Bar Rescue is an American reality TV series that premiered on Spike on July 17, 2011. It stars Jon Taffer, a long-time food and beverage industry consultant specializing in nightclubs and pubs, who offers his professional expertise plus renovations and equipment to desperately failing bars in order to save them from closing. In the UK, the show previously aired on 5*, but has since moved to Spike (UK).
Video Bar Rescue
Overview
The series stars Jon Taffer, owner and chairman of bar/nightclub consulting firm Taffer Dynamics, Inc. Taffer is a bar and nightclub owner who has started, flipped, or owned numerous establishments in a career that spans over three decades. Bar owners submit an application via the Spike TV website to have their failing establishment "rescued" by Taffer and his team of experts.
A typical episode begins with Taffer's team performing reconnaissance and surveillance on a struggling bar to determine its operational and service weaknesses. For the recon, one or more team members and/or local residents enter the bar, order food and drinks to gauge their quality, and form an opinion of the atmosphere and service. The surveillance involves hidden cameras, pre-installed with the owner's consent, through which Taffer and his team watch the kitchen and customer service areas. He then introduces himself to the owner(s) and staff to discuss his findings, and to describe the changes he believes should be made (management, customer service, cleanliness, etc.) in order to make the bar profitable. He also examines the bar's financial records to find possible cost savings. During these meetings, Taffer exhibits a brusque, no-nonsense, and confrontational attitude intended to goad the owner(s) and staff into making drastic changes to the way the bar is run - including the firing of inept and/or dishonest employees when necessary.
Taffer's team members train the staff on methods of improving food/drink preparation, customer service, and efficiency, frequently concentrating on a more limited selection of recipes than the bar typically offers. After the initial training, Taffer puts the bar through a "stress test" (similar to a soft opening), inviting in a large crowd of patrons in order to determine how well the staff can use their newly learned skills to deal with the pressure of a busy night. He uses market research, technological tools, and partner companies to scientifically measure the bar's performance. After discussing the stress test's results with owners and staff, Taffer meets with his experts to begin devising a new concept for the bar.
The experts put the staff through a second, more extensive phase of training, overhauling the menu to fit the new concept. Once this phase is complete, Taffer closes the bar for a few days so that construction crews can redesign the interior. Deep-cleaning and structural work are performed when necessary. After the overhauled bar (often re-branded with a completely new name or a variation of the old one) is unveiled, Taffer takes the owners and staff on a tour to point out its new features. During the grand re-opening, he observes the overall improvement as a large crowd again packs the bar.
An epilogue segment describes the changes in the bar's success or failure since the re-opening, through a combination of text and interviews with the owners and staff. Bars are not required to keep the changes that Taffer implements, and some have reverted to their original names, concepts, and/or menus since being featured on the show. Out of the 118 bars featured up to Season 4, 40 have closed down, and three of the 78 bars still open have changed ownership.
Maps Bar Rescue
Production
The series is from The Biggest Loser producers J.D. Roth and Todd A. Nelson for 3 Ball Productions/Eyeworks US. Spike announced picking up 10 episodes of Bar Rescue in January 2011. The show began shooting in April 2011. It was renewed on September 14, 2011 for a second season in the summer of 2012, from which the first episode of that season aired on July 29. Taffer has confirmed that Season 3 of the show began filming in late October 2012, with 20 episodes being prepared to premiere on February 10, 2013. On May 9, 2013, Spike TV renewed Bar Rescue for a fourth season of 20 more episodes.
On March 21, 2014, Spike TV ordered 20 more episodes of Bar Rescue. On June 27, Taffer announced on his Facebook page that he will be begin shooting 30 episodes for Season 4 after a week-long trip to Paris. The first half premiered on October 5, 2014 while the second half premiered on February 8, 2015.
On May 30, 2015, Taffer announced on his Facebook page that he finished shooting Season 4. It was announced that the remaining episodes for Season 4 would air beginning Sunday, June 21, Taffer originally confirmed season 5 of at least 20 episodes on his Facebook page. but on July 27, 2016, Spike greenlit the fifth season that will now consist a total of 30 episodes.
