Step Up to the Plate

Fred and Allegra put teams of 10 to 14 year-olds through their paces as they set out to uncover a maître d' and head chef who have the potential to be future stars of the restaurant industry.

On an initial practice day, the restaurant crew come up with themes to dress the restaurant, and the kitchen crew set out to cook a complementary menu. The themes vary from a classic 'diner' themed restaurant to tropical, magical, medieval and even a zombie theme.

The contestants are tasked with everything from feeding a whole restaurant full of hungry customers, including celebrity guests, to how to cope with 'difficult diners', who pose as purposefully demanding customers trying to trip them up with unexpected requests and tricky questions.