German steakhouse in a beef

The format is known on television around the globe: Drama in the kitchen? A scant list of reservations? Meager menu? Call for the professionals. Such is the premise of German TV show "Kochprofis" (professional cooks) which aims to help struggling restaurateurs and improve their economic situation.

But one couple in southwestern Germany is now accusing the show's producers of destroying their business.

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Owners of the "Beef!erei" steakhouse Gregor Weber and Katja Schwarz-Weber claim that following numerous booking cancellations and abuse on social media, they were forced to close down their business within just two days of the show being broadcast late last year.

"If I could reverse everything, I would, and then I would have my restaurant," Schwarz-Weber told the German daily paper Stern. A spokesman for RTL2 rejected the allegations.

False representation

The couple who both previously worked in the kitchen said the program falsely represented their characters by wrongly portraying Weber as ill-tempered.

On applying to the show, Schwarz-Weber said she wanted to return to service and, with the help of the "Kochprofis," find a suitable cook to replace her in the kitchen.

They have destroyed our lives

"We had no problems with our kitchen, with the food or the service, but rather with our location," Schwarz-Weber said. "We had no outdoor seating and also no area for our garbage. That's why we needed the help from the Kochprofis."

According to the couple, the "Kochprofis," Ole Plogstedt, Andi Schweiger und Frank Oehler, failed during the program to present a workable concept and instead advised only to close down.

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The trio of chefs also allegedly picked out the financial aspect as a "flaw," with the restaurateurs also claiming that the list of finances and debts featured in the show weren't a true representation.

"They have destroyed our lives," the couple said.

In response to the allegations, RTL2 said: "If the protagonists feel misrepresented, we regret that. We can defend all the contents of the show in question that were broadcast, but we do not comment on production details."

Just paid actors

The German broadcaster already came under fire from a different owner, Christine Handl, who ran the small-town restaurant "Alte Schule" in Mohrkirch, northern Germany.

She too claimed that her business was forced to close after she was badly represented in the program.

"At the end of the day the 'Kochprofis' are just paid actors," she told the local Schleswiger Nachrichten newspaper.

RTL also denied those allegations, saying that nobody was obliged to ask for the show to visit their business.