Bar Rescue - General Discussion

[Gulielma]

Did you see the one where the skeevy bartender thinks that showing a woman a trick with his arm that supposedly shows her what her vagina looks like is a way to get in her pants?

Oh, and "Butt Funnel".

[rose313]

Ohhh my goodness. I know this show is super scripted (with the voiceovers and editing and all that fun stuff) but I still find it great. The O'Face bar...am I allowed to talk about the whole episode here or do I need spoiler tags? That one was nuts!

[rose313]

I noticed in the last episode two of the employees that worked there were new...one was there for only 3 days and one for a week and a half. Obviously the bar knows that they are possible choices to be picked, since someone has to install the cameras in there. I wonder if they do something similar to Extreme Home Makeover, where they contact 5 families (bars in this case) and tell them they might be there during a certain time period, and they "surprise" whoever is chosen? If that's the case here too, I wonder if the show was a deciding factor in both hiring new employees, and their choices to work there?

[Art Vandelay]

I remember reading an interview with Taffer where he said the show tells the bars that they are installing the cameras and Jon won't show up for a few more days. He said he is surprised with how they seem to forget the cameras are there and slip into their usual tendancies. Not sure how believable that is, but it sure makes for good TV!

Shut it down!

[The Crazed Spruce]

If any show deserved a drinking game, it's this one.

DISCLAIMER: For novelty purposes only. Neither the OP nor the staff or management of previously.tv bear any responsibility for any drunken shenanigans or worn-out elbows resulting from participation in this form of entertainment. Not recommended for show marathons. Any alcohol poisoning resulting from this game is the sole responsibility of the participant.

That bein' said, take a drink whenever...

*An employee is drunk during the recon.

**Two drinks if it's an owner or manager.

*An employee hits on the person doing John Taffer's recon.

**Two drinks if it's an owner or manager.

***Three drinks if it's Taffer's wife or daughter being hit on.

*The food during the recon is described as either "disgusting" or "inedible".

**Two drinks if it's Taffer's food expert doing the describing.

*A bartender overpours.

*An owner won't let a manager do his or her job

*An owner has absolutely no experience running a business.

*A manager has no clue how to manage a bar.

*Critters and vermin are found behind the bar.

**Two drinks if the critter is larger than a squirrel.

*An owner yells at a customer.

*An owner yells at an employee in front of a customer.

*An employee takes advantage of an owner's kindness or generosity.

*An employee is fired.

*An employee deservers to be fired, but isn't.

*An owner acts like a total douchebag. (Only one drink per episode, no matter how douchey.)

*A premium alcohol is name-checked.

**Two drinks if it happens outside the training scene.

*Taffer changer the bar's name.

**Two drinks if the new name is worse than the old one.

***Three drinks if the owner changes the name back five minutes after the cameras leave.

*Pour out one drink for every one screwed up during staff training. (Keep a bucket handy. Or at least two mops.)

*Drink a full glass of water for every time that ad where Taffer tells you to drink water airs.

Feel free to add your own. Play safe, everyone.

[Taeolas]

Every time a Butt Funnel is mentioned.

 

I'd suggest every time they do a product placement, but everyone would be dead by the second act. :)

[Gulielma]

Drink if Taffer threatens to walk out.  Chug if he actually does.

Drink when Taffer suggests something incredibly stereotypical to bring in women.

Drink when you google the bar and find out it closed anyway.

[yourdreamer]

I spent most of this episode wondering how idiotic some of the people that they chose to film are (and I live in Texas, so it was personal to me).  I cannot believe that a tax accountant would have spent $1.1 million on that dive (unless he was a very bad tax accountant - and I am a CPA as well, so this is doubly personal).  Maybe they said he spent less than that initially but put more in after it wasn't making money.

Also, there was one clip where the patrons were talking about how great the new food/drinks are and I swear (and my boyfriend backs me up on this one) that one lady said "This sandwich is so good - I'm a vegetarian and I'm eating pork!"...I was like...erm...then you aren't a vegetarian (also I'm vegan).  So basically this episode irritated me in rapid fire succession.

However, it was gratifying to see the turnaround and the owner step up.

