Sunday, December 7, 2014

Bar Rescue - Nick's House (Y Not III) Update

On tonight's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to try to rescue the Y Not III bar.  The Y Not is a franchise of bars in the Milwaukee area, and Nick is the owner of Y Not III.  The bar is supposedly losing $65,000 a year, and Nick is one of the main reasons why the bar is losing money.  Jon Taffer says to Nick, "I've met some stupid bar owners in my day, but you get the freakin' cake."
 
During the Bar Rescue makeover, Y Not III was renamed to Nick's House, which is a 70's themed bar and it seems that the bar has kept the name.  Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Nick's House since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar:



There have been no reviews of Nick's House since the Bar Rescue makeover.


Other News and Links:
  • The Bar Rescue makeover was in early October 2014.
  • Here are two preview videos of the episode on the Spike TV website.
  • Here is the Nick's House Facebook page, which is kept up to date.
  • Here is their website, which boasts their Bar Rescue appearance.  It is one of the better designed websites for a bar that has been on the show.
  • The reviews of Y-Not III before the makeover were pretty good.
  • The bar is also known as Y-Not Y-Not Y-Not and is often referred to as "The Three"
  • Here are the Facebook pages of Angelica (bartender/Nick's Sister), Nicki (bartender), and Tara (bartender).
  • In a Facebook post from the bar, they said, "So, we have some of the same staff. Some new staff, same owners, new management, new cocktails and a new vibe. So far people are liking it. Please stop in for a drink!"
  • The Milwaukee Record was at Nick's House for the reveal and details their experience of waiting for hours for the reveal of Nick's House and leaving shortly after.  Jon Taffer supposedly addressed the crowd stating, "Something to the effect of “THIS IS A LABOR OF LOVE SO DON’T RUIN IT! YOU’RE HERE AS CUSTOMERS! DO NOT HIGH-FIVE ME! DO NOT TALK TO ME! HELP US PRESERVE THE REALITY OF THE SITUATION! THANK YOU!”"
  • Here is a long review of Nick's House a few weeks after the rescue from Urban Milwaukee.  They said not a lot has changed and that is a good thing.  The review is very positive and Nick says a lot of new people are coming into the bar to check things out, and that bartenders are making as much money as the bar used to make on some nights.
  • In the above review, which was a few weeks after the rescue, it states that the Bar Rescue newly installed tap system was not working during his visit.
  • Here is a Reddit thread talking about the makeover which has a few people who were there for the filming.

Conclusion:

It seems that Nick has kept the changes that Bar Rescue implemented such as the 70's theme and the name of the bar.  The ownership is the same, but apparently there is new management.  Nick also said that business has been up since the Bar Rescue changes.

UPDATE - The bar closed in 4/2016 - More information on the closing.

*To see how all of the bars from Bar Rescue are doing, go to the Bar Rescue Update page, and also Like us on Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter to stay up to date with all things involving Bar Rescue.

26 comments:

  1. This is my least favorite turn around. The upstairs is just ugly.

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  2. The 70's style look for the new Bar is nice, IMO. Not the best looking bar, but still very good.

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  3. This is EXACTLY the point I've always made about Bar Rescue! Some people are just not built for the bar business. If you come from a bar family and you can't bartend, then maybe you should look into being an accountant. Yet, Bar Rescue keeps pushing the lie that it can make anyone good at the bar business even if it is obvious that some people are not (Which is why so many fail). As a former bar manager who fired people who couldn't handle it, or thought bartending was one big party, I'm tired of how the show avoids pointing that important fact out!

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  4. There have been episodes that have touched on the fact that certain people aren't up to the task of running a bar, including at least one buy-out and some changes in management, and on occasion there have been comments that it was necessary to go with simple food or drink menus because the bar staff wasn't able to deal with anything more complex. This episode was a bit unusual, in that the bar staff generally appeared
    to be quite competent, and the owner was willing to allow a bar employee to take over as general manager.


    That said, I agree with your larger point -- on the whole the idea the show perpetuates is that 'anybody can do it', and that the worst owner or manager can be transformed into an acceptable owner or manager following a few days of tough love from Jon. (Most "rescue" shows push a similar thesis -- it's apparently what the typical viewer wants to hear.) If you've read other threads and comments on this blog, you know that a lot of viewers buy into that idea -- if a bar is rescued and subsequently struggles or fails, that proves that the entire show is a fraud.

