Is it easy or is it harder than you actually thought?
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 that I've ever seen before.
But now, in a post-pandemic world,
restaurants and bars are seeing a massive surge in business...
[laughter]
...and a customer base that has a much
higher expectation for quality food and drinks.
I'm 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.
[cheers and applause]
Narrator: So, now, Jon is back
out on the road and heading to Nampa, Idaho
to rescue Firehouse Sports Pub.
This is a new era for our country,
so we need to raise the bar
and rise to these challenges.
[upbeat music]
Narrator: In 2008,
former electrical technician, Dave Olsen,
used his retirement savings
to open Firehouse Sports Pub.
I knew that my job was going overseas.
I thought, "Hey, there's a lot of money in the bar business."
The Firehouse name came from my brother and friends.
My little brother's a fireman currently.
There's actually some older antique stuff
that have been donated to us, so that's kind of really cool.
Firemen are absolutely incredible people.
You can't get any better people than that.
So I pulled a report and it looked like
24% down for the month.
Owning a bar is way different
than being an electrical technician.
I thought there was gonna be millions of dollars in the bar.
Boy, was I very disappointed.
Narrator: Dave's lack of knowledge of the bar business
was immediately apparent.
The Firehouse has never made any money
and so I had to go back into construction
to make sure that I could keep the lights turned on here.
Narrator: Because of Dave's time away from the bar,
his staff went untrained and struggled
to maintain a consistent bar program.
In the management role, I don't get a lot of direction,
so I just kind of roll with it.
Dave makes my job challenging in a lot of ways.
Make sure you're locking the doors.
Holy crap. I can't reiterate that enough.
This is a joke of a lock.
Narrator: And Dave's choice in interior decoration
did little to attract any new customers.
We just cannot have some random
firehouse memorabilia hanging on the walls.
I think Firehouse has a lot of potential.
It doesn't have a niche yet
and I think that's what's missing.
We have like no one that comes in here anymore
besides the regulars.
Some firefighters come in but not as much as they used to.
Narrator: A series of health problems and personal losses
further the decline of both Dave and his business.
I was depressed and I had to step away.
Dave wasn't doing very well.
Besides that, there were some family things that happened.
I lost my dad to cancer.
Narrator: Now, Firehouse Sports Pub
is losing over $3,000 a month,
with Dave sinking into $300,000 worth of debt.
We need to get our numbers up. Yeah.
You put your heart and soul into something and it fails,
that's not a good feeling.
Narrator: With just two months left before closing,
Dave has decided to pull back the doors,
bust open the books, and make a call for help
to "Bar Rescue."
It's to the point, we're at a crossroads.
Something has to change.
So here we are, buddy.
This is the Firehouse Sports Bar.
Right now, we're about a half hour
out of downtown Boise.
When you look at a bar like this
and you hear firehouse, they got pools.
-Is there anything there... -There's nothing there
-that says it. -Not one piece at the bar?
At all.
Narrator: For the bar,
Jon brings in Derrick Turner,
a mixologist from New York City,
who's named a top 10 bartender by Timeout Magazine.
Derrick has worked with both craft spirit brands
and major breweries across the country.
You know, I did a rescue years ago
in Sunnyside, New York, Queens, Jack's Firehouse.
And when you do a bar and you name it
-after a firehouse... -That's something.
-...you better be respectful... -Yeah.
...in the way you do it.
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God.
Look at that! Oh!
Looks incredible.
When we did Jack's Firehouse,
every wall was about respecting
the job that they did.
-None of that is here. -No.
So there's Dave.
Dave's the owner.
You were tasting it.
I wasn't tasting it. I was tricking you.
Dave actually bought this building
and has lost almost $300,000 since.
So that's a lot of investment just down the drain.
But here's the kicker.
His father and his sister
-both just died of cancer. -Oh.
A couple years ago, he got sick himself.
-Wow. -So the guy
is stressed to the max.
He's worried about his health and his future.
His wife, Victoria,
-she's worried about that. -Yeah, naturally.
The bar and their lives all seem to be unraveling.
And that stress will eat you up easily.
You got a really cool boss. I know the guy.
Yeah. M'Lisa's awesome.
M'Lisa? Oh. [chuckles]
There's M'Lisa.
She's a bartender and a manager.
Now, M'Lisa feels that Dave doesn't trust her.
If there's an issue there, we gotta sort it out together.
There's Heather.
-She's a bartender. -Yup.
And there is Linda.
Linda's the bookkeeper.
She's been here for many, many years.
Now, I mean, I just want you to look at this guy
and you tell me if this is a man dressed for success.
