People from various walks of life are given the opportunity to see their original restaurant concept spring to life — to open it as a restaurant chain in Hollywood, Minneapolis and New York City. Funding the restaurant concepts are four accredited investors: distinguished restaurateur Bobby Flay, internationally renowned chef Curtis Stone, executive chef and restaurateur Lorena Garcia, and Steve Ells, the founder, chairman and co-CEO of Chipotle. After a nationwide search, the top 21 competitors present their restaurant concepts to the investors and 11 are quickly eliminated. The remaining 10 then battle it out over the course of the season. The investors also serve as mentors to the competitiors and work side-by-side with them to further develop their concepts and to put them through rigorous business and cooking challenges. The goal is to uncover which idea has what it takes to become America’s next great restaurant.