You better be nice. I'm serious.
- Okay. - Don't embarrass me.
- Don't embarrass you? - Yeah.
You want me to pretend and fake it?
Yeah. Yeah.
I ain't gonna lie. I ain't going to hell for lying,
- so I'm not doing that. - Well, you would've been there
a long time ago.
narrator: For over 30 years,
Jon Taffer has traveled the country,
saving hundreds of bars from failure and ruin.
The past few years have been harder on our country
than I've ever seen before.
But now, in a post-pandemic world,
restaurants and bars are seeing a massive surge in business.
And a customer base that has a much higher expectation
for quality food and drinks.
Not a huge fan of this.
So I'm on a mission to save bars
that have been struggling to keep up with
the new landscape of our industry.
narrator: So now, Jon is back out on the road
and heading to Arvada, Colorado
to rescue Rockabillies.
This is a new era for our country,
so we need to raise the bar and rise to these challenges.
[rock music]
narrator: In 2018, Virginia Nigg opened Rockabillies,
a retro 1950s bar in Arvada, Colorado.
I've had several businesses in the past
and my children talked me into this.
My kids were in between jobs.
So initially we came up with this concept
to open a bar together.
narrator: She originally intended for her sons
to take over one day,
but shortly after purchasing the business,
Virginia soon found herself running the bar alone.
My two boys were in the business
bartending, managing, serving, cooking.
They wanted a place.
My son decided
that he wanted to open his own business.
So since 2019,
my children are no longer involved with it.
narrator: However, her ex-husband Jim
contributed financially to help Virginia purchase the bar
and keep it operating.
Well, in the beginning,
I put some money into getting it going.
And then Jim put in another $35,000
to just try to get it back up on its feet.
narrator: But along with Jim's contributions
came his entitlements.
I have rows, and rows,
and rows of receipts.
These are Jim's comps.
I don't pay no tab, you know.
I don't pay no tab.
I just tip the girls for waiting on me.
Jim likes to be the life of the party for everybody.
I have to. When you run off,
- I got to get two more. - [chuckles] Jim.
narrator: So now between Jim's claims
for repayment and Virginia's lack of management...
There is no ordinance, no order, no organization.
There is no command. There's nobody in-charge.
narrator: Rockabillies is losing up to $15,000 a month.
We only have approximately six more months
to keep our doors open.
narrator: Before giving up on her dream bar
and losing her retirement savings,
Virginia has decided to pull back the doors,
bust open the books, and make a call for help
to "Bar Rescue".
If this bar closes, 12 people will lose
their job and income.
And I don't know what the future would bring
if I didn't have this.
- What's up? - Yeah.
Good to see you, buddy.
Good to see you. Thank you.
narrator: For the kitchen,
Jon brings in Jason Santos,
one of Boston's most creative and charismatic chefs.
Chef Santos is a published cookbook author,
as well as owner and operator of five successful restaurants
in the greater New England area.
Here we are at Rockabillies, just outside of Denver.
And this bar is about 12 years old,
and it was opened by Virginia and Jim.
- Okay. - They're losing--are you ready?
Ten to fifteen a month.
Now when I say Rockabillies, what decade do you think of?
Fifties, you know, like, ish.
So when you look at '50s music...
- Uh-huh. - ...it doesn't have
the popularity it did eight, ten years ago...
- No. - ...because a lot of people
- in that age group... - Yeah.
...are no longer with us
or do not listen to music anymore.
Right. They age out. Yeah.
So right out of the gate, I wonder
if this isn't a dated concept.
- Look at that bar. - Yeah.
Look at that tiles. Does that look like '50s to you?
- No. - It's like contemporary.
No, not at all.
And look at the checkered bar top...
- Yeah. - ...you wanna have a cocktail
- or a milkshake... - No.
- ...when you sit at that bar? - It's just is too much.
- For sure. - Yeah.
So this bar is owned by Virginia.
Just kind of takes the, uh, the edge off, you know?
There she is. Her husband, Jim.
Salud, my friend. And you, too?
Jim is sort of the face of the bar,
but yet he doesn't work very much at the bar.
[laughs] Everybody hates me.
- Oh, man. - So Virginia has health issues.
Years ago, about 10 years ago, she dealt with breast cancer.
- Uh-huh. - She survived that.
Now, just literally a few days ago,
she got out of surgery for her back.
Wow.
So she works hard in this bar still.
- And they love this place. - Yup.
They love their '50s music. They love their rockabilly.
They don't let any other kind of music in there.
So they're passionate about what they do.
I'm just not sure what they do is right, Jason.
Agreed.
So now they're in debt about 250 grand.
And as I said, they're losing $10,000 to $15,000 a month.
Oh, my gosh.
There's Nicole. She's one of our bartenders.
You want a double, right?
- Sure. - Okay.
There's Amity. She's another bartender.
All right, it took forever, but it's a fresh cake.
Uh-huh. Thank you.
There's Will.
He's the cook.
I was told that Will...