Experts
- Jon Taffer - Host/Star/Bar Consultant/Recon Spy
- Nicole Taffer - Host's Wife/Marketing/Recon Spy
- Samantha "Sam" Taffer - Host's Daughter/Mixologist/Recon Spy
Chefs
- Kevin Bludso - BBQ Chef
- Keith Breedlove - Food Truck Chef/Former Cutthroat Kitchen, Guys Grocery Games and Man vs Child: Chef Showdown contestant/Official Chef California State Fair
- J.B. Brown - BBQ Chef
- Josh Capon - Host of Frankenfood
- Brendan Collins - Chef on MTV's House of Food
- Crystal "Chef Pink" DeLongpré - Former Cutthroat Kitchen contestant
- Penny Davidi - Mediterranean Cuisine Specialist/Former Food Network Star and Cutthroat Kitchen contestant
- Tiffany Derry - Recon Spy/Judge on Hungry Investors/Former Top Chef contestant
- Brian Duffy - Recon Spy
- Ron Duprat - Recon Spy/Former Top Chef contestant
- Jason Febres - Chef at Taste and See in Wichita, KS/Former Guy's Grocery Games contestant
- Mike Ferraro
- Tony Gemignani - Recon Spy/8 Time World Pizza Champion
- Eric Greenspan - Winner of "Superstar Sabotage" tournament on Cutthroat Kitchen
- Brian Hill - Recon Spy/Former Top Chef contestant
- Keith Jones - Bar Recon Specialist
- Anthony Lamas - Latin Culinary Chef
- Nick Liberato - Chef/Restaurateur/Recon Spy
- Aaron McCargo Jr. - Recon Spy/Winner of The Next Food Network Star
- Spike Mendelsohn - Former Top Chef contestant
- Vic "Vegas" Moea - Executive Chef/Recon Spy/Former Food Network Star contestant
- Gavan Murphy - Recon Spy
- Sean Olnowich - Recon Spy/Executive Chef/Restaurateur
- Jamika Pessoa - Food Network personality/The Chew correspondent/Former Next Food Network Star contestant
- Frank Pinello - Pizza Expert/Recon Spy
- Michael Psilakis
- Eric Regan - Food Truck Expert
- Stretch - Culinary Expert/Fabricator
- Jason "Jay" Santos - Former Hell's Kitchen runner-up
- Ryan Scott - Restaurateur/Former Top Chef contestant
- Celina Tio - Owner of Julian Restaurant, Kansas City, MO/Former The Next Iron Chef contestant
Mixologists
- Jason Bran - Speed Mixologist/Recon Spy
- Joseph Brooke - Recon Spy
- Chris Cardone - Specialty of Flair Mixology
- Adam Carmer - Beer Expert/Owner of Freakinfrog in Las Vegas, NV
- Ashley Clark - Bartender and Mixologist from rescued bar The Roc Bar & Nightclub (formerly Fort One Bar & Lounge), featured in the episode "Ice, Mice, Baby"
- Jenny Costa
- Russell Davis - Recon Spy/2012 Mixologist of the Year
- Tony Devencenzi
- Elayne Duke-Duff
- Tobin Ellis
- Raul Faria
- Rob Floyd
- Rachel Ford - Tanqueray Brand Ambassador, Diageo
- Scott Ford
- Shawn Ford
- Trevor Frye
- Kate Gerwin
- Ricky Gomez - World Class U.S. Ambassador, Diageo
- Gerry Graham - Recon Spy/Bushmills Ambassador, Diageo
- Jen J
- Lisamarie Joyce - Recon Spy
- Matthew Kaner - Wine Expert
- Franky Marshall - Recon Spy
- Mia Mastroianni - Mixology Expert
- Kyle Mercado - Recon Spy
- Joe Meyer - Recon Spy
- Kat Munday - Service Trainer
- Peter O'Connor - Whiskey Expert
- Daniel Ponsky
- Keith Raimondi - Whiskey Expert/Recon Spy
- Michael Tipps
- Terell Treco - Recon Spy
- Derrick Turner
- Brian Van Flandern - Global Tequila Ambassador at Diageo
- Andrew Venjohn
- Phil Wills - Bar Industry Expert/Recon Spy
- Neil Witte - Beer Expert
- David Vaughn - Recon Spy
Other special experts
- Jessie Barnes Hyatt - Service Trainer/Bottle Service/Recon Spy
- Owen Benjamin - Actor/Comedian/Comedy Club Expert
- Steve Blovat - Health Inspector
- Anthony Curtis - Gaming Specialist/Professional Gambler
- Doc - Security Expert
- Sal Ferro - Contractor
- Ken Gillie - Inventory Control Specialist
- Dave Gravino - Owner of Iggy's Doughboys & Chowder House/Consultant
- DJ Green Lantern - DJ Expert/Music Producer
- Nancy Hadley - Concept/Interior Design
- Dan "Big Cat" Katz - Karaoke Expert
- Dominique Kelley - Choreography Expert
- Monica Kundra - Partender Specialist
- Nikhil "Nik" Kundra - Partender Specialist
- Renae Lemmens - Entertainment Expert
- Deborah Maguire - Hospitality Expert
- Fred Medrano - Karaoke Specialist
- John Naddour (aka HookahJohn) - Hookah Expert
- Gianluca Rizza - Comedy Club Expert
- Brandy Starr - Hospitality Expert
