TV Restaurants

What Happened to Cave Inn BBQ After Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)?

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Cave Inn BBQ has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, October 2014.

Primary source
foodnetworkgossip.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Food Network Gossip's dedicated closure post placed the shutdown roughly five months after the episode aired.

  • Season / episode Season 8, Episode 10
  • Original air date
  • Address 13848 Tilden Rd, Winter Garden, FL 34787

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What happened after Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network)?

On Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network), Robert Irvine took on his first dinosaur-and-caveman-themed restaurant in the episode "Living in the Dark Ages," which sent him to Cave Inn BBQ in Winter Garden, Florida. Owner Buzz had built the barbecue restaurant around a prehistoric theme, complete with cave-style decor, and the owners had previously appeared on Food Network's 24 Hour Restaurant Battle before this episode aired on May 21, 2014. Local reporting from the West Orange Times & Observer described the makeover as an opportunity for the restaurant to lean further into its theme rather than abandon it, pairing the caveman decor with a more focused barbecue menu built around slow-smoked meats. Irvine's team updated the dining room while preserving elements of the theme, and reworked the barbecue menu to focus on a smaller, more consistent set of dishes. Coverage around the time of the episode, including local outlets Tasty Chomps and the West Orange Times & Observer, described the restaurant leaning into its prehistoric theme as a draw for families in the area. Reviews collected as recently as May 2014 were average to above average, and the restaurant maintained an active Facebook page in the months that followed. Food Network Gossip's dedicated closure post, published in October 2014, reported that Cave Inn BBQ had stopped operating roughly five months after its television appearance, a relatively quick turnaround compared with other restaurants from the same season. The restaurant operated out of a suite in the Shoppes at Windward Cay shopping center at 13848 Tilden Road in Winter Garden. No source reviewed indicates a successor concept has since operated under the Cave Inn BBQ name at that address, and the theme restaurant's closure appears to be documented primarily through the Food Network Gossip tracker rather than independent local reporting. Local coverage also noted the restaurant's role as a family-oriented dining destination in the Windward Cay shopping area.

Featured on Restaurant: Impossible

Season / episode
Season 8, Episode 10
Original air date
Episode title
Living in the Dark Ages
What was featured
Theme-preserving dining-room and barbecue-menu renovation
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Cave Inn BBQ

Frequently asked questions

Is Cave Inn BBQ still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Cave Inn BBQ has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, October 2014.

What happened to Cave Inn BBQ after Restaurant: Impossible?

On Restaurant: Impossible (Food Network), Robert Irvine took on his first dinosaur-and-caveman-themed restaurant in the episode "Living in the Dark Ages," which sent him to Cave Inn BBQ in Winter Garden, Florida. As of September 2026, Cave Inn BBQ has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, October 2014.

Is Cave Inn BBQ permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Cave Inn BBQ has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, October 2014. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Cave Inn BBQ located?

13848 Tilden Rd, Winter Garden, FL 34787. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Restaurant: Impossible featured Cave Inn BBQ?

Season 8, Episode 10 of Restaurant: Impossible, first aired May 21, 2014. The episode is titled “Living in the Dark Ages”.

Did the makeover last at Cave Inn BBQ?

The episode first aired May 21, 2014. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 12 years later —: As of September 2026, Cave Inn BBQ has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, October 2014.

What do reviews say since Restaurant: Impossible?

Reviews collected as recently as May 2014 were average to above average, and the restaurant maintained an active Facebook page in the months that followed. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Is Cave Inn BBQ still using the Restaurant: Impossible menu or branding?

Local reporting from the West Orange Times & Observer described the makeover as an opportunity for the restaurant to lean further into its theme rather than abandon it, pairing the caveman decor with a more focused barbecue menu built around slow-smoked meats. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
13848 Tilden Rd, Winter Garden, FL 34787
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
None found

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Sources

  • foodnetworkgossip.com — https://www.foodnetworkgossip.com/2014/10/cave-inn-bbq-from-restaurant-impossible.html
  • tastychomps.com — https://tastychomps.com/2014/05/winter-gardens-cave-inn-bbq-showcased-on-restaurant-impossible-may-21st-on-food-network.html
  • orangeobserver.com — https://www.orangeobserver.com/news/2014/jun/05/food-network-helps-cave-inn-bbq-heat-prehistoric-fun/

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