- Uh-hmm. - ...lived in his car
- before he got this job. - Whoa.
So I'm guessing this job means a lot to him.
- Yeah. - Will, just, uh,
scratch the tacos.
We'll just say we don't have no tacos?
- Okay. - Um, because you can't you--
I mean, that's all it is, it's beef.
That's all you're gonna give 'em.
- Right. - So let me go back there
and tell them the, um, bartenders what we have.
- Oh, okay. - You know what's interesting?
- Will went to Cordon Bleu. - Oh.
- But he didn't graduate. - Oh.
But when you look at the kitchen...
- Yeah - ...it looks pretty clean
- and organized, doesn't it? - It does.
Everything is clean and fresh in the sandwich station, right?
We've seen so many yellow cutting boards,
and this one is white. It's nice to see.
It's actually white.
So we've got a pretty well-operated kitchen here...
Yeah.
...with a guy who obviously cares.
Yeah. Yeah.
So I wonder, is his food terrible?
Is it the concept that's terrible?
- Right. - Why are they losing
so much money when we see a clean,
organized kitchen,
we expect them to be making money.
Yeah, it doesn't make sense from afar.
No, it doesn't.
There we go, baby.
Here's to you.
The way he's handling himself in there,
- I don't understand this. - I don't understand either.
- I--hey, hey... - Hey.
Oh, I like it. I like it. I like it.
So Denver has one of the largest auto clubs in the country
called Poor Boy Cruisers,
- and they got 250 members... - Wow.
...that have antique and older cars.
- Very cool. - So they're nostalgia people...
- Yeah. Sure. - ...they're into their '60s
- or '70s cars. - Yeah.
Their '50s cars.
So, since this is a nostalgia bar,
I got Ryan Everly
and his girlfriend Melissa Duckworth...
- Okay. - ...to come
and do recon for us.
They go to these bars
and car shows all the time, Jason.
So I'm dying to hear what they think of this one
compared to 2the other ones they go to.
narrator: Jon spies into Rockabillies,
a cramped 2,000 square-foot space
with a U-shaped bar, a single pool table,
and a small stage for live performances.
What can I get you, guys?
Um, do you have a menu, by any chance?
- There you go. - Thank you.
Do you need like a beer less, too?
Um, or a cocktail.
- Uh, no? It's okay. - We have no cocktail.
But I can give you a beer less?
So Jim, sitting at the bar,
he's got a beer, he just took a shot.
If you are losing $15,000 a month,
- would you be doing shots? - No.
Sixty-six years old, belly up to the bar,
drinking when your business is losing,
is exactly what I wouldn't be doing.
What did you decide?
Um, we're gonna do the smoked wings.
And I'm gonna do a rumble burger.
- Yeah. - Please.
- So the place isn't dirty. - No.
The bartenders don't seem terrible.
- No. - Bar doesn't look disorganized.
- No. - Kitchen doesn't look disorganized.
No.
The concept seems completely wrong.
And it seems to me that they could
operate this flawlessly and they'd still fail.
Am, did you did a shot yet or not?
- Not yet. - I'm, I'm worried about you.
Now I'm getting worried about you.
I'm waiting for my moment. [chuckles]
You want something to go?
Jim is completely oblivious.
I don't even understand why he's here.
He's not involved. He's drinking profits away.
He's taking up a seat at the bar, which is income.
It's not helping. He's useless.
And he buys drinks for other people,
so he impedes revenue.
One more. You'll never see me again.
Hey, uh, Amity, get a shot.
You're a little off here. Come on.
- I'm a quarter low. - Low?
Don't drink the whole bottle. I'm gonna buy you a shot.
- Why don't you put it down there? - All right.
Hey, there's a girl in the house.
I'm going.
Too late, man, she's got a restraining order on you.
Jim's not doing anything
- to support the business. - No.
- Here's my girl right here. - Hi, honey.
And why is Virginia sitting here and doing nothing about it?
I'm gonna find out.
[tense music]
[indistinct chatter]
- Hey, guys. - How are you?
How are you, Ryan? How's that burger?
- Not bad. - How'd you order it?
Did you order it medium rare or?
- Medium. - Medium?
- Yeah. - That's well done, isn't it?
- That's a little bit. - Pretty well-done.
- Yeah. - So you wouldn't drive
across town for that burger, would you?
- Probably not. - And you wouldn't drive
across town for the drinks, would you?
- Probably not. - Okay. Thank you, guys.
- Thank you. - That's what I am.
- You're the one in charge, huh? - No, she is.
I'm glad to hear that,
because I've watched him for 45 minutes.
- Have four beers and one shot. - Yeah.
So I'm glad he's not in charge.
I'm with you on that.
So how many more beers you're gonna have tonight?
I don't know. I'm not done yet.
I don't drive though, so I'm good.
So no one understands,
you're going down the tubes, correct?
- Right. - And he's on his fifth beer.
- Yeah. - Does that seem right to you?
- No. - No.
