I came 1982 from Lebanon, straight over here.
I stay for six months, I did not like it.
Then I went back to Lebanon, then I did not like it.
Then I came back over here.
[dramatic music]
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.
-[laughter] -Yeah!
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 had been struggling
to keep up with the new landscape of our industry.
Yay!
Narrator: Now, Jon is back out on the road
and heading to Moreno Valley, California
to rescue Papa Joe's Sports Bar.
This is a new era for our country,
so we need to raise the bar and rise to these challenges.
Narrator: In 2012,
restaurateurs Joe Naim and Raja Batshon
opened Papa Joe's Sports Bar in Moreno Valley, California.
[donkey whining]
Raja, he's like a brother to me.
And he helped me a lot at the beginning
when I came to the country.
He became partner with me in the pizza store.
This is the American Dream.
Narrator: Papa Joe's was a success
and made a great addition
to the businesses the partners already own together.
Raja has a family and everybody was working,
we're working together as a family.
Narrator: After proving himself
a successful entrepreneur,
Joe's took a backseat
from the daily operation and retired.
In 2018, I decide it's about time
for me to rest and I moved to Oregon.
Narrator: But then, tragedy struck.
Oh, Jesus.
My father was the strongest man
I ever had in my life.
So when he passed, my uncle Joe, he stepped in,
you know, he became my dad.
I see Nick as like my son and Victoria like my daughter.
Of course, I feel like responsible
to take care of them.
Narrator: And Joe came out of retirement
to help Raja's kids handle the business.
So his goal was to get Nick and I in the door
to where we would then take over
and he can enjoy the rest of his life and relax.
Narrator: But without Raja, the duo's magic formula
was missing, and Joe's desire to help was a hindrance.
There's a formula to every business.
When my dad died, that dynamic went away.
Joe is great in a lot of things,
but my dad was the one to keep things afloat.
And Joe is very passionate about his business.
He's old school.
He does things his way or no way.
Joe, if you can do that, I have to finish this.
I don't do nothing. I normally watch.
You know, every idea is gonna cost me money.
If it didn't work, so I lose money.
Oh, is that a leak?
Ice machine leaking.
The top is not heating anymore.
I'm the one paying everything.
Can you bring lemons and limes, please?
I can't fill the order. I've stopped ordering.
Without trying, it's only gonna make it worse for you.
Narrator: And Papa Joe's Sports Bar
is suffering because of it.
The bar is struggling.
It's been struggling for the last few years.
We tried our best to maintain or go with the flow.
I'm losing about $5,000 every month.
But closing the bar is not about losing the money.
I'm planning to keep the bar for Victoria and Nick.
That's why it's hard for me to lose it.
Narrator: With only months away from closing
and over $200,000 in debt, Joe has made the decision
to pull back the doors, bust open the books,
and make a call for help to "Bar Rescue."
Raja, he will be disappointed if he were alive right now.
So this is Moreno Valley
in Southern California, outside of San Bernardino.
So this bar is owned by Joe, there's Joe.
A lot [indistinct]
Joe had a partner named Raja,
and Raja and Joe had a bunch
of pizza operations in the San Bernardino area
and was very successful.
Raja had a heart attack and passed away in Joe's arms.
So, that's Victoria and that's Nick.
They're Raja's kids.
So Victoria and Nick work here, trying to earn the ownership
of this bar to protect their father's legacy.
When I heard that story and then when I heard
that he's almost $200,000 in debt and is gonna close
in a few months, I had to come here.
Did you guys want anything else?
Like ranch? Oh, there's ranch?
There's Lisa, she's one of the bartenders.
And there's Lana,
she's another one of the bartenders.
Lemon lime, simple syrup?
Depending on what drink you're making?
So look at Nick working in the kitchen his father built.
He's doing everything he's supposed to be doing.
Nick is wearing gloves, the cutting board seems clean,
not a bad looking pizza.
-Hi, ladies. Welcome. -Hi. Welcome, girls.
Can we sit here?
So for recon, I got two great local bloggers,
they're huge social media influencers,
Memory and Grace.
Narrator: Jon's spies enter Papa Joe's,
a 3,000 square-foot building
with an L-shaped bar inside,
two pool tables, and nine televisions throughout.
So we asked them to go in, have a drink or two,
and give me their impression of this place.
Do you know what you wanna drink or anything?
-Um, do you have like-- -Let me--let me--
--a cocktail menu or just whatever?
-We don't have a menu up-- -Okay.
--and running at the moment.
The bar seems incredibly disorganized.
I don't know how they expect to make money like this.
-Do you make like a paloma? -Okay.
Um, I'm just gonna do a vodka martini.
-Okay. -Awesome. Thank you.
-Rock and roll. -Okay.
So the vodka martini should be pretty easy,
so should the paloma.
Let's see how they do.
[shaker shaking]
That's one enthusiastic bartender right there.
She looks like she's in pain.
