Tasty 'Check, Please!' spreads its wings
"Check, Please!," the six-year-old WTTW-Channel 11 show that lets Joe or Jane Chicago take a stab at being a restaurant critic on TV, has spread. About 22,000 folks have signed up to be guests.
The appeal goes far beyond Chicago. Other stations want in. A Bay Area version was launched last year, and producer Manilow -- who also logged time as an artist, interior designer, consultant and television sports producer -- is preparing a Los Angeles version for next year. Seattle/Vancouver, New York and Hawaii are also on his radar.
He plans to be in three new markets and expand the show's Internet presence in 2007.
The "Check, Please!" concept, which seems so obvious after six seasons, broke a TV barrier. First-of-its-kind on the air and now imitated in small towns with only a handful of restaurants, the program earned Manilow and his team a 2006 Chicago Innovation Award.
"I just wanted to do an authentic look at restaurants in Chicago," Manilow said, noting, "You can't get credible reviews on TV if the reviewer is known" because chefs and staff tend to upgrade food and service.
But, would the format work on television: three people from diverse backgrounds and armed with stipends dining at each other's selected restaurants and then offering critiques around a dining table.
"The real question was 'How would regular people look and feel on camera and mesh with each other?' " Manilow said. Obviously, pretty well. "I remember being in the control room laughing and thinking, 'Oh, my God. This is actually gonna work.' "
Master sommelier Alpana Singh is host of the Chicago show, produced by Manilow and partner Joel Cohen's Semaphore Media. Restaurateur Amanda Puck hosted for the first two years.
Guests are of various occupations and ethnicities, and their restaurant selections reflect that mixture, ranging from the upscale with live entertainment to outright dives.
" 'Check, Please!' helps people explore the city. There's all kinds of ways to enjoy Chicago and restaurants and the neighborhoods," said Manilow, who is executive producer for the Bay Area show, as well.
Restaurants mentioned on the program typically see an increase in business right after, said Colleen McShane, president of the Illinois Restaurant Association.
"It shows what a great dining city Chicago is with different cultures and environments," she said. "It's great PR." The show's at its best when guests have to defend their selections, as one supporter of Blu 47 did last season with the tenacity of a pit bull.
When fellow reviewers were less enthusiastic about the food and service, she proclaimed the restaurant "a "thoroughbred" and declared, "It has won the race."
"She was great, wasn't she?" Manilow chuckled. "The show is built on taking it personally. It's their favorite place," he said. "My requirement is that you can recommend your place with passion and defend it if necessary. There aren't a whole lot of rules, but that's one of them."
Because each applicant suggests several restaurants, foodie Manilow, 47, has amassed an extensive list of recommendations. "I have more data than anyone," he said. (And, yep, he's a relative. Barry's his cousin.)