So do you care that you're gonna lose everything?
I'm not losing nothing.
How you're not losing nothing?
- What happens... - Yeah.
...if this place closes, Jimmy?
- Well, I... - What happens then?
- Oh, I... - So that your 50 grand is gone?
- Right. - Right?
You close in six months. What happens then?
Um, find another bar.
Find another bar to what,
- drinking or own? - Own.
So how are you gonna buy it if you have no money?
Well, I didn't say I didn't have any money.
So you have money. She doesn't.
No.
She don't got no money left.
I don't know. I see, see--I can't have...
Because what I'm saying to him is pretty straightforward.
- Do you love her? - Yeah. I was teasing...
Do you lover her? But don't tease because this is serious.
- No. It's too late for that. - Okay?
- It's too late. - It's okay. It's okay.
Don't start digging old shit, man. I don't go for that.
- Wait, I'll talk to you any way I want... - It don't work on me.
- It don't work-It don't... - Well then, let's be serious.
- Let me tell you what's serious. - Let's be serious.
How about we go through that alley up there?
- That's serious. - Oh, really? You're gonna fight me? Come on.
No, I ain't gonna fight you. But you're gonna need a makeup crew.
- I'll tell you that right now. - I am not gonna let you-- I am not gonna let you
- divert your responsibility... - Don't start the-- don't start that yelling shit.
- ...with a joke. - I said--
- Don't start the yelling shit. - Stop. Stop. Jim. Jim.
He's impossible to deal with.
- Oh, great. - Sometimes yes. Sometimes. Sometimes.
I'm not here to make money. I'm here to make friends.
- So, so, Virginia... - Jim. Jim.
- We're talk-- it's obvious to me... - Oh, good.
- I'm doing a good job. - ...'cause when you lose the bar,
you're gonna lose your friends because they're only here 'cause you buy them drinks.
I got plenty of friends Jonny, how many you got?
- Jim. Jim. Jim. Jim. - 'Cause...
- Jim, I came here to help you. - Stop.
- Let me talk without yelling. - I am talking to a woman you love.
- If you talk without yelling... - Stop Jim.
- ...I'll listen... - Shut the hell up and listen.
Oh, here we go, man. Now see...
- Stop. Stop. - Shut the hell up and listen.
- See, here we go. - Stop.
- Listen. - Out the back.
- 'Cause... - I came here to help you.
Stop.
Well, then talk without yelling.
I am talking to the woman you love.
- Stop. Stop. - If you talk without yelling.
- I'll listen. - Shut the hell up and listen.
Oh, here we go, man. Now see...
- Stop. Stop. - Shut the hell up and listen.
- See, here we go. - Stop.
- Listen. - Out the back.
- Stop. - Bring the makeup crew.
- You definitely gonna need one... - Stop.
Listen.
- I'm listening. - Jim.
- I'm trying to talk to you. - Stop it.
You're--stop. You're yelling. Stop. Stop it.
- I wanna help you. - Okay. Stop.
- And I can help you. - Once you...
I don't wanna help him. Do you get that?
- Okay. - I want nothing to do with you.
I don't want nothing to do with you.
- You're a jerk. - Let's check out back.
I will come back to help you tomorrow.
I tell you, we'll go out back.
- I want nothing to do with him. - Go out back.
- Bring your makeup crew, you're gonna need it. - Stop.
- Stop it. - What I told you was gonna--yell.
Stop. Stop it. Stop.
You're embarrassing everybody.
[tense music]
Hey! Get this crap off me!
Stop, Jim. Stop.
- You're gonna buy me a drink... - Stop.
- ...at the Rocket? - No, Jim.
- Jim, just please stop. - I'll check it.
No, I'm already done.
I asked Jim a simple question,
and he completely lost it.
He says he's not there to make money.
He's just there to drink.
But Virginia is there to make money.
She wants her 250 back.
If Jim doesn't get on board,
Jim's going outboard tomorrow.
It has just been embarrassing.
I don't understand.
That's what alcohol does, see?
[tense music]
So when Jon came in last night, he confronted Jim
on how much alcohol he drank in a short amount of time.
And you know that we're struggling financially.
And did he care about what was going on?
And so then it kind of escalated from there.
It kind of just got louder and louder.
And Jim kind of was challenging Jon.
And then Jim left.
I was shocked to hear about last night
because I have never seen Jim get upset about anything.
It was a little embarrassing for all of us.
It was no offense to Jon, but I don't let nobody
get that close to me and start yelling.
I can't take it. So it probably wasn't right,
but I would do it again.
That's just me.
Jim, you have to sit here next to Will.
Yeah. Can I get a beer while I'm here?
No, no.
Well, this ain't gonna be fun.
Last night, Jim became completely unreasonable.
I couldn't even communicate with him.
So today I have no idea
what I'm walking into.
Hello.
- Hi, Jon. - Hi.
- Hello. - He can smile.
- I am smiling. I'm good at it. - Okay.
