Longtime fans of the hit TV show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives often wonder whether the restaurants visited by the program’s presenter, Guy Fieri, actually pay to appear on the show.
How do restaurants get to appear on the program, and do they pay the producers to get the gig?
Do Restaurants Pay To Be on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives?
Well, we can reveal that eateries do NOT pay to appear on Triple D.
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Having been on our screens since 2007 and enjoying a run of 36 seasons, Triple D, as the show is fondly known to its food scene followers, has visited over 1,375 restaurants and diners in over 425 cities across all but two US states.
Most of those restaurants get swamped with visitors the moment the show on which they’ve featured airs, and the media exposure received is priceless.
That means a massively increased footfall and a huge boost to the restaurant’s income.
It’s no wonder eateries want to secure a spot on Triple D!
How Do Restaurants Get To Appear on Triple D?
So, if they don’t pay for the privilege, just how do restaurants get to appear on this iconic, long-running show?
Getting your restaurant on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is a somewhat protracted process, not to say tedious.
Usually, the whole process starts when the restaurant is recommended via the Food Network website or discovered by the show’s producers. You can also leave your own recommendations for eating spots in your city or town on one of the many Triple D apps.
If a restaurant is chosen to appear in the program, the owner undergoes a rigorous vetting process.
The show’s producers want to know what kind of food, recipes, etc., will be provided by the restaurant, and there will be lots of phone calls and meetings before filming can begin.
Shortlist
The Triple D production team finally goes through a shortlist of prospective restaurants and shares them with the show’s star presenter Guy Fieri, who has the final say on which eateries make the cut.
In a nutshell, to get a slot on this amazing show, successful restaurants must present the ideal combination of presence, location, and incredible food.
So, getting your eatery on Triple D is no mean feat!
Filming and Production
The restaurant is closed for a couple of weeks while filming takes place. Guy and his front-of-house presentation team don’t appear until the last minute!
Once filming is complete, editing takes place, and the final feature is approved by Fieri before the show can be scheduled for release.
Does Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Pay Restaurants To Appear on the Show?
So, if restaurants can’t pay to enter the exclusive Triple D club, does the program ever pay a restaurant to be featured on the show?
Absolutely not!
Most restaurant owners would be delighted to be asked to appear on such a popular TV show, and the program simply doesn’t need to pay prospective venues in any way.
That includes reimbursing those eateries that make it onto the shortlist for food and for their time.
That said, most restaurant owners don’t mind that they are not paid directly by Triple D for their time or to cover the cost of food waste. All the free publicity that the diner receives more than covers the cost and inconvenience of filming.
In fact, most featured venues find that their business booms after their restaurant is featured on the show. In some cases, revenue increases by as much as 500%!
However, to be fair, Triple D’s production team does warn every featured venue to get ready to take a massive upsurge as soon as the episode airs.
There’s an App for That!
In addition to the publicity they receive from the actual program, restaurants are featured on the many apps that the Triple D phenomenon has spawned.
Triple D fans who download an app can find details of the best eateries closest to them, including full contact and location details.
In addition, Triple D road trips are massively popular, with the show’s faithful followers planning their vacations around stopping at numerous featured restaurants right across the country.
Too Much of a Good Thing
Unfortunately, the publicity generated by an appearance on Triple D can sometimes overwhelm a restaurant, and not all featured venues make it.
Since the show’s inception in 2007, around 59 of the venues featured have failed and closed, but we guess that’s not many when you consider how many eateries have appeared on the show.
Final Thoughts
Guy Fieri’s hit show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, is followed by food lovers across the country and has become something of a phenomenon since it first aired in 2007.
Restaurants don’t pay to appear on the program, nor does Triple D pay eateries to make an appearance on the show.
In fact, there’s no shortage of enthusiastic host diners who are more than happy to bear a few weeks of inconvenience completely free of charge during filming.
That’s not surprising, given the anticipated 500% increase in footfall that featured restaurants can expect in the days and weeks following the show airing!