[muddywaters]

I'm mystified.  I don't find Taffer the least bit physically attractive.  But "YOU SAY 'YES SIR' OR GET THE #@#$ OUT OF HERE" made me... wibble.  Hmmm.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I lived within a couple miles of this place.  Never saw it.  Never went in.  Riverside Dr. is not a street where you want to look to the side.  You gotta concentrate on the road as it is treated like a go-cart track by many drivers.  It is decidedly not in an upscale area.  Ventura, just down from across the highway, is.  In reading Yelp reviews, this is confirmed.  They sell pitchers, after all!  Who knew?  :)

Now, how on earth do cocktails mix with sloppy BBQ?  BBQ requires a lot of liquid to help it go down.  It just does.  Beer is the natural alcohol to pair with it.  I watched pretty closely and I did not see a single beer of any kind during the open.  That is cray cray.  It is also intentional.  Diageo got their money's worth outta Taffer.

We finally got a great look at an open where mixing ridiculously complicated drinks results in a huge backlog.  The stress test was a sham, too.  ANY small bar could not withstand a sudden rush like that.  Yes, they needed a second well.  No argument.  But, chaos would reign anywhere when 100 customers converge all at once.

Jimmy, the "manager," is perhaps the most genuinely dense boss in this series' history.  How did he ever get that sharp lady to marry him?  He is absolutely a product of an upbringing where nothing was ever his fault.  There is a LOT of that in SoCal.  Taffer's approach was meant to pierce the malaise, and to create hot TV.  Yet, he never once exaggerated.  Jimmy comes back on Taffer with this false pride I have seen over and over and over.  His seemingly deep-seated pledge to do better had the weight of a canary turd, eh?  Had this dude ever really been made to confront harsh reality?  That owner seemed to be a classic enabler.   I'd love to know from where his high regard for Jimmy comes.

I'd be shocked if this place actually turns any profit whatsoever.

*The sports bar "Champs," is about 5 miles NE of this place in the western-most edge of Burbank.  It was featured in a BR episode called "Chumps" which was repeated just a few hours after this ep debuted.  It was the very first bar I ever went to in that area as I was scouting a potential home.  All the shortcomings revealed were absolutely true, and then some.  But, if I needed to see some sporting event and could not get it on my home DirectTV, I would go there.  Cold beer at a reasonable price, and pretty good satellite system to bring in sports programing.  Any pretension at more than this was/is a joke.

[TheEditrixHasSpoken]

I have a fantastic These Bitches photo I made, chyron-style, for the heavy petting (gross term for gross people) who thankfully turned it around. If I knew how to post a pic? I would. Also? Russell is my boyfriend. He makes the cray cray better. And he's my FB friend, so. . .yeah. 

I somehow find myself wanting MOAR DRAMA! when the people actually turn out to *not* be total douches, or at least are douches with a heart (see lemon delivery et al). But it makes my wizened heart feel better knowing the bartenders really do have hearts of gold, etc.

 

MAKE IT TO THE MENISCUS!!! <--my BF

[TheEditrixHasSpoken]

Drink when you find out Diagio's involved. Chug if it's more than once (end-credit V/O doesn't count)

 

SERIOUS kudos on the Butt Funnel ; seriously. 

 

Drink when Taffer screams, SHUT IT DOWN!

Aaaand I think it's only fair to add two drinks for boob display. Natch.

[TheEditrixHasSpoken]

Did you see the one where the skeevy bartender thinks that showing a woman a trick with his arm that supposedly shows her what her vagina looks like is a way to get in her pants?

Oh, and "Butt Funnel".

No lie, the last corporate job I had had an odd, very narrow hallway to the ladies' restroom. Never failed me to say, Taffer!! under my breath as I made my way sideways to let someone pass. I mentioned it in passing to a new coworker who just about died laughing: we've bonded over our crazy WWJTD love ever since! 

Ohhh my goodness. I know this show is super scripted (with the voiceovers and editing and all that fun stuff) but I still find it great. The O'Face bar...am I allowed to talk about the whole episode here or do I need spoiler tags? That one was nuts!

OOooooooooo yes. Let's just skip the Spoilers Alert, Taffer Ahoy & say it's a Must Watch. Those freaks are just. . .freaky.