- I'm good at it Jon. - I like you--I'd like to see
- some of that today, maybe. - I'm good at it, Jon.
Come on over, let's talk everybody.
- Come on over. - Do you need me, too?
Sure.
I hope that Jim would support me
and listen to what Jon has to say and embrace that.
- Hi, everybody. - Hi, Jon.
- So, what's your name? - Taryn.
- And what do you do here? - Bartend.
- Bartend. Okay. - William.
William. So I've got to tell you,
I was watching you last night with my chef.
And you're good, buddy.
That doesn't mean our food can't be better.
But I was very pleased to see you all over it last night.
- Thank you. - What's your name?
- Amity. - And what do you do?
- Bartend. - Okay.
- Nicole. - And what do you do, Nicole?
- Bartend. - You work very well together?
- Yeah. - It seemed that way last night,
- right? - We all get along.
We get along, very supportive of each other.
Yeah.
What's happening here?
I mean, you can't run a bar without a manager.
You just can't.
So when there's very little communication
in between chefs, employees get mad.
The good employees don't wanna do anything
because nobody's doing anything.
They get frustrated and leave?
Super frustrated.
It makes you feel stupid for doing a good job
because you're the only one that cares.
And it's like, "Why am I doing this?"
And then you come back two days later after your days off
- and it's a mess again. - It's so bad.
So we need to fill some type of management position
while I'm here. And when I stand here,
I see some opportunity right here.
But we've got to tighten this up.
- Do you agree? - Yes, I agree.
Okay. So there's a lot of affection in this room then,
- isn't there? - Yeah.
Is there a lot of money in this room?
I wanna raise that point. Hi, Virginia.
- Hi. - How much money
have you invested into this place?
A little over 230,000.
Okay. So how much in a hole are you?
Right now, about 40.
If we don't turn this place around, what happens?
I probably got about five months of operating capital.
That's it.
[tense music]
I need this income, I rely on it.
It's a huge aspect of my life.
My bills are outrageous.
Like I need this job.
I invested all my money, every dime I made,
and so I don't wanna lose all that.
- So Jim is not an owner? - No.
But that isn't the way he acted last night.
Because what you said to me last night pretty much
is you didn't care about her losing her money.
No. I just got a little mad there.
I have a problem with people getting right on top of me.
I'm not challenging you as a man.
I'm challenging you as a husband.
And here's why.
You will sit here and you will say
this business owes you $35,000, right?
Did you know you got it back?
No.
- This I got from your staff. - Okay.
He comes in here seven days a week.
- Uh-hmm. - Has six beers a day,
- $3.75 a beer... - Uh-hmm.
...$8,190 a year,
3.5 years,
that's $30,000 worth of product
that he has consumed in your bar.
- Right. - Next.
Here is about $800 in comps that he does to people.
He comps entire checks, which is lunacy,
bar people don't do that.
You comp a couple of drinks,
but at least you get some money out of people.
Right.
This is Partender.
Partender is a beverage inventory system.
Over the past three days,
we poured $5,035 worth of alcohol.
We sold $3,650 worth of alcohol.
This is in one weekend,
$1,385 in lost sales.
In a month, $21,065.
And how much is it a year?
$252,000.
That was a crazy number.
She could have gone on 30 trips with that money.
And it's shocking.
Well, yeah. So I disagree, but anyway,
- I don't need you to come in. - You disagree with what?
You want me to follow them?
No, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that.
Do you love her?
It depends what day it is here. Not today.
So he's the kind of guy
who turns something serious into a joke
because he doesn't have the courage to face it.
- That's you. - Uh, be careful there.
You don't have the courage to talk to me, honestly.
- Be careful there. - So you turn it into a joke?
You tell me what to do, man, I told you guys,
don't do this to me.
You don't have the courage to be honest with me.
Come on. We're just going to round two.
- Be honest with me. - Jim, stop.
I asked you a simple question, do you love her,
- and you can't answer it. - I answered it.
I don't need to come in here. I don't need to come in here.
Well, right now, I'm not sure you're good for the business.
Right now you're spending money.
That's your wife's money. She's going down the tubes.
She just told you. In five months we're done.
I want her to do the best she can.
And I know you're good at it, so help her.
I don't need to come in.
I don't need to come in any more.
So you'll save it-- but I don't need to come in.
That's my point. That is me.
Everything you have on paper, that's me.
And if it's bad for the biz, I ain't coming in, Jon.
So you're not gonna support her?
I support her by leaving.
So your attitude is,
if I can't drink
and if I can't scream
and yell and be an asshole, I'm gonna leave.
Solves the whole damn problem.
and if I can't scream and yell and be an asshole,
- I'm gonna leave. - Solves the whole damn problem.
- I got to go. - Great.
I think it's a great idea for you to leave.
You're lucky. I believe him.
That's really remarkable.
I just don't like that guy. You know, if I come in and I go,
"Hey, let me get the newlywed couple a drink."
That's me. And if I can't do that,
then I won't come back. We'll have a nice, quiet drink.