He's wearing a brown t-shirt,
gray-blue camouflage shorts, and cowboy boot.
Look at this guy.
Let's listen to Dave for a couple seconds.
[crowd chatter]
Sweet. Now who's gonna buy the next round?
-You? -Oh. No, it's tomorrow.
I already told you tomorrow.
Okay. He's hospitable and nice.
Good intentions, but he doesn't seem quite sure
about anything, right?
So for recon tonight, I got us two firehouse captains.
Oh, that's big.
So Frank runs the local firehouse.
He's the captain. He's been doing it for over 20 years.
And Anne is the first female captain in Idaho.
So I can't wait to see what Anne and Frank think
as fire captains when they walk into this bar.
Narrator: Jon's spies at their Firehouse Sports Pub,
a four-thousand-square-foot space with six pool tables,
a short straight bar with a single well,
and a cold storage area behind the back wall.
What can I get started for you guys?
Could I have a Hawaiian steam tower?
-Yeah. -Thank you.
Do you guys make a paloma?
Yeah. I can do a paloma.
That'd be awesome. Thank you very much.
Oh, so she's doing fresh juice right there.
She doesn't have it premade.
Okay. So, at least, they have some orientation
-to quality. -Some--exactly.
Some new faces?
-Yeah. -You look like a fireman.
I am a fireman.
-[chuckles] -Yeah, I am.
-Dave Olsen. How's it going? -Hi. Frank Beauvais.
-Nice to meet you. -Fireman from local?
Yes, sir. I'm a Nampa fireman.
Yeah, you know Rick Badillo?
I know Rick really well, yeah.
He's one of my very good buddies.
So Dave knows a bunch of firemen.
His brother was a fireman who passed away.
So that's how he got connected to firehouse theme.
-Yeah. -So he wants to respect them,
but look at this place. He's just not doing it.
-He can't. -She's actually a captain
with Nampa Fire Department as well.
-Yeah. We're both... -Really?
Yeah. We're both captains there.
-Yeah. -Oh. Oh. Yeah.
So she's the first female captain on the department, so...
-Oh, good job. -Here we go.
-He does not like that drink. -Yeah. That's tough.
Look at that.
Almost seems like there's too much alcohol almost.
-Mojito would have been better. -Yeah. Yeah.
Right blend of everything would be good.
Okay. So here's what we know.
Firehouse doesn't look like a firehouse.
Our owner looks like a clown, right?
The bartenders have some mixology desire...
-Yes. -...but there's no training
or drink menu to execute anything.
-For sure. For sure. -So Dave
-is not running this place... -No.
...with any kind of efficiency at all.
And I think about Frank and Anne sitting here,
I wanna know what those drinks taste like, so I'm gonna go in.
I'm gonna put like a dog collar on you.
It's gonna be... [makes sound]
Holy moly.
-Hi, Dave. -Hello, sir.
-How are you? -Good. Nice to meet you.
Very. It's a pleasure.
I wanna talk to my friends for a second.
-You wanna join us? -Absolutely. Yes, sir.
Hey.
So I saw you all were just talking.
Yes, sir.
What did you think when you walked in?
It doesn't feel like a firemen's bar.
A firemen's bar--I see stuff from my department
or from local department, so it'd make it feel like,
"Oh, this is where my boys go."
If you guys came,
EMTs would start to come too, wouldn't they?
Yeah. Oh, there are-- yeah, they're...
Police would start to come too, wouldn't they?
And a whole community would come to life
because we're connected.
So how about that?
I saw the look on your face when you took the sip.
-Um, yeah. -It, it was not a great drink.
-So we got a problem, don't we? Yeah.
Would you guys come back in a few days
after Dave and I get our work done
and tell us what you think of the place then?
-Sure. Yeah. -We'd love to, yeah.
Thank you. Appreciate it.
Let's go talk, buddy.
So you moved here how long ago?
Five years ago.
Did you ever make money once you got here?
The hesitation sort of says it all.
-Not much, right? -Right.
Was the other bar nicer than this one?
-No. -Was it better themed
-than this one? -Yes.
A lot of the firemen that went there
are retiring now and so I don't know
how to bring them back.
Oh, you think this is gonna bring them back?
You've had some health issues in your family.
How are you?
This is difficult.
Do you have the energy to fight for this with me now?
I gave everything I got.
I, I can't keep going seven days a week.
I need your help.
Is this financial pressure impacting your marriage too?
Absolutely. I don't know what to do anymore.
I'm, I'm, I'm lost.
