Zanzbar in Denver, Colorado appeared on Bar Rescue in March of 2013 and was renamed to Solids & Stripes during the episode, but the bar did not keep the name. They went back to Zanzbar, but they go by Zanzibar Billiards now. This episode was most known for the owner Ami Benari calling Brian Duffy "fat boy" and almost getting into a fight with Jon Taffer over the incident. The bar still remains open to this day, so lets take a look at some reviews and news that relate to Zanzibar (Stars & Stripes).
- Here is the Zanzibar Billiards website and Facebook page.
- Here are the Facebook pages of Sara (bartender/manager) and Dagmara (bartender)
- Sara stayed at the bar for years after the makeover, but no longer lives in the area.
- In a 2014 interview a year after the show aired, Ami said, "In general, we're very grateful; they did a nice job. They could have done more, but they did a nice job. And we're thankful for the exposure and for the advice. Except the name. The name sucked."
- Ami Benari appeared on a Back to the Bar episode of Bar Rescue and said he is more relaxed and delegating more of the work. He also said he doesn't stand on the street yelling anymore. Jon saw that he went back to Zanzbar despite still having the Solids & Stripes up and was disappointed in that decision. (Link)
- Despite Jon Taffer's recommendation to charge for pool games, Zanzibar offers free pool every day.
- Here is the link to the full episode from the Paramount Network website and the episode was titled Empty Pockets. (Cable login required)
- Brian Duffy visited the bar to say hi in 2017. (Link)
- Brian Duffy also said that the scene where Jon Taffer went after Ami was embellished and that Jon Taffer checked with legal to see if it was OK before putting his hands on Ami. (Link)
- Here are the reviews for Zanzibar from Yelp, TripAdvisor, and Google.
- The review averages are 3 on Yelp, 2.5 of TripAdvisor and 4.1 on Google, so not that great.
- Zanzibar Billiards was temporarily shut down in 2020 during the pandemic for violating Denver Public Health orders. (Link)
- Owner Ari Benari has opened another bar call Hangar 101 Billiards, Bowling, Bar & Grill in Lakewood, CO. Here is the website and Facebook page for that bar.
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