This is a similar note to how I feel about another show I watch in my Shameber: Restaurant Impossible (or Restaurant: Impossible!--whatever). . .2 things, if you'll allow me. 

1) Who the eff are these people whose family (usuz) and/or friends lend them, say, $250,000 to start "a dream I've always had". Hey, know what my dream is? Keeping the lights on and paying my internet bill so I can snark over here. Got some spare friendos because CLEARLY they'll back anyone, anytime. Especially people with no expertise at seemingly being able to balance a checkbook, much less run a business. Especially one fraught with so much SCIENCE!!

2) I love hate seeing it when a parent's dream/kid's dream becomes the nightmare of the reverse party. It's like this: I really always wanted to get into Irish Clogging; that said, I don't make my 12 y/o son do it and spend $100,000+ making it happen. Hey, if it's your dream? YOU make it happen, spoiled people.

 

 

That is all. Thanks for letting me have my say!

I noticed in the last episode two of the employees that worked there were new...one was there for only 3 days and one for a week and a half. Obviously the bar knows that they are possible choices to be picked, since someone has to install the cameras in there. I wonder if they do something similar to Extreme Home Makeover, where they contact 5 families (bars in this case) and tell them they might be there during a certain time period, and they "surprise" whoever is chosen? If that's the case here too, I wonder if the show was a deciding factor in both hiring new employees, and their choices to work there?

I always wonder how they pack the place. Free booze? Rotary club? Asking around? I'm sure there's some HGTV-esque stuff going on, but I'd really like to know. Where do those people come from? 

[muddywaters]

I think this is the worst episode of Bar Rescue I've ever seen.  I know reality shows aren't entirely "real" but this seems entirely fake.  Yikes.

[Julia]

Well, sleazy dude (who according to TMZ is apparently sleazy Doctor investing some of his money in a bar, not a struggling bar owner depending on a bar for his livelihood) is suing Taffer. He says that he threw a punch while his friends pinned Taffer down which left Taffer having a panic attack on the floor. The whole thing was so traumatic for sleazy Doctor that he ended up with "migraines, nausea, vomiting night terrors and crying spells."

 

Hopefullly this is a sign that sleazy Doctor's personal and professional reputation has suffered enough that he thinks his best option is to go after Taffer's dignity on TMZ, because I doubt he even thinks he's getting anywhere near a court with it.

Edited May 5, 2014 by Julia

[DoctorK]

Yeah, it is like they are just phoning it in. They are not even bothering to try to make the owner's overnight 180 degree turn around credible.

[muddywaters]

Oh good, so it's not just me!  I read some comments outside of here, and everyone's all OMG that owner, what a jerk! This was the Worst Bar Evaarrrr!  So a lot of people bought into it, I guess.

 

I don't go into this show looking for the staged bits, but wow this time they just screamed out.  The owner getting fresh with the women in his office and the endless shots of owner's wife looking so very sad and downtrodden, awwww, poor thing.  Nikky the waitress talking about how she can screw around with the hubby because wifey's doing all her work.  The offensive T-shirts on both the owners.  All of this going on after they know cameras are watching them (eta - almost forgot - AND while Taffer just happens to be on the property, watching).  Oh, and then the owner trying to pick a fight with Taffer in the parking lot and Taffer isn't even there.  I bet anything that scene was filmed after all other filming ended and tacked on for DRAMAZ.  And I bet Nikky still works there.  And I maybe almost bet that shaggy-haired co-owner grew out his beard and hair for the show so he could shave it off for Redemption.  And speaking of Redemption, they tell us the owner's been screwing around with women in his office for-like-ever and Taffer makes his wife tell him she doesn't much like that, and all of a sudden he's all "Oh, I didn't know, I will now stop because you are my one and only love" blah blah blah.  FAAAAAAKE.

Edited May 5, 2014 by muddywaters

[LoneHaranguer]

If the customer is staying in the owners office for two hours, I don't think what's going on could be called "sexual harrassment". No woman is going to stick around for that for anywhere near that long.

 

I know it isn't what the producers wanted, but according to the relationship experts, given the choice between having Nikki or his wife working in the place, the owner should have chosen Nikki. A couple shouldn't be working together in a shaky business.

