WELCOME TO SWEETIE PIE'S: THE BUSINESS OF FAMILY {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The premiere in this reality series about the proprietors of a family-owned soul food restaurant chain based in St. Louis. In this episode, restaurant owner Robbie Montgomery explains that she was once an "Ikette," a backup singer for Ike and Tina Turner, and then used her cooking talents to begin a new career after suffering a collapsed lung. She opened the first Sweetie Pie's restaurant in 1996, followed by a second, larger establishment, and she explains that her son Tim is her business partner and personal confidante. Robbie's nephew Charles works as an all-purpose handyman, though without much enthusiasm for the job, and the restaurant serves 2,000 guests a week for lunch and dinner. Tim met his girlfriend Jenae, who is now pregnant with their first child, at Sweetie Pie's, and she explains that he was upfront with her about his time spent in prison for drug-dealing and robbery. Tim reveals that he intends to propose to Jenae, though Robbie is preoccupied with her plans for another, much larger restaurant, the "Upper Crust," explaining that she wants to own the new building rather than rent it and requires a large bank loan to do so.
Robbie's sisters, including Charles' mother, run the second restaurant, and they debate about where the unhelpful Charles is best used. Jenae, who works part-time at Sweetie Pie's, is annoyed when Tim hires an attractive young woman as a waitress, feeling that he may not care about her qualifications, and Tim's cousin Monique informs him that he is not ready to get married. Nevertheless, Tim brings Robbie along to a pawn shop to find an engagement ring, though when Tim sets his sights on a unique yellow diamond, Robbie notes that she wants it for herself. Line cook Erma urges Tim to put Jenae's desires first, and Charles and Tim end up arguing about Charles' role in the restaurant and his cousin's sense of authority over him, though Robbie quickly handles the dispute. Robbie finds that her house is required as collateral for the Upper Crust loan, and having been homeless in the past, she is upset at the idea of risking the loss of the place for the sake of the loan.
Tim's best friend J.R. also advises him against the engagement, and Jenae's girlfriends point out that Tim is flirtatious and Jenae somewhat controlling. She finds him chatting with some young women at Sweetie Pie's and confronts him about it, and after the two argue, Tim admits that he is having "second thoughts." Pops the line cook, who has been married four times, urges Tim to go ahead with it, and Robbie agrees that Jenae can have the yellow diamond ring, though Tim realizes that he cannot afford it and decides to pawn his beloved Rolex watch. He surprises Jenae with a musical proposal, featuring a song of his own invention and accompaniment by J.R., during the Sunday morning rush at work, and she is overwhelmed with emotion and immediately accepts, much to the delight of the family and all of the guests. The episode closes with highlights from the rest of the season. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: OWN
- DATE: November 30, 1999 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:42:31
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 122012
- GENRE: Reality
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection; Reality; Restaurants
- SERIES RUN: OWN - TV series, 2011-
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Craig Piligian … Executive Producer
- Laurie Girion … Executive Producer
- Jeff Keane … Executive Producer
- Tim Breitbach … Executive Producer
- Steve Luebbert … Executive Producer
- Jenn Duncan … Co-Executive Producer
- Paul Harrison … Supervising Producer
- Heather Murphy … Associate Producer
- Maegan Philmore … Associate Producer
- Anthony Sylvester … Field Producer
- Ita Kennedy … Line Producer
- Andrea Altman … Line Producer
- Julie Dubensky … Story Producer
- Vanacore Music Group … Music by
- Robbie Montgomery … Cast
- Tim Norman … Cast
- Charles Crenshaw … Cast
- Jenae Wallick … Cast