I need to tell you something that I said
when I was watching you in recon
and I saw you walk out of the kitchen
with a brown t-shirt, gray camo cut-off shorts,
and those boots, and the first thought I had
was if I put a cowboy hat on you,
you look like a freaking rodeo clown.
Your life is on the line.
This is your future.
You are the image of this place.
Look at you.
Am I being unreasonable?
Victoria?
Excuse me.
-Nice to meet you. -Pleasure.
Look at your beautiful wife.
Look at the beautiful outfit that she's wearing.
Now, this guy's life is on the line.
He's $300,000 in debt
and look at how he comes to work.
He looks like a freaking rodeo clown.
He's $300,000 in debt
and look at how he comes to work.
He looks like a freaking rodeo clown.
In Idaho, this is how we dress.
Nobody at this bar is dressed that way.
And this isn't a farm barn, it's firehouse.
That is not the look of somebody who woke up today
and gave a shit.
I wanna see a guy tomorrow
who woke up in the morning and gives a shit.
I do give a shit, Jon.
Then show me 'cause this doesn't show me.
I need to give it more respect.
I'll dress for success. I understand what you're saying.
Yeah? I don't think you're a clown.
I think you're a good guy.
But you're a good guy in a tough spot.
So I gotta jolt you a little buddy.
I gotta get some fire in that belly again.
In a firehouse, we need fire to keep us all going.
And I can do it.
Okay. We got a lot of work to do tomorrow.
I'll see you tomorrow.
I don't think I look like a clown.
This is how I've dressed all my life.
I'll make adjustments, but I don't wanna change
who I am ultimately, you know?
I don't wanna become somebody I'm not.
I don't appreciate that he called me a clown.
No, look, you're taking it personally.
You know how hard I've worked on this.
I've given it everything that I have.
He wasn't calling you a clown
and you just said it, dress for success.
You are the face of the bar.
He's saying you need to look it.
Well, he definitely make me look bad.
I made you look bad?
I think you make yourself look bad.
Don't accuse me of making you look bad
because I could've said a whole lot more.
Tonight was a failure.
A lot of things were pointed out that needed to change.
I heard what Jon said and I think he was right.
I don't know what's gonna happen with Dave,
if he's gonna be able to handle the criticism
and how he's gonna react, how he's gonna feel
about everything.
Doesn't matter what anybody thinks.
-I like it, so... -[laughter]
We're here for you, buddy.
You're gonna be who you are
and that's who I'm gonna be, right?
Plain, plain and simple.
[dramatic music]
Are you okay?
I don't know. I thought Jon was a little harsh.
Jon Taffer's a dick. No doubt about it.
I was not okay last night.
He pissed me off.
He said my attire looked like a clown.
I put a lot of time in here to keep it clean and nice,
and we don't have rats and we don't have cockroaches.
Those are kind of fighting words where I come from.
Well, I'd honestly say we're probably not in an area
where cockroaches are too prevalent.
And, you know,
any other situation, we would throw down.
I don't--I don't--I don't put up with that crap.
I don't know. I think Jon brought up some good points
and some things that you needed to hear.
That's awful.
No, I, I, I kind of agree.
-Yeah. There's something... -You could piss off too.
Last night, looking at Dave,
I saw what seemed to be a nice guy.
Everybody seems to like him.
-Dave. -Good to see you.
But there's no leadership.
So today, I wanna talk to the team.
I wanna find out what would cause Dave
to be physically present but so mentally unpresent?
-Hi. -all: Hi.
-And what's your name? -I'm Aubrie.
-I'm the bartender. -Hey, Aubrie.
And how long have you been here, Aubrie?
Just under a year.
-What's your name? -I'm Heather.
-I'm a bartender. -Heather?
And how long you've been here, Heather?
-Two years. -And how long
have you been here?
I've been with Dave since 2013.
So nine years?
Yeah. As a bookkeeper.
Did you notice there's less and less money to count?
Uh-hmm.
-Hi. -M'Lisa.
M'Lisa? And what do you do here?
-I'm the manager. -You're the manager?
M'Lisa, why are we failing?
You don't really know this is a bar,
looking at it, for one.
We don't have any advertisement outside.
Our signs don't work.
Boy, $300,000 would've put one hell of a sign.
I want you to understand the gravity of the situation.
They're in debt $300,000 because of this bar.
So if I wasn't here, Dave, what would happen
in about two months?
We'd hope we'd win the lottery.
Oh, come on. If I wasn't here,
what would happen in two to three months?
-We'd shut the doors. -You'd shut the doors.
And, Victoria, is your house on the line?
Oh, everything would have to be sold.
