Cafe Tabouli gets revamp, name change to Food Gallerie following Kitchen Nightmares experience

The restaurant that rose to national prominence after appearing in the reality show Kitchen Nightmares – and controversially change its name after appearing on the show– has had a rebrand and a renovation.

Virginia Cheong (right) appeared on the Colin Fassnidge reality show Kitchen Nightmares.

Cafe Tabouli is no more.

The restaurant that rose to national prominence after appearing in the reality show Kitchen Nightmares in 2022 – and was controversially changed its name after appearing on the show– has had a rebrand and a renovation.

The Homebush Eatery is now going by the name Food Gallerie.

At the time, owner Virginia Cheong revealed to The Daily Telegraph she had lost thousands of dollars in business after her cafe – then called Cafe de Vie – appeared on an episode of the Colin Fassnidge hosted, restaurant makeover show.

Cheong said Lebanese customers thought the decision to change the name and turn her assorted menu into Lebanese cuisine was as “a joke”, especially because she is Chinese and has no experience in a Lebanese kitchen. She said moving the coffee machine out of sight also saw a downturn in business.

Cheong said the decision to change the name from Cafe Tabouli to Food Gallerie reflected the “identity” of her restaurant.

“We gave it a go to fit ourselves into an identity that was created for us, but we found the blueprint didn’t match who we are,” Cheong said.

Owner Virginia Cheong pictured at Food Gallerie Cafe in Homebush which used to be Cafe Tabouli. Picture: Julian Andrews

Not only has Cheong changed the name of the cafe, but she has introduced a new fusion menu which consists of Lebanese, Chinese and traditional pub style dishes. The best selling dish is the kebab rice bowls, which highlights the fusion.

They’ve also started baking their own bread and muffins on site and moved the coffee shop back to the front of the cafe.

Cheong said the decision to do the later saw coffee sales increase “five fold.”

Cheong said she can see the “light at the end of the tunnel” after a difficult two year. Picture: Julian Andrews

“Our decision came from a whole year of collecting feedback from existing customers and chasing down old customers who had deserted us to find how we can improve,” she said.

“I’m glad to say that many of our old customers are now coming back after we’ve implemented the changes.”

Cafe Tabouli is no more. Picture: Richard Dobson

Cheong said rather than be high end, the cafe now has a cool casual dining vibe with a smaller, but comprehensive wine and cocktail menu.

“Our journey to discovery was through trial and error and we got a feel for what our customers were after … as the economy has tightened, people’s choices have also tightened. If we were to get out of debt and get ahead, we had to do something radical to say in people’s top five restaurants when they go out.”

Cheong adds she’s been through the “most difficult two years. It was a miracle that we did not go bankrupt and finally we can see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Email [e-mail]