[shaker shaking]
She's almost angry that she has to do it.
Okay. So there's the paloma
and there is the vodka martini.
All right. Let's see what happens here.
It's the moment of truth.
Are we still doing okay over here?
[tense music]
Taste this.
It just tastes like a sour mix.
Ooh.
Judging from the looks on their faces,
obviously this is not going well.
Look at this place.
So they're not in control of their environment.
Do you want a warm glass?
I'm just kidding.
The bar seems to be a mess.
I'm not sure anybody knows what they're doing.
We got stuff in our recycles that's not supposed to be here.
Oh, my goodness.
The kitchen seems to be on the ball
with Nick running it.
Why are they losing this money?
I'm gonna go and talk to them,
and try to figure out what the hell is going on here.
[dramatic music]
[indistinct]
[dramatic music]
Oh, man. When I saw that Jon Taffer come in,
I, I don't know why, but I got maybe scared a little bit.
-Joe. -How you doing, Mr. Jon?
-Nice to meet you. Pleasure. -Nice to meet you. Thank you.
So, let's sit for a moment.
-You had a partner, Raja? -Yes. Correct.
And you came here from Beirut, Lebanon, with nothing?
Yes. There was nothing.
And how did you meet Raja?
Well, I worked for him. He used to own a gas station.
-Then you became partners? -Yes.
And you went into the pizza business?
I open 15, 16 of them.
-Sixteen pizza places? -Yeah. I used--
-You and Raja? ---to open them and sell them,
-me and Raja, you know. -Got you.
-I was cooking-- -So you built a nice business?
Correct. And, you know,
Raja passed away almost a year ago.
Wow.
And then you have Victoria and Nick here.
Yes. Correct. Raja's kids.
Now you're trying to build this business back up.
I wanna give it-- pass it to Victoria and Nick.
So you're not here to make money,
-you're not here-- -No.
--to make a profit,
you wanna get the business in order--
Correct.
--and leave it to them healthy?
-That's it. -So this is about a lot more
than a restaurant, isn't it?
It's a family legacy.
Let's go take a look at the guys.
Let's walk around a little bit.
Okay.
[dramatic music]
Let me ask you a question. When you look at that bar,
with all the light back there and the staples removed--
-Yes. ---from the wall.
This is--this is bad.
Do you think we should be successful?
No.
So, so we got some issues here, don't we?
Correct.
Okay. Let's keep walking.
[dramatic music]
What are we doing here?
Is this the way a restaurant should look?
You see what I'm saying? And then I look back here--
-Um, obvious-- ---look at the rag--
-Yes. ---sitting on the floor.
So these guys are sitting and having a drink,
staring at a rag on the floor down here.
So these are two friends of mine.
-This is Joe. -Hi, Joe.
So Memory and Grace
are two online social influencers.
-They vlog and they have pages. -Yeah.
What did you think when you walked in?
Um, what happened?
[laughter]
Uh, in the middle of deciding what it wants to be.
Right. Yeah. It's all black and white.
I'm waiting for it to turn a little more color.
This doesn't look like a menu to me.
You know what it looks like?
This is-- it's not a menu, no. Yeah.
It looks like a flyer on a pizza box.
Correct. That's a flyer.
So do we have any menus?
-Yes. -Hi.
-Pleasure to meet you.
-Victoria? Hi. -How are you, my friend?
How are you? Nice to meet you.
-Pleasure. -Nice to meet you, too.
-So, do we have menus, too? -Yes.
So why do we give them these?
Those are our menus right now.
So we don't have another menu?
-Not currently. -Okay. Okay.
-Okay. -But this is a flyer.
But we don't have a QR code either, do we?
-No. That's something that-- -No.
-So we don't have either? ---we talked about.
-Okay. -Yes.
What else have you talked about that you haven't done?
A lot of things?
A few things.
-A few things? Because-- -Yes.
--I'm, I'm looking around and seeing something.
Like the little black paint would go a long way.
Yeah. You're right.
Some rags that weren't sitting on the floor
would go a long way.
Can I tell you why we have those on the floor?
-Why? Because there's leaks. -Because that leaks.
And you have to do something about it,
but you can't accept it like that,
because that's gonna chase customers away.
There's no sensitivity here.
-You guys get what I'm saying? -Yes.
This should be in the back of the house,
not the front of the house.
That shouldn't be here with the keg sitting there.
What are we doing here?
The place looks like a piece of shit.
So I expect it to taste like a piece of shit, right?
-Yes. -And it's all a reflection
upon your dad's legacy.
So what would he say if he saw me
saying this to you right now?
He would agree with you.
He'd tell you to get your shit together
because you're not gonna have a future if you don't.
[dramatic music]
So who runs this place?
We all kind of just been helping...
Who's the boss?
[dramatic music]
-Hi. -Hi.
-Who's your boss? -Him.
-He's your boss? Okay. -He's my boss.
