Bardonia Pub Hosts Viewing Party For Food Network Appearance

Roughly 40 people crowded around the bar at Lexington Grille & Pub Wednesday night to watch as the Bardonia restaurant was featured on the premiere episode of a new Food Network show.

Restaurant Stakeout premiered Wednesday at 10 p.m. and features host Willie Degel spying on an eating establishment to see if there are any issues within the business, how the workers act when the boss isn’t around and more. The restaurant was full of hidden cameras and microphones while Degel and his crew watched nearby along with Lexington owner Mike Solicito.

To read more about the filming and how the restaurant was picked for the show,

On Wednesday night, the bar had a viewing party to watch the episode. Of the seven flat screen TV’s behind the bar, five of them turned over to the Food Network to watch. The music that normally plays was turned down and the show’s volume was turned up so people could hear.

During the show, cameras showed bartenders drinking alcohol and texting while working, while also arguing with one another on a few occasions. Wednesday night, however, Lexington was home to a jovial crowd, one that yelled when the restaurant was shown on screen and clapped when a bartender was shown drinking on the job.

“It was entertaining,” said Lexington Manager Carmen Zambardino. “The reality is nowhere near accurate to what you saw. We learned that reality [TV] is nowhere near realistic. But that’s okay. It was still fun to be on.”

Zambardino said the bartenders don’t normally act like how the show portrayed them and they were “putting on a show for the cameras.”

During the show, different workers at the restaurant were covered by Degel, who talked about their strengths and weaknesses. For Zambardino, he said she was a “jack of all trades” but that she was being asked to do too many different things. During the episode, she was shown serving drink orders, waiting tables and more.

“As a manager, I do what needs to be done,” she said. “I lead by example. I can’t just stand in a corner overseeing everything and telling other people what to do. If someone needs help, I help them.”

Another issue Degel took with the restaurant was that the cameras showed workers sitting at one booth in the back of the restaurant multiple times throughout the days they filmed. He said they should leave the booths open for patrons. Zambardino was shown sitting at the table a few times drinking coffee.

“I’m on my feet most of the day,” she said. “If I can sit down 10 minutes tops, that’s going to be it for a while.”

She also said the reason the workers sit at the booth is because her office is actually a closet “with alcohol on the shelves and nowhere to sit.”

Still, since the filming of the show, a few things have changed at Lexington, one of which is the use of that last booth. Zambardino said they no longer use it until the dinner crowd has left, after which most people that are at Lexington sit at the bar.

“Some of the things [Degel] pointed out seemed kind of silly,” she said. “But a few things he pointed out definitely needed changing and we have changed them.”

Along with the booth, Degel said it was unprofessional for workers to text while working, and Zambardino said they no longer allow people to text or make calls. If they have to make a call or text, she says they have to ask and then they can go in the back to use their phone.

Still, while the show might’ve exaggerated some aspects of the restaurant, Zambardino said it was exciting to be on the show and that she thinks it’ll bring people into Lexington.

“I think people might be curious about us now that didn’t know we were here,” she said. “Most of our business is repeat business, so this might help us get some new people to come, and once they do hopefully they see we’re a fun place to go and they’ll come back.”