    I personally believe that very few owners or managers are going to be transformed over a weekend. If there are external factors that have contributed to a bar's decline, the 'rescue' may help give the bar another chance, but if the problems are internal then the probability is that the bar will continue to struggle and that the same problems will eventually recur.


    An owner or manager who is willing to allow years of filth to build up in a bar or kitchen, or who can't even be bothered to patch upholstery or roll a new coat of paint over the walls every few years, isn't likely to embrace good hygiene and maintenance practices.

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  5. Well, this guy was shockingly terrible. But most fail because of misdirected energy and talent. This guy had no business having anything to do with operations. His sisyphian struggle to be an operator was bringing the business down. However, it is not that long a shot that a person of decent intelligence could grasp basic concepts about the process of operating a business and become significantly more successful.

    Of course there are those, just too ignorant of their personal lack of acumen or disposition, who will manage to squander every opportunity for success.

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  6. Loved the makeover concept, I want to hang out in that bar. Seemed like a lot of cool people in Milwaukee

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  7. At the end of the show, it said that after 6 weeks Nick had paid back his sister the $20K she had loaned him. How? Is he the owner now?

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  8. Taffer really mailed this one in. It looks like he spent a total of a hundred bucks down at the thrift store. He didn't even replace that awful bar...I've come to expect better.

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  9. You always have something insightful to say and I'm a sucker for intelligent convo. Wouldn't mind being your fb friend! Look me up :) [email protected]

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  10. I don't think he ever stopped being the owner, he just let his cousin take over the day-to-day management duties and oversee the employees.

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  11. You do understand the whole family has money. This was probably the crappiest Y-Not bar. The other 2 Ynot bars are always busy. My guess the Nick drama was all created for TV. Nick is a owner maybe of all three, but he was part owner with his father of Nicks House. If sales are up over 200% that is 3 times revenue. They needed to change that bar it was awful looking. Felt like Nick was playing a role. All episodes are scripted, but this seemed over the top.

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  12. I went there last night to check it out since I'm a big Bar Rescue fan! For a Saturday night, nobody was downstairs and there was about 10 people-maybe- upstairs!! I couldn't believe it! Cool decor-unique-chill.
    I ordered a Mystery Machine- it was an ok drink.

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  13. What was the food that looked like a hush puppy they made? it looked delicious

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  14. I think the poor guy that owned it has Asperger's Syndrome... I realized this about 15 minutes into the show and felt horrible for him. Notice how everyone who knew him cringed when he was being yelled at and cared for him a lot?

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  15. Another observation - if I recall correctly this is the one where Taffer does some "fuzzy" math and nobody corrects him... something like "you owe your dad back rent for 8 years!... $500/month...that's half a million dollars!" Um, no. That's not. It's closer to $50K. He added an extra zero. He repeated this math problem a few times.

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  16. Nick seemed like he was heavily sedated throughout the whole thing. Or maybe a little slow. They were smart to yank him out and let Angelica be the GM. I liked the concept for the bar, but I think I would've skipped making the upstairs look like a home. It looked like a furniture display floor. The couches are one thing, but the dining room set? Goofy.

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  17. He actually says 5000/mth not 500. Go back and check if you don't believe me....

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  18. This episode was based around that fact though...Nick only stays on as an owner, and let his cousin take control.


    Same can be said about the America live episode from season 2. Taffer got rid of the big fella and handed new ownership to a staff member he felt had the passion.

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  19. I'm pretty sure but I will check. When it comes back on I'll let you know...

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  20. He said $5000 not $500.

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  21. Don't care about youApril 28, 2015 at 7:44 PM

    Nick is disabled for real. I cant believe they put him on the show . Good guy though. I know him

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  22. Angelica wasn't just "An employee" Genius! She's his cousin. Duh! Way to pay attention. RME

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  23. No he doesn't. He's perfectly normal. He's just a lazy jerk who didn't feel like doing much work. RME

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  24. The Sister said $5,000 a month for 10 years. So yes! That IS $500,000. RME

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  25. I am Now Watching this episode and I see No Sign of Nick being "slow". And if he was, Why would his sister call 'Bar Rescue'? She clearly loves her brother and BELIEVES he can do better. Regardless of any problems he might have.
    From the Way the Father babies him, I'm guessing he isn't "Slow" but is in fact spoiled rotten! Spoiled to the point where he cannot do simple jobs.
    As to the silly comments of the upstairs? It reminds me of 'That 70's Show'. And the style of the 70s was pretty ugly. lol

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  26. I'm watching it now, he said $5,000.00/month.

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