If he's not here, who's your boss?
Technically...
You don't know, do you?
I'm just trying to determine
if there's a chain of command here
and people know what it is.
And your hesitation tells me
that people don't quite know what it is.
-Perhaps so. -Fair?
-Fair. -Okay.
So, if they don't know you're the boss,
you can't act like the boss and you can't change anything.
So it's not their fault, it's your fault.
[dramatic music]
So it's not their fault, it's your fault.
And if they're still thinking you're the boss,
then she's not stepping up, is she, Joe?
No.
You deserve better than this. This is a disappointment, Joe.
And her father would say the same thing, wouldn't he?
-Yes. -Don't smile at me.
This is serious shit.
-Sorry. -I want you to be angry.
-Okay. -Because you [bleep] this up.
Jon Taffer came in
and he told me what I needed to hear.
Okay. Let's get your brother right here.
I'll go--let's go back there.
I've been so caught up in stuff that I didn't
even notice the little things that matter.
The way that he talked to me, it was tough love.
And I understand what he--what he's saying.
You're doing everything right,
-as best as I can see it. -Thank you.
So you're running a pretty tight kitchen back here.
I can't say that for you.
She's still learning a lot of the business.
I've been in it since I was a child with Joe.
-Do you believe she can do it? -Yes.
-Okay. -She's my little princess,
-my little sister. -She is?
-Yes. -Okay. So she'll fight for it?
Oh, yes. And her son, yes.
-Okay. And you have a son? -Yeah.
-I do. -What's his name?
His name is Ezra.
-Ezra. How old is Ezra? -He is seven.
Oh. So then when I'm beating you up--
-He's home. ---you know why.
-Yes. -Okay.
-I'm doing this for you-- -Yes.
--not against you. We got a lot of work to do.
Get this bar organized tonight--
Right.
--get that table the hell out of here.
Get it setup so when I come in here tomorrow,
we can dive in and go to work.
-Okay. -Okay?
All the employees are gonna be here tomorrow?
-Dive in, okay. -Yes. And if not,
then they're not a part of the team, they can go.
That's the Victoria I wanna see.
-Yeah. -Standards.
-Yeah. -Yes!
-That's how you win! -Yeah.
And she hasn't been doing that, has she?
Okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow.
-Thank you. -We work hard tomorrow.
-I appreciate you, my friend. -Okay.
-Thank you. -Goodnight.
Obviously, this bar and the legacy
of Raja means very, very much to this family.
There's a lot wrong in there,
but tonight's not the night for screaming.
Tomorrow, I'm gonna come in here aggressively
and put them on the right track.
[upbeat music]
After last night, I felt like tired,
but today, this morning, I feel very good.
-Hi, guys. -Hi.
-Hi, Joe. -Hi, Nick.
It's crazy what happened yesterday, huh?
I hope you wake up a little bit.
-Oh. -Her wake up?
You wake up.
He, he, he shook me up a little bit.
I'm, I'm fine. I told her, you know,
-before, it's her and Nick. -Your guys' bar.
It's gonna be your business, your future.
-Ezra's future. -Time to pass.
-Yeah. -Show me the future.
All right. You gotta trust in us
-to show you the future, too. -You know you have my trust.
I feel happy for Victoria to wake up
and, you know, uh, see the reality.
If you wanna be something, you have to work for it.
I was saddened last night
to hear the story of this family of Joe,
of Raja dying in Joe's arms,
of Joe taking care of Raja's children
and trying to leave this bar to them.
This is an amazingly compelling story,
but it's also an incredibly bad bar.
-Hello. -Hi.
-Are you guys ready to do this? -Yes.
-Welcome to Papa Joe's.
Okay. We got a family to save here, don't we?
-Yeah. -Okay, let's get to it, guys.
Come on over.
So I got to get them aligned.
I got to find out why we're doing so badly.
And I got to get this team working together
to make this place look like a great pizza operation.
-Hi. -Hi.
-What's your name? -Lisa. Lisa.
Lisa, nice to meet you. How long have you worked here?
-Three months. -Okay. So you're pretty new?
-Yeah. -And what do you do here?
-I bartend. -Okay. Do you like it here?
I like that it's family.
-They're good people. -Uh, they are.
I mean, they, they mean well.
They're always trying to help us.
-Good. That's what should be. -Yeah.
-So they appreciate you? -Uh-hmm. Yeah.
Yeah. And your name?
-Abel. -Abel.
-Yes. -How long have you been here?
-Roughly six months. -And what do you do here, Abel?
-Yeah, I'm a bartender. -Bartender as well.
-Yes. -Okay.
So, Nick, you're alone in the kitchen?
-Yes, sir. -Seven days a week?
That's my--that's my home. That's my baby.
-Never breaks. -Well...
Because you have to live your life, too.
Yeah. I got a, uh, 17-year-old daughter.
She loves to work with Dad since she was little.