[muddywaters]

If the customer is staying in the owners office for two hours, I don't think what's going on could be called "sexual harrassment". No woman is going to stick around for that for anywhere near that long.

 

Plus they were specifically instructed to be "willing" and to go along with it.  Even more interesting, the owner was happy to entertain them for two hours without  hanky-panky (and with shirts on).

[Lonesome Rhodes]

I would pay $ to see Taffer, just once, shout out the magic question during a reveal, "Who's waiting for a drink?"

 

I counted a SIX-deep line at the bar during the reveal.  It was actually bigger than any time of the stress test!  

 

Chef?  THAT food is worthy of the word "chef?"  Didja see any of that slow-roasted stuff being served at the open?  

 

Mr. Safety asked his female colleague to play out that skeevy scene?  I could swear that he went off in multiple past episodes about bosses who allow their females' being harassed were the lowest of the low.  Maybe, like Rick about the Moroccan waters, I was "misinformed."  

 

OK.  An actual donut on a cocktail?  Paging Arthur Fonzarelli!

 

Did the show pay for a Kimmie makeover to go along with the store?  I'm betting they did.  

[rose313]

I'm surprised Nikki handled her exit with class. Well, as classy as you'd expect that place to be. She had pretty hair. The rest was a mess.

[rose313]

This is awesome.

*Critters and vermin are found behind the bar.
**Two drinks if the critter is larger than a squirrel.

That was my favorite, and this:

*Taffer changer the bar's name.
**Two drinks if the new name is worse than the old one.
***Three drinks if the owner changes the name back five minutes after the cameras leave.

 

Adding my own:

Drink if someone vomits.

Two drinks if they show the actual vomit.

[muddywaters]

My favorite so far:  "Drink when Taffer suggests something incredibly stereotypical to bring in women."  OMG yes.

 

Here's my contribution:  Drink every time Taffer says "NEVER IN MY ___ YEARS HAVE I EVER SEEN ___________."

 

Make it a nice guzzle because he generally only says it once in an episode.

[muddywaters]

Because.... (imo) she knew she wasn't really fired.  From what I'm seeing (on Bar Rescue Updates, etc.) she still works there.

[Julia]

Ugh, can't read sites with those quizzes on them. And they always seem to load popups on my tablet and my phone...

 

I guess what I don't get is what value these people think they're going to get from being nationally-famous sleazebags if they aren't (or even if they are).

[muddywaters]

A free interior/exterior makeover and fancy new equipment and more publicity than they could dream of?  I've looked at a few Yelps and other reviews of the bars featured on BR and a lot of them are from people who saw the show and simply had to see the place for themselves.  Even the worst bars!  If they have a good experience, they'll come back.  (I think they'd either think the establishment sure cleaned up its act after BR, or that the BR episode was all staged, but it doesn't matter as long as they like it now and come back, and tell their friends.)

 

Another reason might be to make the business more valuable (freshly renovated, with fancy new equipment) so they can turn around and sell it, for a lot more $$ than the dump they had before would have brought in.

 

This is just me speculating.  If I had a failing bar I might be willing to be a jackass on TV, for either of these reasons.

[DoctorK]

Yawn ... same old formula, same old miraculous turn around. Same scripted drama as two male strippers/MMA/sports bar owner guys feign fighting following a script written for the WWE (formerly the WWF), fueled by simulated 'roid rage and subsequent tears. Naturally, the strippers had ro re-enact their stripper acts for the cameras because  ... why?

[muddywaters]

Not lookin' too good for O-Face.

 

Bluffs council backs denial of liquor license renewal for watering hole featured on 'Bar Rescue'

 

The Council Bluffs City Council, on a 3-2 vote Monday night, recommended denial of a liquor license for the bar recently seen on the television reality show "Bar Rescue."

 

[Mayor] Walsh said he has received emails from around the country, saying how the show was embarrassing for the city.

 

“I understand this is a reality show, but the depiction of this inaccuracy has caused irreparable harm to the city,” he told the owner, Matthew Overmyer.

 

“This sort of show concerns me that you would hold out this community in a false light,” Watson told Overmyer. “We all make mistakes, but we have to pay for them.”