I had a feeling after last night that Jim wasn't gonna make it.
If he can't contribute to his wife's success,
he should go drink someplace else.
With him gone, Virginia can step up now,
unencumbered by her husband.
She can take control with this bar.
And I'm gonna teach her how to do it.
Honestly, I'm glad he's gone
because he would be an obstacle to every step
and every change that we wanna do.
And I'm gonna build you one hell of a bar.
So this is a great opportunity, guys.
We got a lot of work to do. So let me bring in my experts.
I picked two great ones for you guys.
Come on in.
Two very dear friends of mine,
and dare I say, warriors.
Mia and I have been doing bar rescues together
- for 10 years? - Something like that.
narrator: For the bar, Jon brings in Mia Mastroianni,
a legendary bartender at Soho House, Los Angeles.
Mia has served Hollywood elite,
while also creating cocktail menus
and programs for bars across the country.
Jason Santos,
one of the greatest chefs in America.
Okay, guys, so for the next three days,
we're gonna push you hard 'cause we have a lot to accomplish.
It's all about training. Learn everything you can.
Okay? Let's go to it.
I'm okay moving forward on my own.
I need to do something for me,
and I need to keep this place open.
So we're gonna need a lot of training.
Hello, ladies.
I'm very excited to be here today.
Are you excited to see what we've come up with
- for tonight? Okay. - Yes.
So we're gonna be making a 50-50 Manhattan.
We're gonna start with one dash of aromatic bitters
and one dash of Aztec chocolate bitters.
Then an ounce and a half of sweet vermouth,
followed by an ounce and a half of bourbon.
Ice our glass there.
And I'd like to introduce you ladies
to what is known as a bar spoon.
We stir cocktails when there is no citrus.
Pour over fresh ice.
This is our 50-50 Manhattan.
Oh, I love how you're all excited about that.
Amity.
I would love for you
to make me the 50-50 Manhattan.
I mean, it is embarrassing when you realize
you don't even know how to stir a glass,
but Mia was super patient
and I think all of us really want to learn
and we've just never been taught.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
- Boom. Now... - I like the Manhattan.
You get that chocolate and it just softens it a lot.
Beautiful.
I think even more than guys will like that drink.
I think girls will like that drink too.
We have a lot of work to do, so let's get to it.
- All right. - Thank you.
[dramatic music]
All of it has been a little stressful for me.
It's either gonna make you or break you.
I am feeling very stressed.
[laughs] Yeah.
Welcome to kitchen training.
This is the cleanest, most organized kitchen
I have ever seen.
William, tell me about you.
I've worked in several different restaurants.
And Jon said, unfortunately, you were stuck in your car
- for a little bit? - Yeah. I have been living
in my car for quite a while, and--
So this job got you on your feet,
- it sort of saved you, right? - It has.
Clearly you're here because you're passionate.
You wanna be here, you have to be here.
I was looking at your menu briefly,
so I would love for you to make me
the Elvis Presley sandwich.
All right. So talk me through these steps.
Chicken breast, a handful of mushrooms.
- Jalapenos. - And jalapenos.
- Okay. - White cheddar.
It's served on a hamburger bun.
And so that is the Elvis?
- Yeah. - Just, uh, curious.
I'm asking for a friend. What makes that Elvis?
- Anything? - Nothing.
Okay. Good. At least we're honest.
So it's not bad, it's just kind of boring,
it's pedestrian. You get it at a million bars.
Let's do something here
that you can't get across the street, right?
And so I'm gonna give you
this dish for stress test tonight.
I have chicken wings here, okay?
So I did buttermilk, did ginger,
garlic, salt.
It basically brines overnight.
And here, we have cornstarch, okay?
Just take my wings, and what we're doing here,
which is unique, is we're gonna twice fry it.
[dings]
Everything that comes out of the fryer
should always get salt and pepper.
And I take my sauce, ginger garlic,
soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar,
Korean chili paste, spicy mayo.
Toasted peanuts for crunch.
Then you put the scallion threads on here,
and you have this amazing bowl.
- I love it. - Let's do this. Yeah.
- Thank you. - Thank you, Chef.
[dramatic music]
And so she's gonna take orders--
You guys do whatever you wanna do.
And then she'll be like, we need a side car,
and then either me and you will make them
and put them up there for her with, h, with this.
I think that-- that's a better plan.
Hello.
- Hi. - So?
- Hi. - Hello.
How do we do?
Um, okay. It's taken all day, but now,
I think we know what direction we need to go in.
Okay. Well, the purpose of a stress test
is to stress you guys out so we see where we fail.
It's about communications with the kitchen
and orders coming, and the flow and it's everything.
Virginia, tonight I want you to observe your bartenders
and see who you think can step up
and help you run this place.
- Makes sense? - Yeah.
Okay. Why don't you guys go get set up,
make sure you have everything you need,
we're gonna open in a couple minutes.
- Okay. - Sounds great.
My staff, I think they're ready.
