Bar Rescue - The Morgue (Kiva Lounge & Bar) Update

On this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in San Marcos, Texas to rescue Kiva Lounge & Bar.  Kiva Lounge & Bar is owned by "two burnout rockers" Miles and Henry who have supposedly lost $200,000 in two years.  While Jon Taffer is there, he discovers a sweaty chef that is unsanitary and owners that do not care enough about their business.  The bartenders at Kiva Lounge & Bar also can't make a basic drink such as a daiquiri.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Kiva Lounge & Bar to The Morgue.  Several months after the makeover, the bar changed their name from The Morgue back to Kiva Lounge & Bar. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Morgue/Kiva Lounge & Bar since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Positive Reviews:

• "Awesome place! Super friendly staff, great activities and beer selection, and live music. My only complaint would be that the music was a little loud, maybe i'm turning into an old woman!"
• "Great live music, guaranteed good times with friends"
• "Great place for a drink and good music"

Negative Reviews:

• "I have been here previously before. And now I remembered why I stopped going. There is a bartender who is extremely rude and has always look passed us when being served. I would literally have to try and wave him down after he would get other individuals drinks. I had then waved him down stating I needed another drink he gave me the thumbs up. Completely ignored my request starting serving everyone else. Until I waved him down again since he wouldn't even look my way. Finally a nice young lady came and checked on me. But he has always been like this with me and certain friends. Idk what his problem is."
• "If there was an option for 0 stars... This piece of Shit bar would fit that category! I have been to KIVA 3 times and all 3 times... The bartenders were rude... Not personable and lazy! Oh and also... They over charged me all three times! My friend played a gig there and was also over charge... He bought 4 beers and they tacked on top shelf margaritas that he did not buy.... To which the staff replied... You made a mistake and you are drinking. Pretty much told him his judgement was off because he was drunk! He provided this place with Live music and they Shit all over him! I hope everyone can see the issue here... The owner needs to be aware of his/her staff and the fact that they rip of their guests... Get your Shit together folks... I will never go to KIVA and I will tell all of my friends what a piece of lowlife dog Shit this place is! FUCK YOU!"
• "Live in Dallas and went there and played pool. Had to leave a drivers license. They gave me the wrong one back. Stuck with someone else's license . Didn't notice until back home. They don't answer their phone or have any sort of contact info. Thanks"
• "Besides that the parking sucks, Seems like it only caters to lame college kids who think they are the bee's knees."
• "Terrible sound, really disgusting and I don’t know how the health department hasn’t came to shut down, the most rude bartenders, uncouth establishment do not go here!"
• "Overpriced drinks, usually slow service unless you're friends with the bartenders, only thing this place has going for it is that they do have local metal bands play. Other than that it doesn't do anything better than any other bar around here."

*Reviews from Yelp, Google

Other News and Links:

• The Bar Rescue makeover happened in June 2018.
• Here is a five minute preview video of the episode from the Paramount YouTube page.
• Here is The Kiva Lounge & Bar website and Facebook page.  The website has a lot of broken links. 
• Here are the Facebook pages of owners Miles and Henry.
• In August 2018 (2 months after the makeover), the bar posted the following message on Facebook announcing they were changing their name back to Kiva Lounge & Bar.  "Friends and family we have realized very clearly that The Morgue is where bars go to die, and Kiva was a shining beacon of local community that needs to thrive! We originally wanted to keep the name to garner attention from the show, but we found out the show isn’t airing till next year, and The Morgue is just not our vibe. We appreciated the opportunity to do Bar Rescue, but their vision was clearly different from ours and it is time to get back to what we love doing! Be ready for some amazing national, regional, and the BEST local music this town has to offer! We will be having our Grand Re-Opening Friday September 7th with a huge punk and rock show with 5 awesome local bands! We appreciate everyone’s support since we have opened our doors, and can’t wait to bring you a lot of great music, karaoke, and amazing events all year long!"

Conclusion:

Kiva Lounge & Bar was renamed to The Morgue by Bar Rescue, but the bar changed their name back to Kiva Lounge & Bar shortly after Bar Rescue left.  The reviews for The Morgue/Kiva Lounge & Bar after the Bar Rescue makeover are mostly negative with a lot of complaints about bartenders and the service.  The few positive reviews seem to like the live music.  It seems that the bar didn't put much effort into the new theme put in by Bar Rescue, so we will have to see how long this one lasts.


UPDATE - Kiva Lounge closed in October 2019 - More info on the closing.


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