Rob Ben's - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Emeryville, California to rescue Rob Ben's Restaurant & Lounge. Rob Ben's is owned by NFL star Marshawn Lynch and is named after his friend who was shot and killed in 2007.  Marshawn has both his family and Rob's family working and running the restaurant/bar and he needs Jon Taffer's help to try to keep them in line.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to slightly change the name of Rob Ben's Restaurant & Lounge to Rob Ben's Neighborhood Soul. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Rob Ben's Neighborhood Soul since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the restaurant/bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

The Roost Bar (Broadway Club) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Tooele, Utah to rescue The Broadway Club.  The Broadway Club is co-owned by Patty Bullock and Randy Hunt and there is friction between the two of them.  Patty doesn't know anything about running a bar and drinks while she is there.  Patty's antics are causing her husband Adam and co-owner Randy to pick up the slack at the bar.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of The Broadway Club to The Roost Bar and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Roost Bar since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Leia's (The Grant Bar) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Tracy, California to rescue The Grant Bar & Lounge. The Grant Bar is owned by DJ Miller who is described as a know-it-all owner who blames everybody except himself for the failures of his establishment.  He bought the bar five years ago and is now losing $5,000 a month, is $180,000 in debt, and six months away from closing.  His goal is to pass the bar down to his daughter Leia, so Jon Taffer will need to help turn things around.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of The Grant Bar to Leia's Restaurant. Lounge. Nightclub. and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Leia's Restaurant. Lounge. Nightclub. since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Playa Island Bar (Sandbar) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Albuquerque, New Mexico to rescue Sandbar Brewery & Grill.  The bar opened in 2017 and was purchased by a group of investors.  The bar is currently owned by Mike Martinez and it is under dispute if Sean Colwell owns any of the bar.  When Jon asks Sean to produce paperwork to prove his ownership, he finds that the documents were never submitted to a lawyer.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of The Sandbar Brewery & Grill to Playa Island Bar and the bar went back to The Sandbar shortly after, but has already closed. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Playa Island Bar (The Sandbar) since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Bar Rescue - VFW Post 6216 Albuquerque Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Albuquerque to rescue VFW Post 6216.  This rescue is a bit different because it is not rescuing a struggling bar but a VFW Post.  Jon Taffer will attempt to boost membership and raise funds for VFW Post 6216 by doing a Bar Rescue makeover.  VFW Post 6216 is outdated, and the bar and kitchen area are in need of a lot of upgrades.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer obviously didn't change the name of VFW Post 6216. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for VFW Post 6216 since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

The Midway Tavern (The Union) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Midvale, Utah to rescue The Union.  The Union is owned by Bill Rowe who is supposedly $500,000 in debt and owes his in-laws $300,000 because of the bar.  While doing recon, Jon sees that the food and drinks are bad, there is a lack of training and Bill isn't engaged at all.  Despite owning the bar, Bill doesn't know how to make any drinks, so he cannot help his bartenders when they need it.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of The Union to The Midway and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Midway since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Purser's Bar (Linda Lou's) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Layton, Utah to rescue Linda Lou's Time for Two.  Linda Lou's is owned by Brandon Purser who has emptied his sick mother's life savings and is supposedly four days away from closing the bar.  Jon Taffer has Vegas Knights Ryan Reaves and Nate Schmidt helping him do recon and discovers that the drinks and food are both terrible.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Linda Lou's to Purser's Bar and the bar did keep the name, but didn't stay open for too long. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Purser's Bar since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Great 66 Entertainment Center (Lucky 66 Bowl) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Albuquerque, New Mexico to rescue Lucky 66 Bowl.  Lucky 66 Bowl is a bar and bowling alley that is owned by Mike Draper, a Vietnam veteran.  Mike bought the bar as a tribute to his father and is supposedly in debt $1 million and losing $15,000 a month.  While doing recon, Jon finds that Mike isn't liked by his employees and customers. Mike also tries to cut-off and kick out patrons that had only had a few drinks.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to slightly rename Lucky 66 Bowl to The Great 66 Entertainment Center.  They currently go by The Lucky 66 Entertainment Center. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Lucky 66 Entertainment Center since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Brannan Manor (SacTown Sports Bar) - Bar Rescue Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Sacramento, California to rescue SacTown Sports Bar & Grill.  SacTown Sports Bar & Grill is a sports bar that was opened by Chris Eaton about three years ago.  Chris is losing about $8,000 a month and is apparently two months away from closing.  T-Pain is there to help Jon Taffer do recon and they go inside with the "disguise" of a black hat to experience the bar firsthand.  They find that the food is disgusting, the drinks are too strong, and that Chris doesn't have a good idea of the kind of bar that will work in this location.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of SacTown Sports Bar & Grill to Brannan Manor Restaurant & Spirits and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Brannan Manor since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