I think they're excited.
I'm looking forward to tonight.
[dramatic music]
Hello!
Come on in!
- Yay! - Hi, guys. How are you?
Here's our menu. If you guys wanna skim it.
Can I have a Manhattan?
Ooh, yes. The 50-50 Manhattan.
- Manhattan. - Okay.
Sidecar.
Oh, where's the strainer, honey?
- What's happening now? - Oh, my God. I don't know.
Well, we just opened.
Bartenders are gonna get slammed,
the kitchen's gonna get slammed.
Let's see if we either make it
or we crash and burn.
But here's what's important.
Virginia needs to watch her team.
Who's the natural leader in this room
that can help her and her family
move this bar forward?
- Uh-oh. - Ooh. See, that looks--
thank you. I just-- you're pouring too--
you do half, and then half,
and you're back and forth and back and forth.
- You got a drink? - Yes, sir.
How did you pull that off?
I, I don't know. I got here early.
So you didn't get one.
You didn't get one, you didn't get one.
You got a drink, you're gonna share that with everybody?
- You get the pretty one. - No.
That does not get a garnish.
- Did you get your order? No. - I got a drink order
- but no food. - No food order yet?
Do you wanna put a food order in?
Yes. We'd like an order of wings.
Okay. Perfect.
One, two, three, four Elvis.
Five wings.
- Four Rumbles. - Holy cow.
It's gonna kill me. [groans]
Okay. I don't see any drinks out the tables.
Who's taking care of table orders?
I am.
On the bar top, please. Thank you. [laughs]
- All right. - I'm gonna have the Jim Fizz.
- Okay. - And I'll go with the sidecar.
I need another sidecar and another Manhattan.
So is this what their system is?
Yes. They're still handwriting tickets
and then implementing them into the POS.
And then the POS prints strings up here?
Well, they're still working off of their handwritten tickets.
They're not working off of any printed tickets.
- So there's no control? - No.
- Here you go. - Thank you.
What's the point of a POS system
if we do handwritten tickets?
I have no idea what they're doing.
Okay. Wings are done.
And now we get the first ticket put down.
I'm not seeing any food come out.
- What's going on? - It's like a dead stop.
We're doing one thing at a time, there's--
So we're not set up for success?
No. There's no set up--nothing.
It's like, flour down here,
burgers are down there,
he's plating over here.
So what we have going on
is we have no systems.
When you're doing prep
and cooking and plating
all at the same time,
inevitably, you fall behind.
So we're gonna crash?
- We are already going down. - Yeah.
I got a feeling I can ring this bell all night long.
- Yeah. - And nobody will come here.
[bell dinging]
Ooh, I hear the bell.
You are so using that strainer incorrectly
and I have so much to teach you.
Come on, girls. Let's go.
Oh, wait. I did that wrong.
All right. The wheels are coming off.
All right. Who ordered-- you ordered the sidecar.
Did you have the Elvis?
- No. - No?
Um, who else ordered this sidecar?
Who is Mark that had an Elvis?
- Mark. - Oh.
- Yeah. - Oh, no.
Where's your strainer? Where's your strainer?
- Oh, my God. [laughs] - Where's your strainer?
I gotta hand it to the staff.
The fact of the matter is,
they don't know what they're doing.
What is that?
- Who's that for? - I didn't make that.
They're a complete confused mess,
but rather than stressing and freaking out,
they're laughing with each other.
- You need all four. - Oh, shoot.
I stole yours. Sorry.
They're actually enjoying this.
Imagine what their attitudes will be
when they know what they're doing?
There you go, baby.
Ah, come on.
Stop pushing the burgers down.
What are our ticket times now, Chef?
Right now, we're at almost 19 minutes
on the next ticket, and it's just going on now.
It's actually scary to watch this.
So we're at 19 minutes, we're gonna be at a half hour,
- 35 minutes in no time. - Easily a half hour.
Easily. He can do it.
It's the line that's off.
Okay. I see one drink at all those tables.
Let's go, guys.
Are we allowed to make two drinks
- at one time... - Yes.
...in the same shaker? Okay.
I love what you're doing.
Let me try that before you put it out.
- Yeah, that's great. - There you go. I'm sorry.
- Glimmers of hope. - Yes.
They're also staying in focus
and when they take a minute
to think about their pour concept,
actually kind of impressive for a stress test.
Problem here is real estate,
they have the second well down there.
I don't know why they're not using it.
So sorry.
I'm all over the place.
William, you're trying your best, buddy, I get it.
But this is just not a set up that we can succeed at.
No. It's not working.
We're at 40 minutes right now for the oldest ticket,
which is unacceptable.
I'm just gonna shut it down.
And pull the plug. We gotta go to work.
- That's right. - Okay.
[bell dings]
The good news, they're terrific.
- Good. - I think they got a lot
- of learning to do. - Yeah.
But I'm gonna shut this down in a minute.
We've been getting 40-minute ticket times right now.
- Let them know we're closing. - Okay.
