburger Baby in Miami ask Charles to investigate a waiter who is a former an ex-con over reports of theft of money from the cash register. The owners hired him in order to give him a second chance at life. The Mystery Diners point to big problems: their waitress is behind the theft and falsifying evidence to pit the customers and owners against the ex-con waiter over his past as her scapegoat. Being confronted, the waitress tries to defend herself, but the owners are fed up with her lies and force her to confess. She eventually does while giving them the money and they fire her while denying a second chance for her. The owners apologized to the ex-con waiter for believing that he was responsible for the theft. The narrator reveals that the former waitress was never heard from again. The ex-con waiter maintained his loyalty and celebrated his 10-month anniversary at Cheeseburger Baby. The owners implemented a new register to prevent thefts.
3Party MonsterThe namesake of George's in Miami think his staff is going too far with the party atmosphere after noticing significant revenue loss. He had a right to be concerned because his manager and bartender has been over-serving women free shots, letting customers drink beer from a beer bong, and threatening to burn the whole restaurant down with one of them wearing George's Napoleon hat. During the confrontation, they are both fired by George. The narrator revealed that the former manager and bartender have found employment elsewhere. The waiter has begun training to be a manager. Only George is allowed to wear the Napoleon hat.
4Catch Of The DayThe owner of Garcia's Seafood in Miami notices an unusual low amount of Crab Claws, and wasted product. The team finds out that a fisherman whose father worked for his company a long time ago has been selling the catch to another buyer and a prep cook is improperly filleting fish. The fisherman is fired and the prep cook is told to improve his filleting skills. The narrator revealed that the former fisherman is working at another fishing company. The prep cook is no longer wasting product. The owner installed an expensive security system to watch his restaurant from his office.
5All In The FamilyThe owner of R&O's Restaurant in New Orleans is fed up with the lack of respect. The Diners discover big problems: the owner's niece Dee Dee who works as a waitress is rude to customers and staff, and the owner's nephew Chris who works as a busboy is coming in tired from college and getting only a few moments of sleep. During the confrontation, the owner fires Dee Dee for her blatant disrespect while telling her never to return despite being related. Dee Dee threatens to send her mother to confront him as she leaves. Chris apologizes while stating that he has college work to do and the owner is convinced to talk to his mother as well. The narrator revealed that Dee Dee has apologized for her actions after being scolded by her mother and has found another job. The nephew has a lighter work schedule to accommodate his college workload and has gotten straight A's in his recent semester. Another one of the owner's nieces named Amanda has been promoted to manager.
6Friends With BenefitsThe husband-and-wife owners of N'awlins Café in New Orleans ask for help getting to the root of why their restaurant isn't thriving. Charles and his team discover that the manager has staffed the place with her friends, few of whom are fully qualified as one of the waiters (who happens to be the manager's boyfriend) was incompetent and was shown taking a break instead of working. The matters are made worse when the manager and waiter were shown eating an order that was messed up and being rude to difficult customers. During the confrontation, the manager and the waiter are fired. Charles claims that the bartender that was hired by the manager could be a good employee. While the narrator didn't mention what happened to the former manager and waiter, he did mention that the bartender was offered a full training to be an official bartender only for her to quit. The owners have replaced the former staff with more competent people.
7Barbecue BluesTerry, the owner of Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que in Dallas, Texas, is concerned that one of his employees is selling his secret family recipe to his rivals and calls in Charles to help find the culprit. The Mystery Diners discover that Terry's nephew Michael who works as a manager is behind this. During the confrontation, Terry fires him. The narrator revealed that Michael was disowned from the family business. The rest of the kitchen staff has signed non-disclosure agreements.
8No Laughing MatterCharles and his team arrive at Deanie's Seafood in New Orleans to keep an eye on the restaurant's manager who is a wannabe comedian. They also discover one of the waiters is drinking on the job and stealing wine while the manager performs is stand-up routine in the middle of the restaurant. When both are confronted, the waiter is fired and the manager is put on a 3-month leave and demoted to a waiter when he returns. The narrator revealed that the former waiter found work at another restaurant. The demoted manager continues his dream of being a professional comedian and performs at clubs in New Orleans.
9Crazy HeartsThe owner of Poppy's The Crazy Lobster in New Orleans fields complaints about constant fighting between the cooks. He also has a problem with his nephew bringing wild animals into the restaurant. The Mystery Diners point to a waitress who is playing the grill supervisor and cook against each other since she is dating the cook, and having an affair with the supervisor. The nephew has been bring wild animals in the bar to impress a Mystery Diner posing as a customer by showing off a baby alligator. During the confrontation, the cook lashes out against the grill supervisor upon what was revealed as the owner breaks up the argument. The waitress and grill supervisor are both fired while the cook and nephew are suspended. The narrator revealed that the former waitress and grill supervisor have stopped seeing other. The cook is training to be the grill supervisor. The nephew no longer brings wild animals into the restaurant.
10Menu MayhemFrancesco, the owner of Zio Cecio in Dallas, begins hearing rave reviews about Tex-Mex food being served in his Italian restaurant. He had a right to be concerned with the head chef and floor manager running a side business serving Tex-Mex food. The floor manager also told the wait staff to push the Tex-Mex menu so they can get a cash incentive and was also poaching customers with plans to open their own restaurant in six months. During the confrontation, the head chef and floor manager are fired by Francesco. The narrator revealed that there is no indication if the former floor manager and head chef were successful in starting their own Tex-Mex restaurant or not.
11Boss HogThe owner of Stroker's Ice House, a biker bar and grill in Dallas, named Rick Fairless and his mother call in Charles Stiles to investigate a dip in revenue which may be related to Rick's motorcycle shop. The Mystery Diners point to problems with two waitresses that have been stealing money behind the manager Chris's back, and the waitress Sammi is stealing and selling motorcycle parts with her mechanic boyfriend Lobo who works at the motorcycle shop run by Rick. When the couple are confronted, they are both fired by Rick and his mother tells them to take the other waitress with them. The narrator revealed that Lobo, Sammi, and the other former waitress have found new employment. Chris has been demoted to bartender only to resign. The owner's mother has temporary come back to work and is looking for new managers.
12Armed ServicesThe owner of Buttons Restaurant in Texas asks Charles Stiles to investigate after fielding complaints that his ex-military manager is being too strict. The Mystery Diners discover that the ex-military manager has made one employee (an ROTC trainee who looks up to the manager) do laps around the restaurant for messing up and caused one of the servers to quit. When confronted by the owner and Charles Stiles, the manager states that he was only keeping them in line and to fire him if he must. The owner decides not to fire him since the owner was also in the military, but wants the manager to mellow out on his job. Charles suggests to the owner that he should get the resigned server rehired. The narrator revealed that the manager is taking a positive approach to his job. The server who quit was rehired and promoted to head server.
13Cooking the BooksThe owners of Sisley Italian Kitchen in Sherman Oaks, California named Jamie and Francine Alba enlist Charles Stiles to help get to the bottom of a revenue discrepancy that may or may not involve their bookkeeper Pamela. She was caught coming to work late, making personal phone calls, and sleeping on the job, but is actually honest in reporting a cash discrepancy to the manager. The Mystery Diners then point to bigger problems with the manager Mike, who is actually behind the discrepancy, by stealing paychecks that were supposed to be paid to a window washing service that was told by Mike that their services were no longer needed and running a scam by hiring his friend Hector Rodriguez as a busboy without Jamie and Francine's consent.