MT Bottles & Cans Has Closed - Bar Rescue Update

MT Bottles & Cans in Murfreesboro, Tennessee which appeared on season 3 (2nd set) of Bar Rescue has closed.  The bar posted the following on Facebook on December 9, 2019. "It’s time, y’all. MT Bottle is changing hands.Come out on the 28th as we pay tribute to our amazing 11 years, countless memories, and Tracy’s legacy."  MT Bottles & Cans is marked as permanently closed on Facebook and also labeled closed on Yelp.


MT Bottles & Cans was listed for sale at public auction in early December with the listing saying, "The Bigford family says it's time to SELL! This is your opportunity to purchase an operating business lock, stock and barrel. Contents sell with the building. The property is situated on a 0.87 +/- acre lot with 205 +/- feet of prime road frontage on Hwy 231/South Church Street. Rutherford County zoning is commercial services. The possibilities are endless with a property with a traffic count as high as this one has. "  According to real estate records, the sale went through on January 14, 2020 for $324,500.

Owner Tracy Bigford passed away (obituary) in April 2019, so perhaps this was another reason for wanting to sell MT Bottle. Gina is not listed in the obituary, but I am not sure of the reason.


So far, whoever bought the property has not opened anything in the location where MT Bottles & Cans was.  MT Bottles & Cans has been marked as 'Closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates page and here is the detailed update for the bar from this site.

Blacklight District Lounge From Bar Rescue Is Closed

Blacklight District Lounge in Long Beach, California from season 6 (4th set) of Bar Rescue is closed.  I thought I already did an update on this closure, but apparently not.

Blacklight District Lounge closed in July 2018 and left a message to Bar Rescue fans on Facebook that said, "If you're a bar rescue fan And are on here to bash a bar you Have never been too then Screw off This bar supports live music of all kinds Which is a dead scene and bars like this keep punk, ska, reggae..metal alive..so don't believe a show that called us and put words in our mouth and then tries to charge us , this bar was going to be changed into a hipster bar with high end drinks and that is not us... if you support music in anyway you should realize that bars like this aren't made for everyone .thanks"

Blacklight District was one of the most infamous Bar Rescue episodes because it was one of the few that Jon Taffer walked out on without rescuing.  After the episode aired, the bar was bashed on review sites and on its Facebook page by Bar Rescue fans.  Owner David Franich responded to a lot of the comments and continued to respond to Bar Rescue fans on the Blacklight District Lounge Facebook well after the episode aired.


Here is the full update from when the episode originally aired and the bar has been marked as 'Closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates page.  This bar will not count against Jon Taffer's statistics on the updates page as it was a bar that was not rescued. 

Sydney an Australian Beach Club From Bar Rescue Has Closed

Sydney an Australian Beach Club in Jacksonville, Florida which appeared on season 6 of Bar Rescue has closed.  The bar's Facebook page stopped posting in September 2018 and there is evidence on their Facebook page that it was closed in early 2019.  So it appears the bar closed in late 2018 or early 2019.

Sydney an Australian Beach Club was originally named Blue Water Daiquiri and Oyster Bar before Bar Rescue came to the bar in January of 2018.  The episode first aired in July 2018, so the bar didn't remain open for too long after that.

Sydney an Australian Beach Club had a bad restaurant inspection (link) in October 2018 where there were live rodents found in the bar along with droppings in multiple places.

Multiple comments on the original Sydney blog post about the episode stated that the building is going to be torn down and a hotel is being built at the location.  Sydney an Australian Beach Club has been marked as 'Closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates page. 

Sam Jordan's From Bar Rescue Has Closed

Sam Jordan's in San Francisco, California which appeared on season 5 of Bar Rescue has closed after more than 60 years in business.  The bar closed on November 2, 2019 and apparently a predatory lending deal was a major contributor in the bar closing.


