Brother's Smokehouse (Jon's Goodtime Bar & Grill) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, the show is in Inkster, Michigan to rescue Jon's Goodtime Bar & Grill.  This is another rescue where Jon Taffer is not present, but Phil Wills is doing the rescue.  The bar is owned by three lifelong friends and despite there being multiple owners, things are still being neglected at the bar.  The grease in the fryers is old and black and the bar has a fly trap visible despite having an open kitchen that customers can see.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, the show decided to change the name of Jon's Goodtime Bar & Grill to Brother's Smokehouse Bar & BBQ and the bar has kept the name.  Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Brother's Smokehouse since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Positive Reviews:

• "Before I talk about the food I want to stress the environment and the vibe. From the moment you walk in you feel like you're invited to the bbq. The staff is so warm and beautiful I've never felt at home in a restaurant more than I did here....You need to get your a$$ to Brothers Smokehouse and have an experience. 5 stars and then some"
• "I suggest anybody who is looking for some good smoked southern brisket, ribs n chicken find your way to inkster and get your fix. You won't regret. You'll thank me later."
• "Smelled it driving by and it’s really hard to find good BBQ in Michigan. My nose led me here and I am so thankful and grateful it did! The Brisket was great and Mac N Cheese is also very good! Hats off to the pit master!"
• "The brisket was juicy and flavorful! The people on staff were great, nice guys! I can’t wait to return! "
• "The brisket is delicious! You can taste the smoke, and the love that went into. And the baked beans are fire!! Matt the bartender will take great care of you, and Derrick knows his grill. 5 star, all the way!!"
• "Great spot with friendly people & nice vibes. Was in the area and strolled in last week and man was that a good decision….great portions, good drink selection, and damn amazing food as well! The brisket was delicious and the mac and cheese was out of this world."
• "Great music, people, food, and drinks! The atmosphere was welcoming and fun. Bartender was caring. Brisket was tender and delicious, Turkey was juicy and flavorful. 10/10 will be back!"
• "I had the ribs and my wife had the brisket. Both were VERY good but the brisket stole the show. The house made BBQ sauce was so good I wanted to take it home with me. It's better than brisket I've had in Texas. This is real BBQ. The chef is out front with a real wood smoker and the hard work put in is tasted. I can't wait to come back to this place."

Negative Reviews:

• "I was craving brisket and I googled places near me to find some. This place had good reviews and from the pics the food looked amazing. I ordered a carry out mind you it’s a few to use your CC that they don’t tell you. But imagine the disappointment $25 later… my brisket was primarily more fat with just barely any meat. And to top it off my brisket was very very tough I mean I could barely bite into it. So disappointing that I couldn’t get more tender pieces of brisket. Especially for the price."
• "Good food but god damn the prices are not realistic at all two baby sliders for 19$ is a joke."

*Reviews from Yelp, Google

Other News and Links:

• The Bar Rescue for Jon's Goodtime Bar & Grill happened in April 2024, so about a year before the episode aired.
• Here is a preview video of the episode from the Bar Rescue YouTube page
• The episode is titled, "Bad Times at Goodtime."
• Here is the Brother's Smokehouse Bar & BBQ Facebook page. 
• A local post about Bar Rescue rescuing the bar had a lot of people wishing the bar well and everybody was really positive about it.  In other rescues, sometimes people always comment on how it was needed. 
• Here are the reviews for Brother's Smokehouse from Yelp and Google.
• The reviews are very positive on both sites - 4.8 on Google and 5 on Yelp (only 2 reviews at the time of posting).

Conclusion:

Bar Rescue decided to change the name of Jon's Goodtime Bar & Grill to Brother's Smokehouse Bar & BBQ and the bar has kept the name.  It seems like it is more of a BBQ restaurant than a bar, but the reviews since the makeover are very positive.  People seem to like the food, especially the brisket, and the atmosphere. It seems like it is the food that is making people visit Brother's Smokehouse vs. the bar/drinks.

*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.