Guy Fieri Considers 3 Factors When Personally Choosing the Restaurants He Visits on ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives’
Guy Fieri is one of the most recognizable faces on Food Network. Fans can’t get enough of his beloved series, Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The show has been on the air for a decade, hitting different restaurants and trying out dishes in North America. Over the years, Fieri’s show has popularized several restaurants. However, the chef considers three things when choosing which restaurants to visit.
Three factors Fieri considers in his visits
People spent a few days with Fieri during the taping of one of the Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives episodes to get a closer look at how everything works. The publication noted that the chef handpicks every place and dish that viewers see on the show.
The magazine notes that Fieri gets presented a curated list of restaurants and dishes two months before filming to have ample time to do his research. The show’s executive producer Frank Matson said, “Guy will spot a unique ingredient or a way of preparing a dish that’s different and chooses that.”
Talking to Food Network magazine, Fieri noted that his beloved show “is all about three things.” The chef told the magazine that he usually considers “food, story, and character,” when hunting for his next restaurant to visit. “We shine a light on places like this which are run by people who love the same kind of food I love.”
Interestingly filming one episode for Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives usually takes days to perfect. Each taping consists of high-calorie foods, so to maintain a healthy balanced diet, Fieri starts every filming day with a glass of freshly squeezed juice.
He said, “I usually exercise before work. Then I drink a vegetable and fruit juice. We bring a juicer on the road. I make everybody drink it because I know the immunity and what the body needs when everybody’s on the road and working crazy hours.” The juice also helps him maintain a clear palate in-between filming and tastings.
Fieri likes everything to be authentic
Matson stated in 2019 that Fieri prefers everything captured by the camera to remain authentic. The executive producer told People that Fieri avoids making small talk with the restaurant owners before filming an episode.
He said, “That’s very important because they’re having a genuine organic moment of meeting each other for the first time.” Matson admitted that this may come off as standoffish to others, but it’s because the chef wants everything to happen authentically on camera.
Fieri also offers advice to restaurant owners, especially for those meals that may not be a hit. The Food Network star once revealed that he tries his best to help out chefs if he isn’t pleased with their dish.
He admitted that although he doesn’t visit the restaurants to “tell them how to change,” he offers advice to them if they ask. “I mean as we all do as chefs, we all support one another and we all try to help each other grow,” he said.
More fun facts about the show
The show’s trademark introduction features Fieri driving around in his red Camaro. What most people don’t know is that Fieri doesn’t road-trip in his Camaro during filming. The Camaro is instead shipped on a trailer to every location, and the star only films the opening and closing of the car door.
Another interesting fact is that Fieri doesn’t like liver and eggs, meaning viewers may never see many of such dishes on the show. According to Fieri, “liver is nasty,” and he can only eat eggs in dressings and not scrambled, sunny-side-up, or over easy.