In May 2019, Sam Jordan's was listed for sale and after a lot of public support, the listing was removed.  Owner Ruth Jordan said everybody has been great in supporting the restaurant and that the city of San Francisco did things she didn't even know were possible to help the business. She also said she took the business as far is it could go.


Sam Jordan's is now marked as 'Closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates Page.  Also, here is the full update for Sam Jordan's when the episode aired.

The Morgue (Kiva Lounge) From Bar Rescue Has Closed

Kiva Lounge & Bar in San Marcos, Texas which appeared on season 6 (2nd set) of Bar Rescue has closed.  On October 14th, the bar posted on their Facebook page, "As of today our doors are closed. Thanks for all the memories San Marcos!"  The comments on that post say the closure was sudden and there were still bands scheduled.  People were also saying that someone bought the bar, but nothing can be confirmed.

When Jon Taffer did the makeover of Kiva Lounge & Bar, he renamed the bar to The Morgue.  The bar did not keep the name and went back to the name Kiva Lounge & Bar a few months after the makeover.  Here is the detailed update from when the episode aired and Kiva Lounge & Bar/The Morgue is now marked 'closed' on the Bar Rescue Updates page.

Bar Rescue - The Fifth Amendment Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in West Bountiful, Utah to rescue The Fifth Amendment.  The Fifth Amendment is also referred to as "The Fifth" and is owned by Brad Hepworth whose father previously owned the bar.  During recon, Jon packs the bar and pulls all of the bartenders out of the building.  The owner Brad doesn't even notice, and he is just sitting in the bar drinking.  Brad has owned the bar for 20 years and still doesn't know how to make drinks or use the cash register.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to keep the name of The Fifth. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Fifth since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Bar Rescue - Malloy's Bar & Grill (GI Jodi's) Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Littleton, Colorado to rescue GI Jodi's. GI Jodi's is owned by a woman named Jodi who lost her military-veteran father who helped run the bar.  She is now overworked and needs her son to step up to take more responsibility at the bar and to fill the void.  Jodi's leadership style has caused the bar and her family relationships to fail.  Jon needs to convince her that she is the problem and that she needs to change for the bar to succeed.


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

Bar Rescue - The Prime Bar (WildeFire Bistro) Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Aurora, Colorado to rescue WildeFire Bistro.  WildeFire Bistro is owned by Tony David who bought the bar and is a performer who must choose between his career and his responsibilities.  Tony used his savings to open the bar and he is supposedly losing $15,000 a month and is $250,000 in debt.  While Jon is doing recon, he sees that Tony's performances are not entertaining and he also sees food at the bar that has a hair in it.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of WildeFire Bistro to The Prime Bar and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Prime Bar since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Bar Rescue - Water's Edge Bar & Grill (Edge of Town) Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Blue Springs, Missouri to rescue Edge of Town.  Edge of Town is owned by Mark Wilson and his fiance Ozzie who are getting another chance at a Bar Rescue.  They also owned Longshots/Badlands Country Nightclub which appeared on season 3 (2nd set) of Bar Rescue in late 2013.  While Jon is doing recon, he finds bartenders that can't make basic drinks, are drinking on the job, and a cook who cannot correctly cook basic items.


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

Bar Rescue - Pit Stop Bar & BBQ (Stix & Stones Bar and Grill) Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Sugar Creek, Missouri to rescue Stix & Stones Bar and Grill.  Stix & Stones is owned by Billy Banks who supposedly wrote Jon Taffer asking for help.  While Jon is doing recon, he sees bartenders that are too drunk and a cook who is cross contaminating all of the food items.


During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Stix & Stones Bar & Grill to Pit Stop Bar & BBQ, but the bar quickly changed the name back to Stix & Stones. The bar did close for a bit, but it is now open again.  Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Stix & Stones Bar & Grill since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):

Bar Rescue - BCBG (Buffalo City Bar & Grille) Update

In this week's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in St. Petersburg, Florida to rescue Buffalo City Bar & Grille.  Buffalo City Bar & Grille is owned by Doreen Levy whose late father opened the bar.  The bar is losing about $5,000 a month, revenues are down 25% and the bar has supposedly given away $90,000 worth of liquor in the past year.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to slightly change the name of Buffalo City Bar & Grille to BCBG and the bar has kept the name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for BCBG since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):