-What's her name? -Layla.
-Layla? -Yes.
-Uh-huh. -She's my everything.
So how amazing would this be, Joe,
if you can turn this over to them,
and years from now, Layla and Ezra get it?
-Yes. -Yeah.
-That's our goal. -Isn't that the goal?
-Yeah. -To turn this and create
-this family legacy-- -Yes, sir.
---and keep it going? -Yes, absolutely.
-Because you light up. -Oh, yeah.
-This is our family's-- -When you talk--
you light up when you talk about Ezra.
-So-- -Uh-hmm.
--this is all about family, isn't it, Joe?
-Yes. -Correct.
Yeah. And you never had any children?
-I have them. -Yeah.
So they really filled your life, didn't they?
-Oh, yeah, of course. -Yeah.
This is more important than the four walls of this business.
-You guys agree? -Yeah.
-This is a legacy here. -Uh-hmm.
We have to make this work. You guys agree?
-Yup. -Yes.
So, here is the bad part of this.
When I walk in here, just,
the place looks disorganized to me, right?
It doesn't look professional to me.
-No. -And as professional
as you guys might act behind the bar,
when the backdrop isn't professional, you aren't.
-You with me? -Yeah.
So you know better, Joe, when I pointed to--
-Yes. Correct. Yes. ---these things last night,
-you knew better. -Yes.
-And you knew better, too. -Yes.
But I'm here to fight for a legacy.
But you didn't.
You walked by that stuff, and you walked by that stuff,
and you knew.
Are you tired?
Well, uh, in a way, yes, I'm tired.
-Yeah. -So you're maybe half in?
Probably not half. Less than half in.
-Less than half in? -Yes.
Okay. But since you have one foot in the pool,
she can't step in, can she?
-No. -Because you are still here.
-Correct. -Lana, when I asked you
last night who your boss is.
-I asked you for this reason. -Right.
Because I was curious to hear what you would say.
-Yeah. -And you said Joe's your boss,
but your boss is only half in.
-That doesn't work, does it? -No, it doesn't.
So whoever runs this place needs to be all in.
Correct.
And there needs to be a structure here
that makes sense for everybody.
How much money are we losing a month, Joe?
Around $5,000.
Five? That's a lot of money, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
How much more time do we have?
Maybe six months.
-And then that's it? -Maybe less, and that's it.
Maybe less. So, guys,
we're fighting for our lives here.
So everything matters.
Every dollar matters.
When Joe said that there was six months left
till we could possibly close, that for one broke my heart,
two, I didn't know it was that close to happening,
which really makes me sad because this is my life.
I've done it since I was a child.
I'm shaky over it,
just the thought of it.
So I want you guys to see what's going on at your bar.
And this is gonna be a real eye-opener for you.
So I brought Partender in.
Partender is a company that comes in and they weigh
every liquor bottle behind the bar.
We then compare what's been used
-to what's been sold. -I like that.
And we wanna see what the gap is.
-You with me? -Yes.
So, we poured
$10,743 worth of drinks.
We collected...
Oh, my goodness.
Seven thousand seven hundred ninety-nine.
Wow.
-Over three days? -Hold on.
You haven't even seen the wow.
The gap is $2,944 in three days.
Now, that's $22,000 a month.
How much for the year?
Two hundred sixty-eight thousand.
That's more than you have invested in the entire business.
-Yeah. -Wow.
[tense music]
How much for the year?
Two hundred sixty-eight thousand.
That's more than you have invested in the entire business.
-Yeah. -Wow.
-A large percentage
of the profit you're making in a kitchen
are literally going down the drain in the bar.
Wow.
So let me get my experts in here.
My Uncle Joe tells me all the time
we're losing money, but I never saw it.
And then when Jon had mentioned that,
it just killed me because Joe doesn't deserve that.
And I'm part of the equation.
Alex is a great mixologist, but Alex infuses fun.
Narrator: For the bar,
Jon brings in mixologist Alex Goode.
Alex has served as brand ambassador
for several major spirits labels
and has won cocktail competitions around the globe.
His mission is to deliver a dinner and movie experience
to guests, by ensuring his bartenders
are as unforgettable as the drinks they served.
The best pizza, in my opinion, comes from where, Frank?
New York.
Narrator: For pizza recipes, Jon brings in Frank Pinello,
a New York City pizza legend,
who had worked at some of the most
well-regarded pizzerias in the country.
He also owns and operates his own establishment
in Brooklyn, Westgate, and Long Island.
Okay, we got a lot of work to do. Let's go to it.
-Yeah. -Okay.
[upbeat music]
[bell dings]
-Hello, everyone. -Welcome.
Welcome to the pizza party.
I didn't get a chance to see anybody's skills
during the recon night, but we're gonna use
this training to see where everyone's skills are at.
I'm really excited about them tasting these drinks,
and I think they're gonna love them.
So our main goal here
is to take a look at what we're doing.
