Colin Fassnidge Kitchen Nightmares Cafe Tabouli – Cafe de Vie rebrand slammed

Virginia Cheong, owner of the new Homebush Lebanese dining experience Cafe Tabouli – formerly Cafe de Vie – has asked for support from the network and host Colin Fassnidge and says she is determined to “make it work” despite claiming a massive financial blow to her business since the overhaul.

In a surprise move that follows days of public controversy since Ms Cheong first spoke out about the changes, the owner has invited Fassnidge to visit the restaurant to “see how we’re going”, while committing to maintaining the changes she says have caused her to lose thousands in trade each week.

The cafe owner says she is sick of hurtful messages and is determined to “give it my best shot” telling news.com.au she is starting to find her feet and has “no regret”.

Ms Cheong has also revealed to news.com.au how much her business has suffered since implementing a crucial change suggested — and subsequently downplayed — by Fassnidge, and what it would cost to reverse it.

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According to Ms Cheong, the program’s decision to move her coffee machine away from a corner where it could service passers-by has shaved a huge chunk off her weekly income.

“We were doing, on average, between 30 to 38kg a week of coffee. In the first week, it dropped to 5kg. The second week, maybe a little more around 7kg,” she told news.com.au earlier this week.

“The second week, we are down $4000, so we picked up a few thousand dollars, but that was it. We couldn’t go any further.

“So it was constantly down, all down for a whole nearly two months.”

But Fassnidge, channelling the show’s format founder Gordon Ramsay, took to Nova FM’s Fitzy & Wippa on Tuesday this week show to defend his transformation.

“It was a Chinese-owned cafe serving terrible Middle Eastern bread and Italian food. It was also losing,” the chef said.

As for the coffee machine issue? Simple, according to Fassnidge – move it.

“(Her) husband is a tiler, and his wage was keeping the cafe going. So this thing of they’re losing all this money because we moved the coffee machine, mate – move the coffee machine back,” he told the radio show.

Ms Cheong has now told news.com.au that the fix would not be that simple, forecasting tens of thousands of dollars worth of work to get the coffee machine back to where it was.

“Colin stated in his radio interview that I should be reactive and change the machine position back to where it was – I’m not sure he is aware that I would have to install brand new cabinetry, electrical and plumbing costing between $10k to $15k,” she told news.com.au.

“With the increasing debt that we are incurring, we cannot afford it.”

But despite the harsh words from Fassnidge – who Ms Cheong described as “quite lovely” off camera – the owner says she has no regrets about taking part in the program, nor does she have any ill feelings towards Fassnidge or Channel 7 for the transformation.

Determined to make it work, Ms Cheong said she would appreciate ongoing support or advice from the network and Fassnidge.

“Come out and see how we’re going, we have stuck to what you told us, and I want to make it work,” she said.

“I lack the skill set to deliver a traditional Lebanese experience.

“I’ve asked for help, I’m getting Zoom lessons from chefs in Lebanon, and I’ve engaged a Lebanese food consultant.”

Despite apparent friction between Ms Cheong and the show in recent days and a subsequent barrage of hate messaging, Cafe Tabouli is determined to make it work.

“I feel the messages are hurtful, and it’s not good for anyone’s mental health,” Ms Cheong said.

“The hard work is starting to pay off. I now feel confident with our menu.

“I was struggling with the concept for a while, and now I think I’ve found my feet.

“I was asked do I regret going on the show. My answer is no because I don’t do regret.

“I want to figure this out. I’m not giving up without giving it my best shot.”

Her establishment, Cafe de Vie, appeared in an episode of Kitchen Nightmares last week. It aired five months after the celebrity Fassnidge transformed it for the show, which aims to turn around the trajectory of poorly performing dining establishments.