Everything?
So this is do or die?
It is.
Is this bar threatening your marriage?
-It's very stressful. -So not making it better?
Not making it better at all.
-No? -No.
M'Lisa, imagine that this was your bar.
You're in debt $300,000.
You had enough money to make it another two months or so.
Would you be acting like Dave is?
I think if I were Dave,
I would be a little more involved,
trying to do anything to keep the business afloat.
I'd like to know how she does that.
How do you pay for something when you don't have any money?
But, but we blew $300,000.
Did you not spend it on things
that would make the business grow?
What did you do with all that money?
'Cause it certainly didn't go
into the walls or the environment.
We lack energy and leadership.
And since we lack energy and leadership,
you guys have stepped up and try to do it on your own.
I applaud you for that.
But we gotta get leadership stepping up
and providing something to the table as well.
So, obviously, as you can see, I blame this on you.
-All of it. -I see that.
And I think that you were irresponsible
with regard to the way you spent your money
-and planned this business out. -I see that.
And when you left and took another job,
to think that it was gonna get better,
was really about as bad a decision
as anybody could make, because now he's not here.
Now there's no management. Now it can only get worse.
Does that make sense to you?
Well, I disagree with you.
What do you disagree with me on?
I have to work construction outside of this.
If I'm working a construction job
and I have a issue here,
I don't have time to go home and change my clothes.
Did you have time to go home and change yesterday?
I could've changed yesterday, yes.
But you didn't? I am--I am who I am.
Next. Give me another excuse.
That's my point, Dave.
And until you accept the ownership
that your actions caused failure,
you have no reason to change.
I think anybody can always do better.
I think you can do better.
You need a little humility, buddy.
This isn't about doing better.
It's about correcting your mistakes.
That's a very different set of words.
-That's not true at all. -You're not on a pedestal.
-That's not true at all. -You're in a pit.
-That's not true at all. -Dave, you lost $300,000
of her money too.
Did you blow it wisely, Dave?
Until I change the way you think,
I'm not gonna be able to change what you do.
And until I change what you do,
I can't protect her house.
Do you get that?
I don't need you yelling at me anymore.
And until I change what you do,
I can't protect her house.
Do you get that?
I don't need you yelling at me anymore.
Dave's response to tough love
is sometimes he's like fight or flight,
and he might need time to calm down.
You're gonna lose your home, your--all your possessions,
and even then he'll never look at you and say,
"I'm sorry, this was my fault.
I made some choices and decisions
that really hurt us."
Do you feel that way?
-Yes, I do. -No, she doesn't feel that way.
-She just said it to me. -Uh, Dave, you made mistakes.
-It... -Everybody makes mistakes.
I know, but you, you have to admit
that you make the mistakes.
-I've said I make mistakes. -You, you don't say
you're sorry and you don't say
that you've made the mistakes.
Say, "I have made the mistakes
and I will correct them."
I'm, I'm not saying I'm better than anybody.
I'm not saying I'm smarter than anybody.
I wanna learn. What, what am I not saying?
This bar is failing because of you
and the choices that you have made,
and I want you to be accountable to that.
-Okay. -But if you keep using lines
like, "Well, everybody makes mistakes,"
then he doesn't have to own anything, does he?
He deflects it, goes home,
and you lose more money tomorrow.
So let's stop the bullshit
and I want you to admit some ownership
to the failure here,
and then we can move on, Dave.
So do you think the way you function
as the owner of this bar has been the best to this bar?
Do you believe that?
I can dress better.
You won't give me an answer?
Is this the way he is?
How is that not an answer?
I give everything I have to my customers.
So do I do things perfectly? No, I do not, sir.
But you know what, I will do it the best that I possibly can.
He's obviously very stubborn.
-You've known him a long time? -Yes.
So I gotta change you to change this bar.
That's the reality of it. Now let's go to work.
And so a lot has happened in the last couple minutes
with Jon coming in and directing questions to Dave.
And he got very defensive.
-You guys are full of shit. -No.
I feel a little lost right now,
what I'm supposed to do to help Dave
move to the next step.
Everybody's a genius.
How about if I put you guys
in charge where you guys...
-You're deflecting. -See? Yeah.
-No, no, no, no, no, no. -Yes, you are.
So I'm excited to see what Jon has to offer
and recommend to do.
How do I do it all? How is there...
-That's--no. -...enough time in a day?
Dave, I have three jobs.
-I feel like you're, um... -And I'm 70 years old.
Because I'm just like you. I have to make a living.
I have to pay bills. Everybody does.
I hear you. I hear you, Linda.