See what we could do better,
uh, maybe being a little bit more communicative,
a little bit more supportive.
They're gonna be kicking up some amazing food back there.
So we wanna make sure that we kick it up in the front.
So first, fancy mule mug,
half ounce of lime juice,
ounce and a half of lemon chiller,
one half ounce of vodka.
I'm going to ice my Amalfi Mule to the top.
And finally, I'm gonna top this with ginger beer.
Give this a light stir.
Top this with a little bit more ice to seal the chill.
Garnished with some candied ginger.
And there you have your Amalfi Mule.
Not too sweet, not too dry.
It's gonna wash down that pizza very nicely.
I, I could drink that like water.
Yeah, that's delicious.
Tonight is the stress test.
This is all you're serving tonight.
I believe in you. See you guys tonight.
We appreciate you.
-Hello. -How are you?
What's going on? Ciao.
I'm ready to hear what we need to do
and how we need to change the place.
I love to learn.
So I'm excited about it, really excited about it.
So overall, you have some really good pizza.
Now we wanna add some fresh items to the menu.
I want to show you something that we came up with,
but it's with all your ingredients.
It's called a panuozzo.
So the bread could be cut ahead of time.
We're gonna go in with the pesto aioli on one side. Right?
The aioli also acts as a guard
so the bread doesn't get soggy.
So now, we go straight to the arugula.
From there, we're coming over to the prosciutto,
the Parmesan.
This is it.
Take a bite and tell me what you think.
-Oh, that's amazing. -Less is more.
We have a lot of work to do tonight,
so we'll teach you guys a little bit more
about the sandwich and take it from there.
[upbeat music]
Okay. Who needs to run this place tonight?
-Victoria. -Victoria.
-Yes. -Okay.
Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna take 10 pizza boxes.
I'm gonna put them in the middle table.
Any time we don't get it right,
-I remove a box. -Yeah.
You're with me?
And, Victoria, this is your team.
Get us ready for this. Okay?
Okay.
Here we go. Here we go.
Oh, here it goes, Joe.
Come on, guys. Welcome to Papa Joe's.
Come on.
Good to see you. Hey.
Hi, Joseph. Hi, guys. Welcome.
Do you want a mule?
-Yup. -All right.
Did you wanna put it in a food order?
-Thin crust. -Thin crust Pepperoni?
How are you feeling about your mise en place?
Uh, I'm a--I'm, I'm ready.
Oh, my God. I'm already lost.
-Two mules and a Good Fella. -No. Two Good...
No. Two Good Fellas and one mule.
Okay. Got it.
-Mule, okay? -Yeah.
-Five. -Five mules.
Today is gonna be wild, but we're gonna make it through.
-Any orders yet? -Nothing yet, Jon.
-Nothing yet? Wow. -No.
Nothing from the printer at least.
So, Victoria,
-nobody's put a food order yet. -Not yet.
-They got to be selling food. -Yes.
So they should be taking those orders
-and getting them back there. -Okay.
Well, five mules right here.
Make sure you get food orders, okay?
-A thin crust pizza. -So this one.
-Oh, my God. -What are you doing?
I'm, I'm going crazy a little bit.
-What are you making? -The Good Fella.
The Good Fella.
Alex, talk her through the Good Fella.
-You know the Good Fella. -I know.
He's the one waiting for the drink.
So did you all order drinks?
-Yes. -We did.
-But you only got two? -Yes.
So, we blew this table, didn't we?
Because the four of you should have come out at once.
Okay, we're pulling a box.
We're not sequencing right, one box down.
[tense music]
-And another mule? -One dead soldier.
-Who made that? -This is on Lana.
Lana. Okay. One down. Another mistake, another box.
Down to eight.
So how do you like watching him drink his drink
-when you don't have one? -I want one.
Of course, you want your frickin' drink.
That's not cool.
And you don't wanna drink your drink
because she doesn't have one, right?
So, so the whole situation is completely [bleep] up,
just because they didn't bring
the right drink for the right table.
-Uh-hmm. Yeah. -So, this is a failure.
-You agree? -Absolutely.
All right, man. I'm pulling another box.
Four people at the table, one drink comes out.
What are these?
Victoria, we have to time this better.
I have a table with four people that--
-Okay. ---got two drinks,
a table with four people that got one drink.
Okay, I'm gonna handle it.
So this isn't going out by the table.
I don't understand what's happening here.
All right.
We never got hit with food orders.
Not yet.
Lana, did you put any food orders in?
-Yes. -You did?
But they don't have them.
I'm told Lana put a few in.
You don't have any?
-Nothing. -We have a big problem.
-Okay. -Lana says she put
three orders in, but there's no orders
in the kitchen from anyone.
We sent them. Let me check.
You have to verify it. Something is not right.
Hey, they're not getting any of the orders
through the system.
Do you know what pizzas are in, which ones?
I will go get exactly written it down.