 

[Council member] Ringgenberg saw public safety hazards while viewing the show, he said.  “I had concerns from what I witnessed. It showed the public put at risk. I have to err on the side of public safety.”

 

He himself has gotten bad feedback from people, even death threats, Overmyer said.  “It's been nothing, but hell,” he said, adding that he apologized for putting Council Bluffs in an unflattering light. “It was not my intention,” he told the council.

 

After the vote, Overmyer said, “It's TV. I would hope people would look past it, but some didn't.”

 

He plans to appeal the council recommendation, Overmyer said.

 

[stet]

We used to live near Montclair, and my husband actually went there pre-Rescue to watch a UFC fight. He told me that he couldn't even get a bartender after paying a cover to get in.

It's interesting to see Taffer wearing something other than his blazer (and yes, those bowling shirts HAD to go) and not being so screamy.

Finally, South Park/V Bar/Park Sports was half a block down from Leone's, which was featured in "Kitchen Nightmares."

[muddywaters]

Haha!  I did a double-take at his wardrobe!  O_O

 

(And his hair!)

[yanksno1]

So who pays for everything? It seems like it's always a complete remodel. New everything, top of the line equipment. I figure it must cost around $100k at least. I like the premise of the show, but because of the remodel they always do that skews it a bit. I mean, if you get everything new, and training on top of it of course the places should come out on top. If not, the owners are really idiots (which some are).

Edited June 9, 2014 by yanksno1

[Lonesome Rhodes]

It's obvious BR does a ton of barter deals with equipment providers.  Is a $5K fryer worth exposure and kind words?  Seems a no-brainer to me.

 

The thing that most drives me to distraction in this series is the "planning" confab JT has with his consultant de la semaine (weekly).  As if that had not already been decided looooong before any production arrived on site!  Once in awhile, I can see JT catching himself from bursting out what BS it all is.  I wonder how many takes are required when they do these vignettes.  

 

Second on my list is the naked promotion of spirits as the way to go.  Really?  In some of these dumps in the worst locations?  Those customers are gonna pay a premium for Diageo offerings?  This also flies in the face of JT's oft-expressed customer safety mantra.  How many friends do you have who exhibit the discipline necessary to limit themselves to just one cocktail an hour?  How many of JT's clients would put up with a system where customers would only spend $30 and take up a (TEN THOUSAND DOLLAR!!!) seat all night?  

[potatoradio]

Too fun!

A drink each time Taffer bellows "You're going to KILL someone! You could have KILLED someone!"

A chaser for each reason someone could have died: "Raw chicken! Bacteria! Fire!"

Nice sip of beer each time someone pulls a wad of slime from a drain and goes "EEEEWWWWWW! That was in there?"

A double each time Taffer yells "Is that acceptable to you? Is it?? This is YOUR fault!"

A triple the first time someone has a heart attack during the stress test and Taffer screams at the owner for not being at the ready with a defibrillator. "This is your bar and you don't know how to give CPR or use a debrillator?! FAIL! You've FAILED!"

[Julia]

stet, I think South Park must have been the place the Leones staff told Ramsay the lazy son/manager was sneaking off to during dinner service.

[Taeolas]

That's such a scary thought I'm surprised Fox/Spike haven't figured out how to do it... a Bar Rescue/Restaurant Nightmares Tagteam for next door Bar/Restaurant. 

 

Either production crew: "I'm sorry, we have to pause filming. There's too much shouting going on next door." 

 

So would this be canonically the first mention of the butt funnel? 

 

It was neat to get the full update at the end, and of course because he reverted, he failed. 

 

Now will they ever air the real lost episode, the one that aired once in the second slot because someone was shot there or something I think? 

[Julia]

It was neat to get the full update at the end, and of course because he reverted, he failed.

Now will they ever air the real lost episode, the one that aired once in the second slot because someone was shot there or something I think?

From what I could find, he failed because he got busted serving minors, although it probably didn't help that he pissed off the neighbors by making the rowdy drunken people smoke outside until three in the morning. Property taxes pay most of the municipal bills in suburban Jersey, and the local constabulary keeps that in mind, I think.