[upbeat music]
-How are we doing? -Good. Great.
-How's everything? -Good. Awesome.
So last night, I saw a lot of inconsistencies.
I saw juice going inside the shaker.
There's no actual measurements.
They were combining different cocktails
to make another cocktail
when somebody asked for a paloma.
There's just not a lot of knowledge there.
So today's training has to be about making sure
they know how to make the cocktails,
how to present the cocktails.
Simple stuff but important stuff.
So, to start off, we're gonna do
a Fireman's Shower.
One ounce of egg white,
one ounce of grenadine,
one ounce of lime juice,
two ounces of rum.
Ice up. Over the shoulder.
This has egg whites so you really
wanna shake this 10 seconds.
You'll see that froth right there...
-Okay. -...you know, it's ready.
-Okay. -Pop it.
And then this is gonna go inside a Collins glass.
Garnish this with a lime wheel and cherry.
Ladies and gentleman, that is a Fireman's Shower.
-Aubrie. -Oh, yay.
I need you to come back here and you, my dear,
are gonna be making the Fireman's Shower.
Okay.
And every time you make a mistake,
-you're gonna hear... -[bell rings]
[laughter]
Bar training was kind of stressful.
The bell was really annoying to work with.
Two ounces of rum.
[bell rings]
That was a ounce and a half.
I think if I had to listen to that on a daily basis,
I would quit my job.
So every time you hear this bell, that's money
-going down the drain. -I'm nervous.
That puts you in a little bit of a high stress environment,
which is what bartending can be.
And, ladies and gentlemen, that is a Fireman's Shower.
Yes. Yes. All righty.
So we have a lot of work to do. You guys ready to do it?
all: Yes. -Let's do it.
-All right. -Awesome. Thank you.
[dramatic music]
-How we doing? -Good.
-What do you think, Dave? -Looking awesome.
Why don't we just get together and talk as a group
and everybody can come over, okay?
Come on out here.
We're gonna open. We're gonna have about 41 people here.
We're gonna get slammed at the bar.
-It's gonna be touch. -Are you worried about that?
I'm worried about that because, as I said before,
you have to communicate with each other,
-trust each other. -Okay.
-Dave, you ready? -Uh-hmm.
-You ready? -Ready.
Okay. Go let them in.
Stress test. This is important.
I know my girls are gonna do the absolute best they can.
They might actually shock me.
Hey, there they are.
Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Firehouse.
Come on in.
[upbeat music]
Hey, everybody. Grab a seat.
-How are you? -Good. How are you?
Awesome. What can I get started for you?
What are having?
I'm gonna have Put The Fire Out.
Two Fireman's Shower?
The [indistinct] it's delicious.
Equal parts. Yup. There we go.
Still. Still. Shake. Shake.
Let me get that [indistinct] look.
-Hi, guys. -Hey, how are you?
So we have three signature drinks
that we're gonna be serving tonight.
-Okay. -We're just starting out,
but it's great to see Dave
immediately hit tables,
started taking orders, welcome people.
He's engaged. Bartenders are just starting.
Still chaotic. Let's see how Dave's team does
and let's see Dave lead tonight.
If he leads, it'll make a huge difference.
-They got your guys' order? -Yes, they did.
-Perfect. -Thank you.
Bear with us. We'll get you.
Would you put on a stopwatch in your phone for me?
I wanna see how long it takes for you guys
-to get a drink, okay? -All right. Yeah.
At what point, if I wasn't here, would you guys walk out?
So--I don't know. I-- I'd probably wait at least 15.
Are you--okay. Would you wait 15 or so?
-Yeah. -Okay.
Hopefully they make it then. Let's see how they do.
Okay.
Oh, yeah. The first two drinks.
Here we go.
[cheers and applause]
Okay. Those look a little darker than the other ones.
All right.
That's definitely off. Dump it out.
-It's not good? -Dump it.
Looks like you've got everybody.
We're, we're caught up. We just gotta get drinks.
-You're making two? -Yes. Was that...
That, that was way short.
I don't know what to do.
Thirteen minutes in, we've served
one, two, three, four, five, six drinks.
Sinking already.
I'll wash them.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
-Look at those cocktails. -That's not enough.
-Why? -I didn't pour enough.
There we go. Restart.
Come on. Hustle up.
Have you sweep [indistinct]
-No. Nope. Not that one, yup. -Okay.
Here's one Put The Fire Out here.
Hey, Derrick, how often do you see
a service bar in the middle of the bar?
-Yeah, so... -The best seats in the house.
That's taking up real estate.