-No drink for you? -No drink.
Straight up.
If this wasn't me, if this wasn't going on,
would you be walking out of here now?
-Absolutely. -And in essence, they blew it.
-Yes, sir. -Another box gone.
There's a problem with the printer.
You need to actually physically print
and we need to take it to the back.
When this man gets a drink, it's victory for me.
I mean, I've been dealing with you now for 10 minutes,
so this is my victory right here.
Can we somehow, somehow get this table served?
Have you guys gotten your four drinks?
Yes, you did. Hurray!
How long till they got theirs after you had yours?
Ten minutes.
Another mistake. Another mistake.
And this poor guy still doesn't have his frickin' drink.
We can't get our timing right.
Now I had you plated up.
-Oh, perfect. -How many orders did we get?
Right now, we have about at least 10.
Look at this pizza, right? Beautiful.
-Yeah. -Beautiful.
Thank you, sir. Thank you.
You're doing an excellent job, Jon.
Okay.
We need the tickets.
Looked like we were doing good
and now we're completely unraveling.
We were doing great and then we weren't.
-Yeah. -Five, five, five.
Where's my pizza?
[tense music]
-You're good, right? -We're good.
-About time, my man. -Okay.
-You guys ordered pizza, too? -All right.
You guys, we're gonna go through this whole [bleep] thing
all over again.
-All right? Okay. -Yeah.
I put the first orders in.
I put all the first orders in.
Those are my pizzas.
[tense music]
We're down to four boxes.
-Jon. -Another one dumped.
Another box. Now we're down to three.
[tense music]
-Do we have more food? -Yeah, my [indistinct]
And this is a lot of people without food.
Yes. The tickets were taken back there.
I mean, like [indistinct]
Something is not right, Joe, right?
Look at all the people without food,
but we don't have enough cooking.
-Yeah. -So something is not right.
There's two food orders with no tickets.
I don't have any orders.
You got your drink. You didn't get any, any pizza?
-Uh-uh. Not yet. -No.
We're down to one box.
There was a good system going,
and all of a sudden these tickets multiplied like rabbits,
I don't understand what happened.
-I know. -Jesus Christ.
[upbeat music]
Who's still waiting for pizza? Look at this.
-Do we know what's happening? -[indistinct]
Does somebody know what's happening?
Look at this.
If I had 10 more boxes,
I would throw them all right now,
because we don't even have the pizza orders in the kitchen.
How many of you still don't have your pizza?
Guess what?
The order never went into the kitchen.
[gasps]
They had a service problem
and management sort of lost control of this, Victoria.
And now they haven't even started making your pizzas.
Now they're trying to figure out what's going on
and hopefully they'll get your order in.
-How do you feel about that? -I'm about to go.
We completely fell apart here.
All right, guys, let's close this up.
All right, guys.
First of all, I wanna say thank you
for everybody for showing up.
I do apologize. It was a little crazy and chaos.
I would love it if you guys came again.
And like I said,
I do apologize from the bottom of my heart.
We will get this together
and we will get it right next time.
I do apologize.
I'm not necessarily, you know, happy.
We had a plan.
We tried to execute the plan.
We kind of just went all over the place.
There definitely has to be better communication.
[dramatic music]
[upbeat music]
Last night, I saw absolute chaos behind the bar.
Victoria, how do you think last night went?
-Wild. -Good word.
It was complete anarchy.
-It was a good wakeup call. -Absolutely.
We are lacking leadership behind the bar.
You're a great bartender.
You have the potential to be a great manager.
I don't know that you can do both at the same time right now.
Additionally, we're lacking systems.
We're lacking some fundamentals.
Lana, you were awesome last night.
-Thank you. -Abel, you were a machine
and that serve as well. As a whole though,
the drinks weren't as accurate as they should have been.
I wanna make sure that they're nailing these recipes.
And I wanna make sure they understand
why it's important for us to elevate the cocktail program.
This is called the Calabrita Shot.
So, one-half once of lime juice.
One-half ounce Calabrian chili infused agave syrup.
One ounce tequila.
Going to ice my mixing glass to the top.
Nice little shake.
I'm gonna strain this into my shot glass.
And I'm going to garnish this with...
a pink salt shred lime wedge.
This is the Calabrita Shot.
It's beautiful.
The bar training with Alex went very well
and I'm very excited for some of our new drinks,
especially that shot.
Ooh, that kick back.
-I'll have two, please. -Two, please?
He gave it at the perfect mix of sweet and spicy.
I'm really looking forward to giving it to customers.
I know they're gonna be happy.
I'm super excited about them.
I think you guys are, too, right?
-Yes. -I love it.
Okay. I have to see you at re-launch.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
[dramatic music]
Last night, I saw two things.
The amazing love of a family
and the complete failure of a business.
-Hi. -Hi.
Victoria needs to run this place effectively
and Joe needs to be a meaningful mentor
for this business to be successful.
