Bar Owners Have Spoken up About Whether 'Bar Rescue' Is Scripted or Not (2024)

FAQs

Is any of Bar Rescue staged? ›

While the bars are real, and Jon Taffer has plenty of experience working in and managing bars, not every aspect of the show is as it seems. The producers will suggest certain scenes or dialogue to ensure there's plenty of drama. If Bar Rescue wasn't slightly scripted, it wouldn't be a show you wanted to watch.

Punch-Drunk & Trailer Trashed (S3 E31)

An episode that will forever be one of the craziest in Bar Rescue history is season 3 episode 31, where Jon Taffer decides to rescue the O'Face Bar in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Jon Taffer saves bars that are on the verge of shutting down on his reality show "Bar Rescue." So far, he has rescued over 200 bars across the United States. While over 100 of them have remained afloat, 99 have shut their doors.

The owner doesn't pay one dime. We even leave them with food & beverage inventory, along with plates, silverware, glassware, and everything they need. There's a LOT that's left behind for the bar. How do you pick which experts to use on the show?

The Storylines. Former employees are brought in, and bars are open to filming on days when they are normally closed, according to the former owner of Piratz Tavern from season 2. Everything is staged, from storylines to employees not being current employees, in order to make the business appear as more of a failure.

Taffer's Tavern is the product of Jon Taffer, hospitality expert, entrepreneur, best-selling author, star, and Executive Producer of Paramount Network's Bar Rescue. Taffer's is the quintessential pub, a place to meet old friends while making new ones.

The renovations and changes made on Bar Rescue are typically funded by the production company of the show, 3 Ball Entertainment. The owners of the bars featured on the show do not pay for the renovations directly.

With his expertise in managing bars, it's no surprise that Taffer went on to own 17 different hospitality businesses. But here's what might surprise you: Jon doesn't actually make a profit from the bars he rescues on the show.

YONKERS - The Soyo Craft Bar that got a makeover and life-support from the "Bar Rescue" reality show has closed. Co-owners Brian O'Shea and Miguel Torres sold the bar at 38-1/2 Main St. on Jan. 3 and the venue has been transformed into a Central American restaurant called Kala'an Mul Bar and Grill.

“This is the first physical altercation I've ever been in,” says Taffer, who got in Benari's face after the bar owner insulted Brian Duffy, “Bar Rescue's” consulting chef for the episode. “I've never been hit, or hit anyone in my life. Brian Duffy is a dear friend of mine, and one the nicest people ever.

What percentage of bar rescues fail? ›

While each of these owners said on air the business could survive for only another three months, Taffer says only five have since closed, giving the show an impressive success rate of about 90%. To him, that proves his business principles work. “It's real,” he says.

Host of 'Bar Rescue' says up to 25 percent of surviving bars may close, but 'Boom Town is coming' | NewsNation.

A bar owner's yearly salary will be drawn from, or be, the bar's net profit margin. If a bar owner takes all the net profit, instead of reinvesting some of it back into the bar, the average bar owner makes just shy of $40,000 per year.

Yet not all of the bars on Bar Rescue ultimately get saved. So far to date in 3 seasons 60 bars have been 'rescued'. Of those 60, 14 have closed and 13 had either changed the rebranded name back or altered it again. Going through every season of the hit Spike TV show, we've found Taffer's failures.

The percentage is 2% to 5% and lasts for a couple of years depending on the contract negotiated and the number of planned renovations being done. However, that percentage goes to the show itself as part of its profits.

The 'Bar Rescue' finances are complicated.

Some sources say that the network's budget is quite big, in the $100,000 per episode range. These fees helps cover construction, tables, seats, a POS system, and bar taps.

The JB Taco episode aired in July 2019 and the makeover happened in March 2019. The bar closed in early 2020, so they didn't make it too much longer after their episode aired. There is now a bar named Good Vibes Bar & Grill that is operating in that location and they opened later in September 2020.

When Shingo Gokan packed his bags for New York City aged 23 without a word of English, it's unlikely that he imagined in 14 years' time he would be the owner of a string of the world's best bars stretching from Tokyo to Atlanta.

Taffer lives in Las Vegas. He has been married to his wife Nicole, since 2000. Taffer also has a daughter named Samantha, from a previous marriage.

Is the sandbar from Bar Rescue still open? ›

The Sandbar closed in November 2019 and the bar was put up for lease. Reviews after the show were mixed with many customers not happy about the new management.

There's a common assumption that making it on a show comes with a free renovation, or at least discounted goods. On the contrary, homeowners have to come up with the money for the projects.

Paramount Network's hit show Bar Rescue will make its return with a fresh batch of jaw-dropping episodes on Sundays beginning February 26 at 9pm. Visit https://www.paramountnetwork.com/shows/bar-rescue for more information. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

It seems like JD and Ashley decided to focus on their family with a new baby on the way and that is why they decided to close the bar. I am not sure what this means for JD's musical career.

After many years of restaurant industry experience and lessons learned, Jon created Taffer's Tavern, an innovative, casual dining restaurant franchise concept that provides a solution for many of the woes that plague the restaurant industry.

“Bar Rescue” host Jon Taffer may not seem like the obvious choice to dole out relationship advice on television, but the Las Vegan has a couple of things in common with Dr. Phil McGraw: Both men are built like brick outhouses, and neither has a license to practice psychology.

The minimum investment amount required to open a Taffer's Tavern franchise is $1,425,000 and can go all the way up to $2,682,500. Keep in mind, you should also allocate additional funds to live off of while the Taffer's Tavern business ramps up.