It's distracting. It should be on the corner somewhere.
Of course.
You guys have to hustle up.
There's a lot of drinks that's not being made.
What else is missing with those?
Um, I'm not sure.
Ladies, come on. We're losing it here.
We're really falling apart.
Nobody out in the tables have any drinks.
The bar isn't even served yet.
Where are we at with drinks?
We need one more.
I'll have got two Firemans right now.
We need Fireman and one more PTFO.
That table has crossed 15 minutes.
How long would it take before you'd leave a bar
if you weren't served at all?
You guys said 15 minutes. Would everybody agree?
-About 15 minutes? all: Yes!
So we're crossing 15 minutes.
Come on, guys. Move!
-We're at 15 minutes! -Okay.
Here's another one.
Dave, another one is 15 minutes.
No drinks. Okay, guys, we're in emergency mode now.
[siren wailing]
You guys are now at how long?
-Uh, we are at 18 minutes. -Eighteen minutes?
So you're already down the road?
I mean, you're not even in the parking lot anymore.
Wrong. Supposed to be a half ounce.
-We are at 18 minutes. -Eighteen minutes?
-We're in emergency mode now. -[siren wailing]
So you're already down the road.
Wrong. Supposed to be a half ounce.
If I wasn't here with my team, everybody would be starting
to get up and walk out of here at this point, right?
-Yes. -So we're in emergency mode.
Dave, what do we do?
Either we get them served or we sink.
Who's taking care of the tickets?
-I am. I'm getting on it. -Okay. You gotta communicate.
In about 45 minutes,
we've gotten about 16 drinks across the bar.
When people aren't served for 15 minutes, they leave.
We're approaching 20 minutes.
They can't get this room served
in even an hour.
How many seconds is four ounces?
One, two, three...
-Sixteen. -...four, five...
Come on, guys. Move.
-Been a while, right? -Yes.
What do you think?
It's taken too long for drinks to come out.
Yeah, they're not gonna cover it at this point.
It shouldn't--no. It, it, it shouldn't take 15 minutes
-to get a cocktail. -Okay. We're gonna get them
out of their misery 'cause this is [indistinct]
Right on.
I appreciate your guys' patience for come in.
[bell rings]
Oh!
That's the sound that you hear in a firehouse
when there's an emergency and everybody has to leave,
which means this is an emergency, guys.
We blew this, didn't we?
So come on over, Dave.
Dave's invested his life savings in this bar.
Dave, do you wanna apologize to everyone
since we did let them down?
Sorry, guys. Please come back in three days.
We'll take good care of you.
Thank you, everybody.
[cheers and applause]
[indistinct chatter]
I mean, this bar is a piece of crap.
Yeah. It's, it's, it's terrible. It's terrible.
But, but the staff...
They have that heart. They have soul.
They wanna do something, but they don't have
-the equipment to do it. -Yes.
And that enthusiasm should be
-making Dave successful... -Yes.
-...but it's not. -Yeah.
So let's look at this place for a minute.
Industrial buildings.
-Industrial buildings. -A lot of workers.
So this is a blue collar, gray collar...
-Yup. -...type of a marketplace.
So we need drinks that can fit that marketplace,
but also they need to be unique enough
to draw in the customers.
So when you think about that fireman,
middle class, what kind of cocktails come to mind?
I'm thinking about smoky cocktails,
elevated cocktails, things that bring in new people
but also just--
they mean something to the place.
They're not just a gimmick.
Let's assume that we know we want some
-female-oriented cocktails. -Yes.
We know we want some male-oriented cocktails.
-For sure. -We got a theme
and a name around a firehouse concept.
So there's a lot of creativity we need to do.
Yeah. For sure. And I got you.
-All right, buddy. Let's go... -I gotta go.
-Let's go do it. Come on. -Got it.
[upbeat music]
-Yay, yay. -How we doing?
-Hey, great. -Hi.
Last night, the bartenders struggled with pouring.
They struggled with the equipment.
They struggled with everything.
You wanna work on pouring.
You wanna work on communication
and just getting familiar and comfortable
-with these new cocktails. -Let's do it.
Today, we're gonna be incorporating a little bit
of smoke to kind of match the feel of the bar itself.
Introducing smoke into these cocktails
makes them feel elevated
but actually they're all very, very simple.
We're trying to bring some new blood into this bar.
We're trying to also respect the people
that are coming to this bar right now.
I'm gonna start off by getting three dashes of orange bitters.
One, two, three.
And then a quarter of an ounce of amaretto,
three-fourths of an ounce of [indistinct]
one, two, three.