- Ed Warnick - Retired Health Inspector
Failed rescues
Although most of the bars featured on the show go on to survive and succeed, some bars do not see the same results off-camera. The changes the show made to Downey's Irish Pub, featured in the July 24, 2011, episode "Downey's and Out", were not enough to prevent a planned sheriff's sale on August 2, 2011, due to $2.4 million owed to the city of Philadelphia and Wells Fargo bank, including $125,881 in business-privilege, wage, liquor and other taxes. Breakwall (from the season one episode, "Beach Bummer") closed in January 2012. Season one's Swanky Bubbles, after reverting to its original title, has also closed its doors. The show's first rescued bar of season two, Piratz Tavern, reverted to its original pirate theme and would later close in April 2015 (see below). The Chicken Bone, Canyon Inn, Angry Ham's Garage, Weber's Place, The Brixton, ZanZbar Stand Up Scottsdale!, and KC's reverted to their original names. The Chicken Bone brought back its previously popular menu, while Angry Ham's replaced unpopular items with previously popular items from its original menu. Season two's J.A. Murphys was sold by the owners shortly after the makeover, becoming a Mexican restaurant. Stand Up Scottsdale reverted to its original name due to problems with becoming a franchise of The Laugh Factory.
Rocket Room 6 in Austin, Texas, reverted to its old name, The Brixton, 6 weeks after its relaunch. The owner continued his use of social media to insult critics who were documented in the show, although the bar was not closed.
The Rocky Point Cantina in Tempe, Arizona, closed after a repaint of the bar triggered a code inspection, which uncovered years of modifications to the building that had been completed without building permits. The bar owner opted to close the bar rather than bring his building up to code.
Piratz Tavern
Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring, Maryland, quickly undid all of Taffer's drastic changes shortly after their episode was filmed. The unsuccessful pirate-themed bar was rebranded Corporate Bar and Grill by Taffer, but the change was short-lived, as the bar was again going with the pirate theme by the time the episode aired. The owner even released a YouTube video called Piratz Revenge, showing the new "Corporate" sign created by Taffer's team being shot at in effigy and burned. The video was heavily disliked by YouTube viewers, and currently has a positive rating of only 4%. "If you had a pirate concept that had failed for five years and had a new concept, would you go back to the concept that failed for five years or try something new? It defies logic that someone would go back to a (failed) concept just because they don't like the new name," said Taffer of their decision. The owners blamed the "negative publicity" on the show. Piratz was revisited as part of the April 5, 2015 episode, where Taffer graded the bar an "epic fail"; the owner wanted to seek a second rescue. Within a week of the revisited episode airing, however, Piratz decided to close its doors for good. In another episode, the owners made amends with Taffer and announced that they plan to open a new bar, Bar Refuge, within the next year. They also appeared alongside their daughter in the episode "Getting Freaky at the Tikis" as recon spies for The Tiki Lounge.
LABrewCo failure
Taffer's most expensive rescue also resulted in his biggest failure. His visit to The Los Angeles Brewing Company during Season 4 saw him put $1 million into updating the bar, which included the use of a self-service beer tap and an in-house brewing system, which was intended to allow the bar (which became known as LABrewCo) to start serving its own beer. Four months after the rescue, the brewing system was discovered to have never been used, the self-serve tap was disconnected, and the owner had reverted changes to the bar taps and the menu. Not only that, but it was also revealed that LABrewCo's liquor license had been suspended and the business was put up for sale.
