Boozy collaborations, courtside seats, and burgers on a cruise ship. Guy Fieri's life
has changed quite a bit since the early days of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
There's something inspiring about an everyman going from rags to riches,
especially when it's someone who so clearly doesn't fit the typical image,
as is the case with Guy Fieri. It's difficult to pin down his exact net worth but there's no doubt
he's earning substantially more than he made on his first show, Guy's Big Bite, for which he was
reportedly paid less than $1,000 per episode. There also appears to be some reluctance by Food
Network's parent company, Discovery Networks, to pay a premium for its on-air talent. But any
hesitation was thrown out the window during recent contract negotiations with Fieri.
That extension didn't just guarantee Fieri $80 million dollars over three years,
it also made him the highest-paid Food Network on-air personality. According
to the data analytics firm Kantar, the ad revenue generated from Diners, Drive-ins,
and Dives alone was over $230 million in 2020, so it sounds like a fair deal for both parties.
Guy Fieri is now close personal friends with a number of other celebrities from all areas
of the showbiz world. And it's not just other culinary stars that he can count among his pals.
For example, he's been seen sitting courtside with Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy at the 2022
NBA Finals. And he also co-founded a tequila brand with former Van Halen lead singer Sammy Hagar.
And of course, Guy Fieri doesn't just have celebrity friends, he's also a bona
fide celebrity himself at this point. It might seem wild to see him hobnobbing with
the likes of Matthew McConaughey, who spoke at the spiky-haired chef's Hollywood Walk of Fame
ceremony in 2019. But for a genuinely famous fellow like Fieri, that's just another day.
There's no denying the entertainment value that Guy Fieri offers all on his own,
and it's only logical to assume there's some genuine tangible value that drives
businesses' desire to appear on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. And it turns out
that that's a fair assumption. Appearing on the long-running series doesn't just
boost a restaurant's profile. As Pies 'n' Thighs owner Sarah Senneh put it to Thrillist in 2016,
"It changes your life immediately."
Others have had similar experiences. For instance, one year after appearing on the
episode "Rib-Stickers," the Sioux Falls, South Dakota eatery Daily Clean Food & Drink saw its
business increase significantly. Clearly, a visit from Fieri and the Triple D crew
provides some legitimate lasting value to the restaurants featured on the show. After all,
why would businesses continue to covet a spot if it didn't deliver the goods?
"You gotta come meet this girl. She'll change the way you look at things."
It's not unusual for a person to find themselves sticking to a particular style over time,
whether or not it remains in fashion. And that's certainly the case with the instantly-iconic
look sported by Guy Fieri, who conjures a very specific image whenever his name is uttered.
But it's not as if Fieri has carefully crafted a character in order to boost
his chances for success. In a 2016 interview with CBS News,
he insisted that his trademark style is just authentically how he likes to look,
as opposed to something that he designed to specifically endear himself to viewers.
Naturally, though, the brilliant businessman recognizes the appeal and power of his brand
and image and thus isn't likely to change his look anytime soon. He even chose to
use an illustrated version of his face for the logo of his Flavortown Kitchen,
a chain of virtual dining concept restaurants he launched in 2021.
Guy Fieri's determination is perfectly exemplified by a five-year career plan
that he reportedly ended up accomplishing ahead of schedule in just three years. And that unrivaled
drive also led him in 2011 to open a new line of restaurants onboard Carnival cruise ships.
The incorporation of Guy's Burger Joint as a dining option for Carnival guests was
just the beginning of this decade-plus-long partnership with the cruise company. Five
years after the successful launch of his first restaurant concept,
Fieri spearheaded a second venture with Carnival, called the Pig & Anchor Smokehouse.
While Fieri was concerned that opening a smoker on a ship wouldn't work out,
the dedication from both parties ultimately ensured the concept was seen through to
completion. And as of 2022, both restaurants remain active aboard Carnival cruise lines.
Every so often, some celebrities get lampooned on Saturday Night Live, and they simply don't
have the sense of humor to be able to appreciate the joke. But then there are those impressions
that are simply impossible to resist, for both the audience and the target. In the
latter category is the pitch-perfect portrayal of Guy Fieri in the late 2000s and early 2010s.
Of course, it helps when the performance is unimpeachably good, as was the case with the
Fieri rendition by Bobby Moynihan, who took us to Flavortown five times between 2009 and 2013.
He memorably played the flame-shirted chef as he offered suggestions for the likes of a Super
Bowl party and Thanksgiving dinner. Moynihan was so fantastic in the role that the man himself
actually enjoyed the impersonation. As Fieri admitted during an interview with Huffington Post,
"I've always loved SNL and I think Bobby kills it. I think
Bobby is hysterical. As a matter of fact, we've become buddies."
Perhaps the greatest SNL Guy Fieri sketch, in which he reacts to the infamously vicious
New York Times review of his Times Square restaurant in 2012, actually didn't make it
onto the live broadcast. Luckily for viewers, though, it was eventually uploaded to YouTube.
“Reviewing my restaurant is like Architectural Digest reviewing a college dorm."