[bell dinging]
Excuse me.
We're gonna close for the night.
I wanna thank everyone of you for coming in tonight.
And hopefully, I'll see you again on Saturday.
We will see you again on Saturday.
- And let us redeem ourselves. - [applause]
[upbeat music]
- Hi, ladies. - Hi, Mia.
I wanna talk about stress test.
You were not maximizing your space.
You did not set up the second well.
Big, big issue.
I'm gonna teach you guys how to make multiple rounds
so that you are comfortable behind the bar.
So keeping with the theme of being timeless,
we are doing vodka gimlet.
An ounce of lime juice.
Three quarters of an ounce of simple syrup,
and two ounces of vodka.
So again, three ingredients.
[shaker shaking]
Pour over fresh ice.
With a lime wheel and then put a straw
and here we have your vodka gimlet.
Oh, my gosh.
That is good.
- Nicole. - Yes.
- Join me, won't you? - All right.
I would like you to make me a gimlet.
So how much?
Three quarters of an ounce,
- so that's a three count. - Okay.
Two, three. One, two, three, four.
Beautiful. Okay.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Oh, this is the part I'm not good at.
[laughs] Okay.
- Now I just shake it? - Uh-hmm.
Nice!
Okay. We are gonna work on strainer technique.
- It tastes the same. - Yeah.
It's delightful. Excellent job.
How do you guys feel about this menu moving forward?
I can't wait for our customers to try it.
Towards re-launch, I am gonna be looking for
consistency with recipes,
your attention to detail,
glassware technique, all of these things.
Let's set up the bar and make more drinks.
- Yeah. - All right.
To really focus today,
we're gonna go over some great new dishes.
So our first new dish,
some tenderloin steak sandwich.
A little bit of barbecue rub.
Right on the griddle,
it's gonna cook really fast.
We're gonna cook that steak like nice medium.
So I have some whipped garlic goat cheese.
Then I have an onion jam.
Some roasted peppers.
Okay. And then we'll take our steak.
Beautifully mid-rare.
Crispy fries.
It looks better, it cooks better.
- Take a bite. - Wow.
That is absolutely incredible.
Go home, get a good night's sleep.
Tomorrow is a big day.
[dramatic music]
Virginia is a very nice woman.
She's also a smart woman.
But she's not assertive.
And she's seen the failures of last night's stress test.
So today, I wanna talk with her
and I wanna build her confidence
so she's more assertive in managing her bar going forward.
- You should see your bar. - Yeah?
I'm excited.
What do you think of yesterday?
I thought it went pretty well.
I mean, I'm excited about adding some new things to the menu.
You never had signature cocktails.
- No. - And a bar program
- you could call your own. - Right.
That'll get them beer drinkers away from beer always.
It contributes almost three times more,
a cocktail, to your profits than your beer well.
Also, you can get a beer anywhere.
- Yeah. - These cocktails,
- they can only get at your bar. - Right.
What do you think of your team last night?
I think, all in all, we worked together very well.
- Very well. - Yeah, I think so too.
You know, it's interesting. During most stress tests,
they get frustrated, they get angry at each other.
They don't communicate with each other.
In the height of the pressure,
they were smiling, still laughing at each other.
That says a lot
about how they feel working with you.
But I must say, you've impressed me this week.
You are a very sharp person.
Well, thank you.
- You are. - Yeah.
You, you pick up on things extremely quickly.
I think that you're very sensitive.
I think that you have great perception.
And I think that if I give you a good bar
with all the tools in it,
I think you can take this to the Promised Land.
Well, thank you.
You know, I'm in it till the end.
You created a bar that had a nostalgic feel to it.
Uh-hmm.
I don't wanna change that.
So I'm giving you the next generation
of your vision, to seize this.
- You're a good person. - Yeah.
And I'm guessing Jim's a heck of a guy, too
when I get him calm.
Today, meeting with Jon, I feel way more confident.
I can't wait to see the look on your face.
Me too. Me too.
I know Jim and Jon butted heads,
but I think that Jim's gonna be very happy.
You know, this is for all of us.
It, it goes all the way around.
I mean, it's very stressful.
But I'm just really excited for tomorrow.
[upbeat music]
[drill whirring]
[upbeat music]
- [applause] - Hi, Virginia.
- Hi. - Hi, everybody.
Hi, Jon.
Has this been a good week for you, Virginia?
It was a tough one. Yes.
So, you guys ready for this?
- Yeah. - Yeah?
Look at the confidence on your face.
- The other night. - Yes.
Now with the training, we're ready.
I'm ready too, guys. I can't wait to show you this.
I wanted to take your vision
and create it for a whole new generation.
I wanted to take all the work and time that you guys
put into it and not change it, evolve it.
That's what I try to accomplish.
So, you ready to see this?
- Yes! Yes, yes! - You folks ready to see it?
- What do you say? - [cheers and applause]
All right. Here we go. One...
two, three!
[cheers and applause]
Look at that.