And then two ounces of the Frey Ranch whiskey.
Well, so the reason why we wanna stir this cocktail
is we don't wanna air it too much.
We wanna dilute it.
Just for about 10 seconds.
You get your rocks glass.
Pour it in.
But we're not done yet.
What we're gonna do is we're gonna take this
into the stewing glass.
Add a little bit of apple woodchips, okay?
Just flip it back.
So it's gonna infuse to the cocktail, right?
-You smell that, right? -Campfire.
Exactly. And you take your peel.
Move it around. And, ladies and gentlemen,
that is a Citrus and Smoke.
So, with this cocktail,
the smoke elevates the firehouse element, right?
Love it.
So we have a lot of work to do,
but I have confidence that you guys can get there.
-All right. -Yeah?
-Yeah. -Let's do it, man.
All right. Let's go.
[upbeat music]
Last night, I saw a spark from Dave.
Clearly, he contributed to some of his success last night.
But procedures Dave put in place did not work.
So I'm concerned about his go forward plan.
I wanna go talk to Dave and Victoria,
and I wanna see how their marriage is doing
after going through the past few days.
-Big smiles. -Getting through it.
-How you feeling? -I feel tired.
-I bet. -Emotionally tired.
Yeah, this is an emotional experience, isn't it?
He was losing a lot of faith in the bar.
And is that faith back a little bit?
I'm excited.
You feel his fires in his belly?
-Is it coming back? -It is.
He's like in the changes.
You know, I was concerned at first...
-Yeah. -...and how we'd take to that.
But, yeah, he's doing really good.
I'm really proud of him 'cause I was tough on him.
You were.
You get emotional when I compliment you.
It's hard.
You guys have brought up some things with me
that I've suppressed with my family,
you know, that I didn't deal with,
when my dad passed from cancer and my sister,
who was literally my cheerleader,
and she passed.
And it was at a time at the bar that--
I kept telling her I didn't have time
because I have the bar and I have construction.
So she called me and--
-the night that she died. -Uh-hmm.
I couldn't get by it.
-And that haunts you? -So I have--I have some guilt.
So what would she want for you right now?
She want the best.
When you walk into that new bar tomorrow,
she's gonna be smiling, isn't she?
Your dad's gonna be smiling, isn't he?
-Yes. -And your brother,
a firefighter, is gonna be smiling.
And you'll get to show the bar to him.
-Yes. -So this is a great moment to,
-to make this all a reason. -It's a reset,
given that the first time in a long time
that I think that we, we can climb out of the hole.
Clearly, when I look in Dave's eyes
and see his emotion,
the support of Victoria
is key to Dave's success.
-I appreciate you. -Appreciate you too.
I really appreciate it.
And I think we restored that,
and Dave is now equipped personally
and physically to run this bar.
[upbeat music]
So lots of problems, guys.
There's nothing that looks like a firehouse in here.
I'm with you. How do you bring that element inside?
Inside. That's our big challenge.
-Okay. -And, Jim, behind the bar,
can we get two workstations?
If we can do that,
then we need two good Shift4 POS systems.
Right now, they don't have printers at the bar.
They're writing on a check.
-So not a lot of solutions. -Right.
But let's see if we can work them through.
-Sure. -Let's write it up.
[upbeat music]
[sirens wailing]
[applause]
-Hello. -Hello.
-Hi, everybody! -[cheering]
Our fire department is here. Hey, guys.
Coming to a town like this and helping somebody like you
is what this is all about, Dave.
How has this week been for you, Victoria?
-Hectic but great. -Yeah.
He and I went at it pretty good in the beginning, didn't we?
-You did. -[laughs]
You know, I care about you, don't you?
-Yes, thank you. -So you're ready?
-I'm very much so. -You guys ready?
[cheering]
One...
two...
three!
-[cheers and applause] -Oh, wow.
-[cheering] -One...
two...
three!
-[cheers and applause] -Oh, wow.
That's cool.
[cheering and applause]
What does the sign say, Dave?
Dave's Firehouse.
Not just a firehouse.
Not just the firehouse.
Dave's Firehouse.
I want the inspiration that you feel today
to feel it every time you walk under that sign.
Wait till you guys see the inside.
-You ready? -Yeah.
All right, guys. Go ahead.
[cheers and applause]
-Look at the lights. -Oh, wow.
-This is gorgeous. -So purty.
Holy moly.
Did you see the American flag out of hose?
Oh, that's cool.
Oh, look. Oh, I love that.
You guys look at the bar.
This is so cool.
This is a place I'm proud to represent.
Oh, my gosh. Look.