Walkouts
Taffer has walked out of a bar without rescuing it three times.
O'Face Bar walkout
Taffer first walked out of the trailer themed O'Face Bar in Council Bluffs, Iowa in the episode "Punch Drunk and Trailer Trashed". The owners, Matt and Karen, named the bar after a vulgar expression and treated their staff terribly, even going so far as firing the victim of a fight, bartender Cerissa instead of the instigator, manager Amanda as Jon demanded, as they liked Amanda more. This almost made him leave and though they eventually fixed it by firing Amanda and apologizing to Cerissa, it cost them a day of training. Their treatment of customers wasn't much better, as Matt refused to give customers the recipe to their signature O'Gasm shot and bartender Dave was irresponsible with fire. After an abysmal stress test, they wasted even more time with bickering and family drama, with Karen insisting on laying the blame squarely at the feet of one of the only decent people in the bar, security guard Syck. To make matters worse, Karen had a drinking problem, even carrying her own bell to ring when she wanted another (the other staff members drank, but not to the extremes Karen displayed), and a lousy attitude, refusing to accept responsibility and instead blaming Matt, who in turn berated anyone who snapped at her. The final straw came when Jon did a background check, resulting in evidence of criminal acts and a video of Matt slapping Dave and offering Syck a raise to throw him through a window, an act Matt showed no remorse for. Refusing to be involved with people with such awful morals, Jon walked out. An incensed Matt yelled at Syck while the latter gave his final thoughts. Syck was later fired and Amanda rehired. In a follow up episode of "Back to the Bar", Jon learned that the bar had undergone remodeling, but with a further emphasis on its dreadful brand, and the drinks and sales were no better, though Matt showed promise by removing a regular who was acting inappropriately towards a female spy.
Second Base re-rescue walkout
The second walkout was a planned re-rescue of the baseball themed Second Base (formerly Extremes Sports Bar) in Orange, California in the episode "Second Base, Third Strike". At first, it appeared that Gary, who was made manager at the end of the original episode, was to blame as he didn't seem to be doing his job or care, blaming other more successful bars for stealing customers and at one point becoming so agitated that he pushed down a retaining wall. However, Jon soon learned that Terry, the owner, didn't give his staff any of the tools or funds needed to run the bar, constantly replaced bartenders with new ones he didn't even meet, got rid of the changes to the menu and uniforms and put money into a supposedly more successful new bar instead of spending a dime on Second Base, which was slowly falling apart. He also wouldn't listen to any criticism, badmouthing both Jon and one of his experts, Lisamarie Joyce. Despite all this, he still expected Jon to come in and save the bar again without putting any effort in himself, something Jon had no intention of doing. Finally, after a stress test even worse the second time around, Jon gave Terry an ultimatum: he'd re-remodel the bar, but only if Terry put 30% of the cost in. Now claiming that his new bar wasn't that successful, he refused and Jon left, though he would help the staff find new jobs.
Black Light District walkout
The third walkout occurred at the punk rock themed Black Light District in Long Beach, California in the episode "Drunk on Punk". Owner Dave refused to accept any changes to either the building, drink menu, or music choice (he would only play punk rock and called playing anything else "selling out"). He also displayed an immense ego, going so far as to insult any customer who criticized the music, as well as Jon, mixologist Phil Wills (for daring to prepare fruit-based drinks that had sold well at other music-themed bars), and Vandals bassist Joe Escalante, who acted as one of the recon spies in that episode, for pointing out that as much as Escalante himself loved punk rock, punk was a specialized genre unlikely to keep a bar in business by itself. Dave's response to Escalante was not to find fault with Escalante's knowledge or logic, but rather to mock Escalante's "grandpa sweater," implying the 35-year veteran of the punk scene was too old to "get" punk, which led to the insulted bassist's rapid departure from the episode. The only change Dave was interested in was the addition of a kitchen, an idea Jon found ludicrous, since he couldn't even run a bar right, as it was filthy and he proved to be more of a hindrance than help during the stress test. Finally, when Dave literally told Jon to his face to leave, insisting that he knew better, Jon happily complied, to the dismay of the staff, especially jilted investor Gabe, and a completely apathetic attitude from Dave.