[laughing] Oh, my God!
[cheers and applause]
[dramatic music]
So I had to get you a big, bright sign.
You see this baby from the street now.
It glows.
When I got here, the original bar was a '50s concept.
- Right. - But this concept
doesn't connect with the current demographics of this town.
So, we had to move past the '50s.
'60s, '70s, '80s, that's the music that works.
So, this is a very different bar than you guys left.
- You ready to see it? - Yes.
- All right. Go ahead. - Okay.
Oh, my God!
- Oh, my gosh! - Holy shit!
It doesn't even look like the same place.
What?
I love this.
Look at the lights!
This is awesome.
Oh, look at the bulb.
Gosh you guys. I can take a nap in here.
Oh, my God.
Look at the bar!
Now our drinks have to be legit, so.
I'm completely in shock.
We got a lava lamp!
Jon definitely, um, took into account
exactly how I felt about everything.
And he just incorporated it with his vision.
I love it.
I feel like I'm dreaming.
Oh, my God. They redid the pool table!
What do you think?
- It's amazing. - I love it!
There's actually a lot more to show you guys.
So grab a seat at the bar, I wanna show you.
Take a look at a couple simple things.
We have a real work station down here
and a real work station down there.
Then I got world-class POS system called SkyTab.
- And you also have these. - Oh, yay. Great.
I don't have to run back and forth.
Then I got you PathSpot.
You put your hands underneath, you could get green light,
your hands have no bacteria
- and no viral matter on you. - What?
- That's freaking amazing. - I got Barproducts.com
to give you guys mixing sets, bar tools,
spoons, shakers, everything you could possibly need.
Then I also got you subscription of Partender.
You can do inventory in minutes
so you can really watch those costs.
- I want you making money here. - Heck yeah.
Then I got Standard Restaurant Supply
to do you plateware in the kitchen.
Some waffle irons.
And we fixed out the equipment,
straightened up the line for you in the kitchen line.
So you're set back there as well, buddy.
Then I got Ink Monstr
to produce these old-style wallpapers for me
so I could capture the era.
Then we got Paramount Audio Video
to come in and overhaul the entire audio video system.
But here's one of my favorite things.
This is an Orange Door entertainment system.
It not only has karaoke,
it has 50,000 music videos in it.
- Oh. - [laughs] Oh, wow.
And it's an automatic DJ.
It'll program your music just right.
Virginia, do you agree your existing customers
- will like this? - I think so.
If they don't, oh, well, too bad.
- I'll get new ones. - [laughter]
- Are you excited? - Yes. Very much.
So I can't wait to show everyone.
We got a bunch of customers outside.
Get a big line happy. You ready?
- We're ready. - All right.
We got a kitchen to set up, a bar to set up.
- Let's go to it. - Yay!
Hello!
- [cheers and applause] - Welcome!
What can I get for you?
A Manhattan.
What can I get you to drink?
Gimlet?
Oh, okay.
There you go.
Nice. Here's the menu.
- I'll have the Rock-a-burger. - You got it.
All right. One order of wings.
Two burgers all day.
Four steak sandwiches.
[bell dings]
[upbeat music]
We really worked on building the confidence here.
And it shows.
The two work stations
- are making a huge difference. - Absolutely.
Taryn, pretty impressive over there.
Thank you.
- Look at you. - I know, I--[laughs]
You would have never been able to do that
- just two days ago, right? - No.
- Never. - How does that feel?
Good.
[upbeat music]
Okay, guys. How are we doing?
- Tickets still coming in? - Tickets are coming in,
but they have the system and they're keeping up,
and that's all we can ask for right now.
I gotta tell you, these changes to the line
- made a big difference. - Yeah.
So we're plating up over there,
we're plating up over here. It's working.
It's a system now. It's working.
Working very well.
When I got here four days ago,
it combative from the moment I got here with Jim.
But a great staff can change anything.
Any one of these three bartenders
would make a great manager.
Now, Virginia is empowered to run her bar.
And Jim is nowhere to be seen.
- Take a look at your bar. - Yes.
- Are you happy? - Yes. Very much so.
- Very much so. - Do you feel you're more
empowered to be successful now?
- Yes. - Excellent.
- Well, congratulations. - Thank you so much.
- My work is done. - Yes. Thank you so much.
- Thank you, Virginia. - Uh-hmm.
- Thank you. - Oh, it was a pleasure.
- Good luck. - Thank you so much.
I've learned so much from Jon, so much.
He guided me and he understood
how much this means to me.
And that meant a lot to me,
that he cared enough to help me.
And I thank him.
[upbeat music]
narrator: Promotional consideration provided by:
SkyTab POS, PathSpot, Partender, Miners Saloon,
Cleaning Pros, Befort Plumbing, Paramount Audio Video Corp.,
Mile High Beverage Brothers, TiCoat, Bar Products,
Standard Restaurant Supply, Ink Monstr, Orange Door,
Colorado Budget Billiards, One Stone, and ESRI.