Oh.
It's Carrie.
Having my sister and my brother on that back wall,
um, you can't help but want to give it everything you got.
-He's really happy. -Is he?
Let's see what he says.
What do you think, buddy?
-It's beautiful. -You happy?
Yeah. I mean, you outdid yourself.
-Ah, thank you. -You outdid yourself.
-It's amazing. -So love the decor up there.
All donated by the fire department, right?
We have professional dart lanes for you.
Did you see we put in the drink rails separatings?
-Yes. -So then, of course,
when you look at the other room,
we have the wall of fame for the pool players
and the wall of honor.
Of course, your brother is there.
-Yes. -So come around
to the other side of the bar, guys.
Let me show you everything that I did.
Grab a seat.
So look at what we did here.
First of all, we wanted to infuse a bunch of colors.
So we added the reds, of course.
I got BarProducts.com to give us
all the mixing kits, the glassware,
all the strainers, all the supplies.
Then I got Audio Video Professionals of Idaho
to overhaul the entire AV system.
So I got SkyTab POS. State-of-the-art.
This is brand-new POS.
And here's your SkyTab unit.
Then I got Partender.
In 15 minutes, you can take inventory
behind the entire bar.
-Wow. -This down here is a PathSpot.
After you wash your hands,
you put your hands underneath it.
If you get a green light, you're cool.
I got Curtis Restaurant Equipment,
a great local company,
to give us this ice bin here and the speed wells.
Then I got Stundenglass
to give you one of these units.
My favorite cocktail smokers in the world.
And, of course, smoke, firehouse, it connects.
Now this menu just has our drinks on it.
And you'll notice, $1 of every Hook And Ladder sold
will be donated to the Nampa Firefighter Burnout Fund,
which assists citizens displaced by fire.
-That's awesome. -Isn't that who we should be?
Does it feel like the same place?
-No. -No.
Victoria, you think I've given David
what he needs now to succeed?
-Absolutely. -Yeah?
And has this brought the two of you closer together?
Yeah. We're communicating more.
So this has been a good personal experience
-for you too, Dave? -Yes, absolutely.
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, guys, I'm gonna leave you with three words.
Get them back.
All right. Congratulations, guys.
Let's go to it.
Thank you.
[cheers and applause]
Thank you, guys.
Welcome to Dave's Firehouse.
-Please come in. -Thanks.
-This is fabulous. -Thanks for coming in.
I'd like a Hook and Ladders as well then.
-Two of them? -Another Hook and Ladder?
Both of the smokes--
um, Citrus and Smoke,
that one was my favorite.
[indistinct chatter]
I got this. I got this.
Hustle it up. Yeah. There we go.
-Yeah. -[cheering]
[indistinct chatter]
That's perfect.
Coming right behind you, baby.
Two bartenders working.
They each have complete independent stations.
Now, they have the potential to serve this room quickly,
which they couldn't do during stress test.
Firehouse, you might as well have some fire.
[indistinct chatter, laughing]
So good.
Like look pretty that is, you guys.
[indistinct chatter]
Yours is missing a piece. I'll be right back with it.
What's great is M'lisa,
who's actually not tending bar tonight.
When bartenders are managers, it doesn't work.
On the floor, M'lisa can manage.
Like I can't shake all of it.
-What do you think? -It's awesome.
-Good? -Really good.
Yeah, the drink is amazing.
-I don't know if this guy-- -[laughs]
---he'd get pretty honorary. -[laughs]
Honorary is a different thing. Honorary is good, right?
They're doing pretty good, don't you think?
[cheers and applause]
This bar has come to life,
and I think Dave has every opportunity to succeed now.
And he's doing it.
Beautiful.
[sniffs] I smell the smoke.
-Yeah. -I smell the smoke.
Well, look at the smile on Victoria's face.
-Uh-hmm. -You're in this together,
you know, and I want the success to be both of yours.
Absolutely. And then some.
Yeah, great. So now it's up to you, buddy.
-My work's done. -Thank you.
-Okay? -Thank you.
Aw, my pleasure.
Congratulations.
-Come back and see us. -Thank you.
I will.
Having this place look like this.
Um, I never would have dreamed
that it would've looked this nice and this pretty.
I love it.
[upbeat music]
Promotional consideration provided by SkyTab POS,
PathSpot, Partender, The Roosevelt,
Blue Ocean Cleaning, Plumbing Solutions of Idaho,
Bar Products, Audio Video Professionals,
Curtis Restaurant Equipment, Riverside Embroidery,
Stundenglass, Ellis Amusements,
One Stone, and Esri.