Bar Rescue is a reality TV show that first aired on Spike in 2011. The show revolves around Jon Taffer travelling to various bars in need of repair or funding and helping the owners out. Over 100 episodes of the show have been made, including an episode that wasn't supposed to air titled "Music City Mess".

80% of the bars that he rescues are successful. I did google searches for every bar in the first season, of those 10, only 2 seem to still be in business today under the name they had before or after the rescue.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to change the name of Drunken Donkey Bar & Grill to Butcher & Brew Pub and the bar has kept the name.

What happened to the no name saloon on Bar Rescue? ›

In the months before a fatal shooting in 2017 at the No Name Saloon and Grille, the hit show "Bar Rescue" filmed one of its segments at the Edgewater watering hole described by producers as a failing "rowdy biker bar."

An aggressive Las Vegas bar owner tries to pick up Nicole Taffer, sending Jon into a rage.

You need to be confident and hardworking as well. Working behind a bar, you might think it's easy pulling pints for hours on end. But it's often stressful, especially on busy shifts. Making sure you don't mess up is essential, as you don't wanna ruin the shift for everyone else.

Most bars aim for a profit margin of around 80 percent; the key to reaching that number is to measure and control your pour costs. Pour cost is an essential benchmark for your bar's profitability.

Luckily, most states allow unlimited attempts to pass the bar exam. There are 21 states that limit bar exam attempts, that range from 2-6 attempts. Some of those states have discretionary limits that allow additional attempts outside of their limit with special permissions.

The Chicken Bone / The Bone closed in November 2014. They closed after failing to reopen after closing for the summer due to low trade. They delayed the reopening many times before the business was put up for sale for $175,000, confirming that it was closing. They blame the closure on the economy.

They had moved the location of the bar to a few doors down. Underworld Grill and Bar / The End closed in February 2016 after failing to renew their lease.

The Olive Pit / The O.P. is open. After the episode all of the furniture Jon added was removed. Reviews are mixed and some say the bar has fallen into disrepair and that the service is poor. This post was last updated in February 2022.

Startup costs are high, and often include location, permitting, inventory, wages, and insurance. Alcohol and food have some of the highest markups and help rake in high gross profit margins.

How to start a bar with no money? ›

How to Open a Bar with No Money Tip. A new bar can acquire capital through crowdfunding, which includes family friends and individual investors. The most popular crowdfunding sites for the bar business include GoFundMe, Crowdcube, Kickstarter, or Indiegogo.

The average gross profit margin for bars and nightclubs is 70 to 80%. You will want to aim for a gross profit margin of around 80% if you want your business to be one of the profitable restaurants.

Barbacks are usually paid hourly, plus tips. The minimum tipped wage varies by state, but the national average annual salary for barbacks is $27,316 before tips, according to Glassdoor . Most restaurants tip out their barbacks, which can leave them making more than non-tipped positions like cooks and dishwashers.

having known a bar that went through the show process, it is largely fake in the sense, the bar and the surroundings are largely not what the show portrays them as." There have also been several blog posts that have described their accounts, stating Bar Rescue's portrayal is totally inaccurate and at times, fabricated.

According to Bar Rescue Updates, he'd tried to help 205 bars as of April 2022. Of those, 101 stayed open, 94 closed, and 11 had gone up for sale. That's not terrible, and when BroBible asked him about his failures, he said that he really doesn't mind when one of the bars he tried to save ultimately fails.

The Comeback From Bar Rescue Has Closed

The Comeback Bar & Grill in Tucker, Georgia from season 3 (1st set) of Bar Rescue has closed. The landlord of the building reached ou...

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.

That's worse than the success rate of Taffer's TV show, which one site pegs at about 55 percent.

The show itself does get a percentage of profits from the bars it renovates. The percentage is 2% to 5% and lasts for a couple of years depending on the contract negotiated and the amount of planned renovations being done. However, that percentage goes to the show itself as part of its profits.

Is Jon Taffer a millionaire? ›

Rich Dudes│Jon Taffer Bar Rescued his Way to $14M Net Worth. Discover how Jon Taffer, the renowned business consultant and host of Bar Rescue, built a $14 million fortune helping over 1,000 businesses succeed.

Nikky came to ask for her job back but was not rehired. Barlow's / Comeback Sports Bar and Grill closed in October 2017 after the bar was sold. In 2016, owner Susan Wood won a seat on the city council. Reviews prior to the closure were mostly positive with praise for the food and drinks.

The Bar Rescue makeover took place earlier this spring in April, 2016. The following month, on May 20, the owners hosted a grand opening party. Since that time, and before the episode made it to air, the bar permanently closed.

“This is the first physical altercation I've ever been in,” says Taffer, who got in Benari's face after the bar owner insulted Brian Duffy, “Bar Rescue's” consulting chef for the episode. “I've never been hit, or hit anyone in my life.

Less than a year later, the bar/restaurant is closing. "Our main careers have just gotten way too busy (which is a good thing) and that just makes it too hard on us and the business!" Owens wrote in a Facebook post.

Way Point Saloon - American Restaurant in Ramona, CA.

Jon Taffer is the Gordon Ramsay of the bar and nightclub business. In each episode of this series, Taffer helps transform a struggling bar into a vibrant, profitable business, utilizing his expertise as a nightlife consultant who has started, flipped or owned more than 600 bars and clubs in his career.