17 things you probably didn't know about 'Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives'

Fans of the show created a website with all locations Fieri has visited on "Triple D." The creators of the website update it weekly, so you can stay up-to-date on the latest from Fieri.

Not only does the site categorize the locations by city, state, cuisine, and food type, but also you can use it to plan a road trip. 

There's also another fan-run site called FlavortownUSA, which helps to organize the stops on "Triple D."

Throughout the opening of a "Triple D" episode, you'll see Fieri drive his signature 1968 Chevy Camaro SS to the next city on his list. But Fieri doesn't actually road trip across the country in the souped-up convertible. 

The Camaro is shipped on a trailer to each city that the show films in, and Fieri reportedly doesn't drive in it — he's just filmed opening and closing the car door. 

Over the years, Fieri has published three books related to the show: "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: An All-American Road Trip … with Recipes!," "More Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives: Another Drop-Top Culinary Cruise Through America's Finest and Funkiest," and "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives: The Funky Finds in Flavortown: America's Classic Joints and Killer Comfort Food."

All of the books highlight restaurants Fieri has visited through the show, and some descriptions even come with the recipes for his favorite findings. 

Many famous faces have joined Fieri throughout "Triple D," including  Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, David Spade, Gene Simmons, Kid Rock, Matthew McConaughey, and his friend Steve Harwell from the band Smashmouth. 

"Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" came about after Fieri won season two of "Food Network Star."

According to a 2007 interview with Reuters, once he was on board with "Triple D," it took him and the crew 21 days to film the pilot episode. Luckily all that work paid off because the show was a hit and still is 32 seasons later. 

Restaurant owners have to sacrifice a lot of time to the show both before filming (for phone interviews and meetings) and during the actual filming for the show.

Ted Casper, the co-owner of Casper and Runyon's Nook in St. Paul, Minnesota, told Twin Cities Business that filming took two days at his restaurant. During that time, the show filmed both B-roll of the restaurant and the actual footage of Fieri cooking the dishes with the chef.

Half the allure of watching the show is to see what Guy will say. Here are just a few of his famous catchphrases:

• "If that was an '80s rock star, it'd be Naan Jovi"
• "I think if I put that on a flip flop it would taste good"
• "That's a hot Frisbee of fun"
• "It's got whiz-bang wow in there"
• "The flavor jets are turned on — you can hear them?"
• "Hello, Flavortown? My pig meter's going off"
• "We're riding the bus to Flavortown"
• "Funkalicious"

Not every meal on the show is going to be a hit, and Fieri is kind enough to help out the owners and chefs by giving some tips.

Fieri told Brian Koppelman on the podcast "The Moment with Brian Koppelman" in 2018, that he tries to help out the chefs if he doesn't love a dish.

"I don't have any problem — I mean, I've cooked all this stuff six ways to Sunday. I've been around forever doing this, so I know where they're going to miss it. And, I'm not there to tell them how to change their restaurant — that's not my job," he said.

He continued, "That's not what my show is all about. But if they ever ask, I always want to offer advice to them if I can, and help them out. I mean, as we all do as chefs, we all support one another, and we all try to help each other grow."

Since the show is so popular, it makes sense that fans would want to check out Fieri's picks. 

Producers tell the owner of the restaurants that popularity and profits were going to quickly increase, but many owners don't realize how much the payoff is going to be.

Josh Thoma, founder of the casual seafood restaurant Smack Shack that was featured on "Triple D," told Twin Cities Business that his customer numbers and sales increased 500% after the episode aired.

Eric Goerdt, owner of Northern Waters Smokehaus in Duluth, Minnesota, told Twin Cities Business in 2015 that appearing on an episode of "Triple D" cost him about $15,000 in ingredient and cleaning costs. 

Thoma also said in the same article that he had to close Smack Shack for four days and that the episode cost his business an estimated $12,000 to film. 

It's a pretty large investment considering the episode might not air for up to a year, but many restaurants see a huge increase in sales after it does.

The show's executive producer, Frank Matson, told People in 2019 that Fieri doesn't like to make small talk with the restaurant owners before they start filming the episode.

"That's very important because they're having a genuine, organic moment of meeting each other for the first time," he said.

According to a Food Network Magazine article titled "Diners Declassified: Behind the Scenes with Guy Fieri," this can make Fieri seem standoffish at first. But it's only because he wants everything to come across authentically on camera.

Fieri told Delish in 2018 that he invites Make-A-Wish candidates and their families to all of his tapings for the Food Network.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit that helps minors with critical illnesses experience life-changing moments.

"I know what the family is going through, to some degree," he said. "I know that heartache and I see that, and if there's anything I can do to help enlighten or empower those kids, I want to do it."

Fieri tests out some high-calorie dishes on the show, so in order to keep a more balanced diet, he starts each filming day with freshly squeezed juice, he told People in the 2019 interview.

"I usually exercise before work. Then I drink a big vegetable and fruit juice — we bring a juicer on the road," he said. "I make everybody drink it because I know the immunity, and what the body needs when everybody's on the road, and working crazy hours."

But juicing isn't just for his personal health. A filming day usually consists of trying two dishes at each of the three locations he visits, so he said starting the day on a lighter note helps to keep his palate clear. 

He continued, "If you eat too much, and you get too much in your mouth, you overload your palate, you desensitize it. I don't wanna do that." 

After the production team compiles and vets a list of restaurant candidates for the next season of the show, Fieri personally chooses which ones they'll visit.

In the same Food Network magazine article, Fieri said he looks for specific things from a potential restaurant.

"'Triple D' is all about three things," he said. "Food, story, and character. We shine a light on places like this, which are run by people who love the same kind of food I love."

He also handpicks every dish that gets featured on the episode. Matson told People in 2019, "Guy will spot a unique ingredient or a way of preparing a dish that's different and chooses that."

Fieri has tried some interesting dishes throughout the years, but even a professional restaurateur can be a little picky sometimes.

He told People that he doesn't like liver or eggs, so viewers aren't likely to see many of those dishes featured on the show.

"Liver is nasty," he said. And, he explained, he'll only eat eggs prepared in certain ways: "I eat them in dressings but sunny-side up, over-easy or scrambled? No, thank you."

In 2019, Fieri was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work on the Food Network.

He's only the third food personality to receive one, behind Bobby Flay in 2015 and Wolfgang Puck in 2017, according to The Mercury News.

His friend, actor McConaughey, gave a speech at the event saying, "In a business where you can be anyone you want to be, you've been you the whole time. That ain't easy. Congratulations."

Fieri made sure to thank all his fans, the residents of "Flavortown," as well as everyone who has made his career possible. 

After he's finished filming at a restaurant, Fieri leaves his mark by spray-painting a big picture of his face to be hung on the wall — frosted tips, goatee, and big sunglasses included. 

Read more:

• 11 things you didn't know about Guy Fieri
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