While several celebrity chefs are trying to extricate themselves from one unsavory allegation or the other, the likes of Guy Fieri have no such problems and instead continue doing great things in the industry. One of the latest wins for the goateed and spiked-haired chef, who is popularly known as the mayor of flavortown, is a whopping ten-figure deal that he signed with the Food Network in 2021.
From hosting shows for mere peanuts back in the early 2000s, Fieri is set to receive $80 million over the next three years, thus cementing him as not just the highest-paid celebrity chef on TV but also one of the highest-paid TV personalities in the world. Such an incredible achievement marks the culmination of decades of effort that Fieri has spent in honing his craft. He is not resting on his oars though but is determined to keep on doing more exploits in the world.
Guy Fieri Got Into the Food Business at Age 10 When He Began Selling Pretzels
Looking at the background that Guy Fieri hailed from, many would not have predicted that he would end up as a chef, least a celebrity one at that. As the story goes, his parents were a bunch of hippies who often embarked on long-distance road trips. Tofu was the family’s de facto food and the young Fieri, who didn’t particularly care for the dish, had to learn how to fix his own meals in order to have something to eat each day.
From fixing meals for himself, Guy Fieri began selling pretzels when he was aged just 10. He later harbored dreams of becoming a chef and saved up money with which he traveled to France for a year of culinary training. On getting back to the U.S., Fieri wisely decided to learn the nitty-gritty of hotel management in college. He completed his degree and went on to work for several restaurants, all the while honing his own skills. He would later open his first restaurant in 1996, aged 28 years old.
Fieri Now Has a Net Worth of $25 Million Thanks to His Chain of Restaurants
Guy Fieri’s first restaurant was Johnny’s Garlic located in Santa Rosa, California. The place provided a wonderful combination of Mexican and Texan dishes and had the makings of an Italian-American pub. The restaurant proved to be quite successful, prompting Fieri and his business partners to open two additional locations.
Fieri would go on to open other restaurants over the years, including Tex Wasabi’s, Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen and Bar, and Guy Fieri’s Baltimore Kitchen & Bar. These establishments generate millions of dollars each year for him and he has further complimented the income by licensing the name of his establishments for use by other people. For instance, his now-defunct Guy’s American Kitchen and Bar has been licensed for use on several carnival cruise ships.
Fieri Has Also Earned Good Money From His Chicken Guy and Flavourtown Ventures
Other lucrative sources of income for Guy Fieri include his two recent ventures, namely Chicken Guy and Flavourtown, both of which are collaborations with Planet Hollywood CEO, Robert Earl. Flavortown is a delivery-only business that gives customers the opportunity to get assorted foods such as fried chicken sandwiches, wings, and more from the Guy Fieri brand.
An average Flavourtown order is worth $35 and it has grown to become one of Earl’s strongest delivery-only brands with 175 locations nationwide. Chicken Guy, on the other hand, has equally shown great promise. The brand came into existence in 2018 and has already spurned more than two dozen franchises that specialize in selling items such as chicken tenders, fried chicken sandwiches, and fries, etc.
Fieri Makes Approximately $26 Million in TV Earnings Each Year
A celebrity chef is not complete without a string of TV shows and Guy Fieri is no different. The mayor of flavortown first got his taste of TV when he contested on the 2006 edition of the Food Network reality TV show, The Next Food Network Star. He won the show and was given the chance of hosting his own series for the network. Guy’s Big Bite debuted on June 25, 2006, and Fieri received a paltry $1000 per episode.
He did not let the poor pay deter him but continued doing what he knew best. The mayor of flavortown is now the biggest name on parade on the Food Network and has hosted several shows for them, including Guy’s Family Road Trip, Guy off the Hook, Guy’s Grocery Games, and Ultimate Recipe Showdown.
His most popular show, however, remains Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives which sees him embark on a tour across much of America seeking out hidden spots with unbelievable meals. Fieri’s charismatic, sincere, and down-to-earth persona has made Triple D a hit even amongst demographics that don’t normally watch cooking shows.
Such an achievement has landed him several accolades, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His bosses have also had no qualms increasing his wages and Forbes now estimate that Fieri earns as much as $26 million from his TV work each year.
His Net worth is Set to Appreciate Thanks To An $80 Million Three Year Deal With The Food Network
When Guy Fieri debuted Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in 2006, he only wanted to give some funky places some recognition and thought that the show would patter out after just two seasons. Triple D has gone on to exceed all expectations though and is now the longest-running show on the Food Network (15 years and 31 seasons). It also generates mouthwatering ad revenue for the network (as much as $230 million in 2020 alone).
Such a performance has made Fieri indispensable to the Food Network and they have no hesitations in offering him better contracts. In May 2021, they offered him a three years agreement that will pay him $80 million. The deal makes Fieri the top paid chef on TV. He is also the highest-paid star on the whole Discovery Network. The contract is indeed a milestone for Fieri’s career and will certainly see him double his net worth over the next few years.
Guy Fieri Has Received Praise for Raising Millions of Dollars for Hospitality Staff During the Covid-19 Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic of 2019 and 2020 affected all sectors of the economy but one of the hardest hit was the hospitality industry. Due to the mandatory shutdowns enforced by the authorities, several restaurants and hotels were forced to temporarily close down their businesses. The situation left their employees in dire straits and one of those that utilized his celebrity power to help out was Fieri.
The famous chef partnered with others to launch a Restaurant Relief Fund to help out hospitality staff that were without work. The Fund raised over $22 million which was subsequently disbursed as one-time checks of $500 to about 43,000 restaurant workers. In the disbursement, the fund tried to be equitable as possible and recorded 60% of recipients who were women and 50% of recipients who were ethnic minorities. The effort fetched Fieri and his other partners a ton of praise from all and sundry.