And we need to talk about that today.
I wanna talk about last night.
What do you think happened last night?
Oh, my gosh. It was--it was chaos.
I can't manage and bartend at the same time.
-You can't manage-- -So, I learned that--
---when you're looking down. -Yeah.
Here's what I learned last night.
When I noticed that we only had five or six
pizzas cooking in the kitchen,
-but we had 20 tables. -Right.
I saw we had a problem,
-right, Joe? -There was. Yes.
-Right. Yes. -You didn't see that.
I didn't see it right away.
-You're right. -And that's the trick.
So, you have to stay ahead of this.
-Yes. Yes. -So if you see three tables,
-go orders in-- -Yes.
--just run in the back and make sure he's got three tickets.
-Exactly. -And stay ahead
-of these, Victoria. -Yes.
Understanding that flow.
The first place I would have gone was to Nick.
The problem wasn't the POS system.
-Yes. -The problem was pizzas
coming out of the kitchen.
Let me solve that. Let me get him going.
-You agree, Joe? -Yeah. Yes, 100%.
And that would have given him a 10-minute head start.
-Yes. -They need some tough love
from you sometimes, Joe.
They're gonna lose this place
if you don't keep their standards high.
-Yes, sir. -Yeah.
-Right, Nick? -Yes, sir. Yes.
So be her eyes and ears,
and bust her
-if it isn't right. -Yeah. Yes.
You have one job
-as the leader. -Okay.
One thing, maintain standards.
-You fight for those standards. -Ooh-wee.
You have to be the queen of those standards.
-You get this? -Yes, I do.
I want you to know I really believe in you.
Aww.
-You have the personality-- -Wow.
--the love in your heart,
I mean, you are a really good person,
you deserve this success.
-Thank you. -Fight for those families
and feel great about it every night when you go home.
-Thank you. -Okay?
You feel the same way, don't you?
I do.
And you got something to fight for, buddy.
Absolutely. Uh-hmm. Thank you so much.
What do you think, Joe, when we have this discussion?
This is my last adventure.
I'm not gonna do nothing anymore.
No open no more business. I wanna relax.
-Yes, sir. -So, it'll be yours.
Your, your future.
To see you actually be able
to retire is everything.
-I love you. -Okay?
Okay. Thank you, Joe. We love you.
I know it's emotional moment.
-I feel it. -So, there is a formula
for success at this table that is very special.
-Yeah. -Very special.
Now seize it together.
-Yeah. -Thank you.
Okay? Okay, guys, I got a bar to build.
I feel that Victoria understands her role now
to protect those standards.
Nick has her back,
and Joe can give that tough love
as a mentor that Victoria needs
to lead this restaurant for the next generation.
You're gonna be cooking a lot of pizza tomorrow.
Bring it on. I love it.
-Okay. -I love it.
-I'll see you guys tomorrow. -Thank you. It was a pleasure.
-Thank you. -Bye-bye.
[dramatic music]
[upbeat music]
[equipment whirring]
[crowd cheering]
Hi.
Hello!
[crowd cheering]
How you feeling, Joe?
Great.
I've been looking forward
to coming to do this rescue for weeks.
When I heard the story of your family,
it's an unbelievable story.
This is one of the most noble rescues I've ever done
for one of the greatest families I've ever worked with.
These people are unbelievable.
[crowd cheering]
Yeah.
This bar is about a family legacy.
It's about you handing it down to the next generation
and then you hopefully handing it down
to the next generation again.
So this was never about a bar.
This was always about a family.
One thing I know,
Raja is watching us right now, isn't he, Victoria?
-Hell yeah, he is. -Yes.
This has been a rough week for you in a way, hasn't it?
Yeah, very emotional.
Yeah. I was a little tough on you the first night?
Yes.
Not as tough as I could have been though.
But my dad's biggest thing was tough love.
-So thank you for that. -Yeah.
Thank you.
Now, Joe has to be that tough love, right?
-Yeah. -You all deserve this so much.
Okay, here we go. Ready?
Give me a little noise here, folks.
Here we go.
One, two, and three!
[dramatic music]
One, two, three!
[crowd cheering]
[dramatic music]
-Yes! -Oh, my God.
Gave us a new look.
New look.
Come here.
Hi, daddy.
This is Layla, my baby.
Look at that.
I know. I know.
That's yours.
Are you okay?
Oh, I love it so much.
I knew you would. Family, right?
The next door has Ezra's name on it.
-Do you like it? -Thank you very much.
-Do you like it? -Yes.
-Hi, Layla. -Hi.
What do you think?
I'm, uh, out of words.
I'm speechless about this.
Well, you've been making pizza for a long time, right?
-This will be yours one day. -Thanks to this man right here.
[crowd cheering]
Even though it's Layla's, we can still have
-Joe's Famous, can't we? -Yes.
-That's right. -So your name
-doesn't disappear. -Never.