The rise of the side hustle in recent years has pressured anybody and everybody to wear multiple
professional hats in order to be successful. So with that in mind, it makes sense that Guy Fieri,
who was already multitasking before appearing on TV, would take on additional roles beyond
TV host after the monumental success of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. And indeed,
he certainly has kept busy, which has included authoring multiple cookbooks over the years.
But Fieri hasn't just gone through the motions and offered a token product that
nobody would be interested in actually purchasing. He doesn't attempt anything
in life that's less than full-throttle, so it should hardly be surprising that
four of his books have ended up on The New York Times bestseller list.
It's virtually impossible for an artist or celebrity to be one singular thing
in this day and age. But when the person in question is someone who has an unparalleled
passion like Guy Fieri, there's clearly no limit to the potential ventures to pursue.
"Lot of great flavor, lot of great pictures to work from,
so people can understand where they're going, how they can dig it."
Guy Fieri has been on TV a lot since he first appeared on The Next Food Network Star back
in 2006, having hosted or starred in no less than eight shows on Food Network since then. Obviously,
he's immensely popular, considering the passionate demand for all things
Guy Fieri-related. Sometimes, though, widely beloved TV programs go years
without any critical recognition. But the same can't be said for Guy Fieri,
who's been nominated for several Emmys during his 15-plus years on the dial.
Weirdly enough, there appears to be conflicting information on the
Internet about whether or not Fieri has won any of those times he's been nominated. But
the truth becomes clear enough once you know what you're looking at. The
official Emmys website notes that Fieri has received five nominations without a win,
while the biography on his own website states that he's an "Emmy Award-winning TV host."
Then there's the Internet Movie Database, which is a pretty reliable source when it
comes to industry awards. That website notes that Fieri indeed won an Emmy in
2013 in the "Outstanding Special Class Special" category for Guy Fieri's
Family Reunion. But it was a Daytime Emmy, as opposed to a Primetime Emmy.
Guy Fieri simply doesn't seem capable of slowing down or scaling back his ambitions. In that sense,
he's a lot like the Tasmanian Devil: a whirling dervish who's constantly
looking to innovate and expand his culinary empire. Perhaps that's what's led him to
spearhead the openings of dozens of restaurants around the world over the past few decades.
In addition to his original restaurants in Northern California, Fieri has developed
some fun and casual eateries in cities such as Las Vegas and Boston. And he hasn't just
invested in or opened businesses following the traditional food service model. He's also
opened restaurants over the sea, as in the pair of restaurant concepts aboard Carnival
cruise lines. Then in 2021, he launched the virtual dining concept restaurant known as
Guy's Flavortown Kitchen. The ghost kitchens, which are only available through delivery,
have thrived since opening, with more than 100 locations across the United States as of 2022.
As it's on literal display for the world to witness,
nobody's in the dark about Fieri's on-camera ambition. And if you're a fan of his,
maybe he'll inspire you to get busy living instead of staying busy simply watching TV.
Nobody's perfect, but some people are pretty great, or at least they keep making selfless
decisions that help a lot of others. Guy Fieri has often been a punchline, but it's hard to
deny the content of his character when you consider his charitable history. In particular,
there was his response to the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food service workers.
As he revealed in a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he was seriously
upset at the time. So he made it his mission to aggressively solicit donations from wealthy donors
in the hopes of helping some of the thousands of suddenly unemployed restaurant workers.
Nobody was spared from the wrath of the novel coronavirus, but the restaurant and
food service industries were hit particularly hard. As Fieri noted to CBS News in 2021,
"So many people work in the restaurant industry in multiple jobs, second jobs,
single moms, single parents, students, retirees. And the restaurant industry is
massively important to our communities. And so, when I saw this coming, I said,
'We got to do something to get some money to these folks."
"It's a really neat program, and we're looking for more support and also looking
to get the message to the restaurant employees that might not know about it."
Partnering with the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund, Fieri has helped raise about
$25 million from thousands of donors since 2020, which has been given to
43,000 food service workers in need. It may be impossible to fully quantify all the negative
outcomes caused by the pandemic. But with people like Fieri dedicating themselves to
making a difference, at least some have been able to stave off financial ruin.
If you're a fan of both Food Network and hair metal, maybe you've already noticed
how much Guy Fieri and Sammy Hagar resemble each other. So perhaps it was destiny that
these two celebs would become friends and eventually partners in the tequila
business. Investing in a new liquor brand called Santo Tequila with Hagar was an easy
decision for Fieri. But that's just one area outside of the restaurant industry
that he's invested in since Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives first aired.
"You're the sensei. I'm the grasshopper."
In 2011, Fieri also created a rather off-the-chain line of jewelry that included items distinctly on
chains, such as necklaces and bracelets. Clearly, obtaining international fame has led to plenty
of opportunities that Guy Fieri never would have had if he'd simply remained a Santa Rosa,
California-based chef. But knowing the man as well as we do in 2022,
it's no wonder he's become a sort of modern-day Alexander Hamilton. That is to say,
a man "who will never be satisfied." His life has changed completely,
and so has the entire world, as we've all spent our fair share of time in Flavortown.