Executive chef and restaurateur Mark Estee knows that when a restaurant is in decline, there is often more to the issue than meets the eye. Mark heads to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri to meet with Rob Shields, the owner of NautiFish, a lakeside restaurant that is struggling to stay afloat. Mark sets up hidden cameras throughout the restaurant and goes undercover to reveal the shockingly naughty truth behind this restaurant's failure to thrive.

Chef Mark Estee travels to Pensacola, Fla., to help Patti and Warren Sonnen, the mother and son team behind O'Riley's, an Irish pub that is down on its luck after converting to a restaurant. While undercover, Mark finds a power struggle playing out behind the scenes and a staff on the brink of rebellion. With emotions high and livelihoods on the line, Mark steps in and hopes that someone will step up.

Chef Mark Estee visits Saw Mill Tavern in Ardsley, N.Y., after a conflict between the owner, Charlie Amchir, and his head chef puts the future of the restaurant in jeopardy. Their volatile relationship negatively impacts the staff, as well as the food being served to customers. Then, just when it seems like Mark is making progress, he makes a shocking discovery that forces him to shut down the restaurant and consider aborting the mission entirely.

After suffering through Hurricane Michael, Fatty Patty's, a once-popular bakery and breakfast joint in Panama City Beach, Fla., is on the brink of shuttering its doors for good. When Chef Mark Estee goes undercover to identify the source of the problem, he discovers that while the building has rebuilt, the quality of food has deteriorated, and the relationship between the owner, Renee Schaarschmidt, and her staff is in shambles. When simmering resentment boils over into a tear-filled confrontation, Mark must step in to prevent a tidal wave of emotions from threatening the restaurant's revival.