You live on
in this concept as you should.
Never, never. Thank you.
So a whole new outside,
a new logo, a new brand, a whole new beginning
for you guys.
You guys deserve a great, great restaurant,
a great bar. You ready to see it?
-Yes. -We're ready.
-Go ahead. -Let's go.
[crowd cheering]
Oh, my God.
A bar?
Abel, get the other door.
Oh. Ooh.
Oh, my God.
-I love the bricks. -Oh, my God.
Wow.
And we still have Tuesday nights.
Look at the bar, dude.
Now, I wanna come and eat with my family.
Sorry, Joe.
TVs, TVs, TVs, TVs.
I love it, really. It's a--
I cannot express my feeling now, you know,
this is one moment families wanted in life, you know?
That's the one in the mountains with Dad.
Yeah.
And Layla and Ezra.
Oh, right.
Oh, my God.
They're so nice.
What do you think?
Beautiful.
-You like it, Joe? -Yes. Beautiful.
-Thank you very much. -Feels good?
Yes. Thank you very much.
-You're awesome. -You like it, buddy?
-Feel good? -Beautiful.
And come on, grab a seat at the bar.
I wanna show you guys everything.
Jon did an amazing job.
It screams family.
How about these barstools?
-I like them, very comfortable. -Yeah.
I got you PathSpot. I love this.
When you wash your hands, Victoria
you put them underneath here.
If you get a red light, wash them again.
-Okay. -Oh, I got you SkyTabs.
-Oh, wow. -Nice.
So, you take it to the table, you put the order
in right at the table, swipe the credit card,
and you're not running back and forth,
back and forth, back and forth.
I got BarProducts.com
to give you guys everything you need.
Mixers, shakers, strainers,
every piece of equipment you could want
we've got for you back here.
And then I got Dress The Drink
to give you guys really cool garnishes.
And remember those Partender numbers?
We can't forget about those numbers.
So I got you a subscription to it.
And oh, Nick.
-Oh. -Nice.
Nice. Nice.
Boy, do you deserve this.
-What do you think, buddy? -I love it.
What would your dad say right now if he saw you
-holding that in front of you? -Oh, my God.
He would be so proud.
-Thank you so much. -But do me a favor, Nick.
Walk over to that table.
That's Joe's favorite table right there.
-Right? -That's mine too.
What did it say on that table?
There's a little plaque there. What does it say?
In loving memory of Raja Batshon,
my father.
So now when you sit, you look at his name on that plaque.
-Yes. -He's sitting with you, Joe.
-Right? -I love it.
He'll be sitting with you forever.
You guys are warriors.
But, Victoria, you lost that fight a little.
You got it back now.
I can tell you sure do.
-You ready to lead this? -Yeah.
-Let's get 'em back. Okay? -Yes.
All righty. Let's set up the kitchen.
Let's get the bar set up. We open in just a few minutes.
Awesome. Thank you.
[upbeat music]
You guys ready?
[crowd cheering]
Layla first.
Layla.
-Hi, guys. Welcome. -Here we go.
Oh, my God.
It's crazy, huh?
Unbelievable.
What can I get for you?
I think I'm going to have a Good Fella.
The Good Fella? All right.
You wanna do a mule.
So, three mules and one Good Fella.
Which one did you want? Some pepperoni.
Let's get a mule.
You got it.
That's another margarita. Okay.
Just focus on getting that dough stacked up.
-One Calabrita Shot. -So, two meals,
-we've got a good deal. -What can I get for you, sir?
If you have three tickets with pinwheels,
I'll take all these.
I am so proud of Victoria.
She has stepped up.
She's managing the food in, managing the food out.
She's on top of the bar systems, the kitchen systems.
She's running this place.
She has taken the baton.
Nick is just nailing it in the kitchen.
Food's flying out. The quality is perfect.
The bar has even caught up.
So we're sailing through.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
Unbelievable, Abel.
[applause]
The man's a rock star.
Great team. Good training.
And look at how they all stepped up.
[upbeat music]
-Are you feeling good, Joe? -I'm feeling great, man.
-Thank you. -How proud of you of him?
Oh, I'm very proud. I'm very proud
because, you know, not just me, Raja watch them too.
Well, you gave us the torch tonight, so...
-Okay. Go for it. -He did.
We keep it up like this for you.
-My work is done. -Yes.
This is all up to you now.
But I want that hug.
Yeah. I better see you again.
Oh.
-Can I have a hug now for real? -Of course. Of course.
Thank you so much. Thank you.
Thank you. Now, I got to get to work.
You got to get to work. So do you.
-Make us proud, guys. -Thank you. Thank you.
Yeah, Joe.
[upbeat music]
Narrator: Promotional consideration provided by
Partender, PathSpot, SkyTab POS,
RT Olson Plumbing, Bar Products, Axis Apparel,
Downtown Experiment, The Manville Group,
One Stone, and Esri.