Not heard anything about a cash payment only the money they invest in revamping the joint. Just by being on tv they are guaranteed a greater amount of patrons at least for a short while, so the restaurant gets a pretty hefty boost however you want to look at it, even if the place is a complete disaster and still goes under. We have a similar programme here called The Chopping Block where two restaurants go head to head under a review, get $5K to revamp and one of our top chefs giving advise to the two restaurants' chefs (in addition to redesigning the menu). Both restaurants get re-reviewed and the winner gets $20K (?). Not bad but too much presenter, not enough chef!!