I doubt we're ever going to see the other lost episode. Someone at the old haunts who saw the late night rerun they forgot to cancel said the Triumphant Voiceover Wrap-up gave Taffer credit for saving the bar and fixing the owner's rage issues. I really doubt they want to dwell on the idea that nasty owner wouldn't have been in a position to hire the guy he killed if Taffer hadn't stepped in. I understand there was also a humorous wall sign of the ha ha, I have a gun variety...

Weirdly enough given what happened in the pilot, the owner reportedly snapped and killed someone because they lit up indoors.

[DoctorK]

Waste of time. Ten worst in 30 minutes (less commercials). Each got about 20 seconds of Tapper telling us that they were horrible (we noticed the first time around) and 2 minutes of footage from the original show. If there was any follow up, I must have missed it - maybe I blinked? Same for the other top ten episode.

[Julia]

I was so hoping for a montage of Tapper making an identical spittle-flecked speech to each of the owners about how their bar was the worst thing he'd ever seen in his entire career.

Edited June 23, 2014 by Julia

[AnnieBananie]

I feel like the last few episodes Jon's been a kinder, gentler version of himself. Maybe it's just me, but perhaps TPTB have told him to tone it down a bit to seem more relatable? He actually seems less gorilla-like and more human.

[muddywaters]

What a strange hour!  (Both specials back to back.)  Seemed like he spent more time telling us what we were going to see than showing us.  And of course what we saw was nothing we hadn't already seen.  Not even a few seconds of "where are they/how are they doing now"!  That would have made it interesting.  Also kind of off-putting how they would film him with one camera while he was facing and speaking to (presumably) another camera off-screen.  Maybe that's supposed to be edgy or something?

 

Yeah, total waste of time.  I am disappoint.

[Ubiquitous]

I was amused at Taffer's atempts to whitewash the guys who were only interested in getting him to repair the water damage to the floor beams.  Other than that, Taffer spent more time explatorating about these entries than actually showing footage of them.

[Julia]

Oh, seriously. Those guys who were serving the pitcher-sized boilermakers with a financial incentive to chug them? The ones who served disease-ridden food to his kid and lost all their employees and whatever customers weren't there to binge drink? Yeah, it's a good thing Taffer was there to make sure those guys would get a profit on their investment in the rotting building they didn't bother to fix while they were making money.

[DoctorK]

Am I the only one who noticed that on this week's exciting "new" shows, not only did some of the "most angry" bars overlap with "toughest rescue" bars (not too surprising) but that they actually used some of the exact same footage in both episodes? It was really obvious in the J&A whatever bar, kitchen scene where unidentified shaved head guy in the back is smirking while Taffer chews out the cook. Jeez, they aren't even pretending anymore. Next week, do we get Jake Taffer's 10 most painful toe stubs, followed by Jake Taffer's 10 most jarring color schemes? This could be long running franchise, because we all know that Jake Taffer is the most interesting man in the world.

Edited June 30, 2014 by DoctorK

[Ubiquitous]

I'm waiting for the "butt funnel" to make an appearance.

[NikSac]

DoctorK wish I could answer your question but I got irritated about 5 minutes into both "special" episodes, turned them off, and deleted them from my DVR.  I bet you're right that it was repeated footage though.

[buttersister]

"I want you to understand the sciences of what I've done." Sole example--darkening the fugly wood paneling to make the joint appear softer. The science of LOL! There are so many of these kinds of shows, this one is hilarious. (The pork-eating vegan was comedy gold.)

[Lillybee]

I am not sure how much I like this show, I think that I preferred FN's On The Rocks so much better for some reason.

[Lnmop]

Are we really supposed to believe that within a time frame of 4 days they have approval to change a business name, signage and construction/design effects? I think not.

[Julia]

How many friends do you have who exhibit the discipline necessary to limit themselves to just one cocktail an hour?  

 

One of Taffer's favorite factoids is that bars should offer food, because if a customer orders food, they'll stay forty extra minutes and order another drink from the bar. Forty minutes: not quite an hour. Apparently that's a transaction he's comfortable with.

[Ubiquitous]

I think there was a new ep tonight, at least I don't remember seeing a bar with Taffer yelling about underage drinkers before...