The Dugout
While not technically a walkout, a trip to the baseball themed The Dugout in Chicago, Illinois in the episode "Struck Out at the Dugout" led to Jon leaving without a grand reopening for the first time. The owner, Ed, used to be the building's landlord; however, when the previous owner failed to pay rent he was evicted and Ed took over. Not wanting a bar, Ed showed a complete lack of passion or interest in salvaging the place despite the prime location near the legendary Wrigley Field, constantly drinking and treating people terribly. All of Jon's efforts to get through to him failed miserably, as he was barely able to get Ed to react, let alone show emotion (the only times he smiled were the occasional sarcastic smirk, leading to the ironic nickname "Smiling Ed"). Finally having had enough, Jon remodeled the bar, but only showed it to the remaining staff, leaving it up to them whether or not to have the reopening. When Ed showed up drunk, most of the staff quit and Jon left. Jon and Phil stated that "Smiling Ed" was their most resistant bar owner ever.
Controversies
Lawsuit
Jon and Nicole Taffer, along with the show's production company Bongo LLC, have been sued by Dr. Paul T. Wilkes from Bar 702 (formerly Sand Dollar). In episode "Don't Mess with Taffer's Wife", Paul is shown to hit on Nicole and Jon yells at him in retaliation. However, he claims that in reality that the producers ordered him to be sleazy and make offensive comments on women and texted him to "Hit on Mrs. Taffer hardcore!!" After he did so, instead of "setting him straight", the doctor claims that Taffer allegedly called the control room to tell them to have a drink near the spot where he intended to confront Dr. Wilkes, so he could throw it in his face and said to a colleague "Now I'm going to show you why my show is Number One." Dr. Wilkes then claimed that Jon Taffer came in to confront him and showed him footage of his audition tapes where he insulted the way Jon dressed. Jon then grabbed the drink in his hand, threw it in his face, and smashed the cup in his face. Jon then spit in his face and tore off his shirt so violently that buttons ripped off his shirt. Jon then picked up the second drink that was planted and threw it in Dr. Wilkes' face. After that, Jon swung at Dr. Wilkes' head with his electronic tablet and turned around to get his coat, Dr. Wilkes thought Taffer was going for a weapon so he tried to restrain him and was punched in his left jaw by him. Jon Taffer began hyperventilating and collapsed on the floor with the entire attack caught on camera. As a result of this attack, Dr. Wilkes claims he suffers from emotional distress and symptoms such as migraines, nausea, vomiting, night terrors, crying spells, severe depression, and anxiety attacks. There is currently no update on the lawsuit. As of August 11, 2017, the case was dismissed with prejudice at the request of Dr. Wilkes after it settled in arbitration for a confidential amount.
Nashville rescue/Wayne Mills murder
During the taping for season three, Taffer visited BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint in Nashville, Tennessee and worked with owner Chris Ferrell, who was noted for having a hot temper. The rescued bar was renamed Pit & Barrel and the episode featuring the bar was to air on November 24, 2013, but on the night before the episode was supposed to air (November 23), Ferrell was arrested by Nashville police for shooting and killing country singer Wayne Mills during an argument inside Pit & Barrel. Spike immediately pulled the episode from its originally scheduled premiere slot but did not remove the episode completely, so the regularly scheduled encore presentation of the episode, which aired in the early morning hours of November 25, accidentally served as the premiere and the network drew criticism for the error in light of the circumstances. Since the accidental airing however, the episode has not officially re-aired on Spike; it was only available on file-sharing websites for a short time afterward.
Ferrell eventually stood trial for the murder of Mills and asserted he acted in self-defense, claiming that Mills had violated the bar's nonsmoking rule and had threatened to kill him with a broken beer bottle. The jury, however, convicted Ferrell of second-degree murder in March 2015 after a long-delayed trial and he was given a 20-year sentence without the possibility of parole. The verdict and sentence are being appealed.
Episodes
International broadcast
In the UK, the show airs on 5*, starting from January 8, 2014. It has since moved to the British Spike Channel since Viacom acquired Channel 5 UK. In Sweden Bar Rescue is shown daily on TV12 and TV4 Fakta XL. In Italy the show il called "Bar da incubo" (Nightmare Bar). Is shown dayly on Cielo tv and Italy Spike Chanell
See also
- Kitchen Nightmares
- The Profit
References
External links
- Official website
- Bar Rescue on IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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