CNBC to Premiere Original Series RESTAURANT STARTUP, 7/8

CNBC today announced that "Restaurant Startup," the newest addition to its Primetime reality lineup, will premiere on Tuesday, July 8th at 10pm ET/PT. Produced by Shine America, the eight one-hour episodes feature restaurateur and TV personality Joe Bastianich and chef and restaurant operator Tim Love who vie to invest their own money in restaurant concepts they believe could make them millions.

Each week, two teams selected from hundreds of applicants are invited to pitch their food ideas to our investors. Under high-pressure questioning, each team tries to convince Bastianich and Love that theirs is a concept worth backing. But, only one team moves forward.

The chosen team is given the keys to a working restaurant on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. They get 36 hours and $7,500 to put their dream to the test and launch a pop-up restaurant; come up with a branding campaign; and write a business plan. Under the watchful eye of Bastianich and Love's culinary consultant Waylynn Lucas, the aspiring food moguls open their doors, serve their food and test their concept on the public.

Based on the reaction from the diners, the quality of the branding and the viability of the business plan, Bastianich and Love decide whether or not they will put their own money on the line to make someone's dreams come true; and hopefully, make big money for themselves.

This season, the hungry entrepreneurs vying for an investment and the chance to launch the next great concept in cuisine include companies from all across the country:

Baby's Badass Burgers - Los Angeles, CA

Bacon Bacon - San Francisco, CA

Banza! - Detroit, MI

Bespoke Doughnuts - San Francisco, CA

Bling Bling Dumplings - Los Angeles, CA

Bon Chovie - Brooklyn, NY

Knead - Warren, NJ

Kones by K - Brooklyn, NY

Kraken Congee - Seattle, WA

Mac-o-licious - Los Angeles, CA

Mills and Company Meats - Los Angeles, CA

Ramy's Falafel Fusion - Portland, OR

Ravioli Revolution - Washington, DC

Sugar Knife - Oakland, CA

The Sticky Pig - Costa Mesa, CA

The Whole Beast - San Francisco, CA

"Restaurant Startup" is produced for CNBC by Shine America and JB Crushed, LLC with James Bruce, Eden Gaha, Paul Franklin, Robin Feinberg and Joe Bastianich as executive producers. Jim Ackerman and Lucas Platt are the executive producers for CNBC.

To learn more about "Restaurant Startup," visit: cnbc.com/restaurant-startup. Like us on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/CNBCPrime and follow us on Twitter: @CNBCprimeTV #RestaurantStartup.

About CNBC:

With CNBC in the U.S., CNBC in Asia Pacific, CNBC in Europe, Middle East and Africa, CNBC World and CNBC HD , CNBC is the recognized world leader in business news and provides real-time financial market coverage and business information to approximately 371 million homes worldwide, including more than 100 million households in the United States and Canada. CNBC also provides daily business updates to 400 million households across China. The network's 15 live hours a day of business programming in North America (weekdays from 4:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC's global headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC News bureaus worldwide. CNBC at night features a mix of new reality programming, CNBC's highly successful series produced exclusively for CNBC and a number of distinctive in-house documentaries.

CNBC also has a vast portfolio of digital products which deliver real-time financial market news and information across a variety of platforms. These include CNBC.com, the online destination for global business; CNBC PRO, the premium, integrated desktop/mobile service that provides real-time global market data and live access to CNBC global programming; and a suite of CNBC Mobile products including the CNBC Real-Time iPhone and iPad Apps.

Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcumv.com/mediavillage/networks/cnbc/.

About Shine America:

Shine America is the U.S. division of Shine Group, an award-winning global production and distribution organization with 30 production companies across 12 countries. Shine America is a leading television studio that creates inspired and compelling programming including current unscripted series MasterChef (FOX), MasterChef Junior (FOX), The Biggest Loser (NBC), Minute to Win It (GSN), The Face (Oxygen), Riot (FOX) and upcoming Restaurant Startup (CNBC) and Fake-Off (TruTV). Scripted series include Peabody Award-winning The Bridge (FX), as well as upcoming dramas Gracepoint (FOX) and Utopia (HBO).

Shine America incorporates several divisions including unscripted format label Ardaban, which develops and distributes original content to the U.S. marketplace including series Beat the House (HGTV) and The One That Got Away (TLC). The global Shine 360? division builds brands through the leveraging of its intellectual property and creating integrated marketing opportunities for advertisers. Shine Group's distribution arm, Shine International, distributes Shine America's extensive library of programming and formats to more than 150 countries.

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