CREW: When you're at the bar, what are you doing?
- Outside of drinking?
[laughs]
NARRATOR: For over 30 years,
Jon Taffer has traveled the country saving hundreds of bars
from failure and ruin.
(OFF) JON TAFFER (VOICEOVER): I started
rescuing bars decades ago because they're part
of the backbone of America.
Let's go! (ON) JON TAFFER: We're doing it.
We're doing it.
But, as the industry continues to explode,
the amount of failing bars is increasing at an alarming rate.
When do I have you say, that's not going to work?
So, I'm on a mission to save as many bars as possible
and give worthy owners a second chance at success.
I'm gaining more respect for you by the minute.
NARRATOR: Now, Jon's heading
to Fountain Hills, Arizona, to save the Hogwash Saloon.
- We are determined to raise the bar
and rise to the occasion.
[theme music]
NARRATOR: In February, 2023,
Jason Reinke decided he wanted to purchase
Hogwash Saloon, a bar he had been patronizing for years.
- Me and all my buddies,
we used to come in here every day.
And I like the community.
- Another bar owner.
NARRATOR: To help him come up with the capital needed
for the purchase, Jason turned to his friends,
Paul and Cathy Cook, for help.
PAUL COOK: We've been friends for 10 or 12 years,
and we have so much faith in him.
He is such an honest person, the high morals.
- He and Paul have gotten really close.
Paul would come home at sunrise from them talking at night.
PAUL COOK: We offered to loan Jason some money.
And he said, well, why don't you just come
in as a partners in ownership?
So we thought, OK.
NARRATOR: The friends agreed that Jason would act
as managing partner, with Paul and Cathy supporting
him as silent partners.
- Counting money and looking
at the receipts and all that.
NARRATOR: But Jason's lack of experience in bar management
quickly caused problems for the bar.
- I don't know what the [bleep] I'm doing.
There's a lot of moving parts in a bar.
And I didn't know about all those moving parts.
- I don't know where my strainer is.
The Hogwash is very outdated.
We don't have a drink list.
We don't have any training.
- The ordering is messy.
We run out of product constantly.
NARRATOR: Making matters worse,
Jason continued to act more like a patron than an owner,
frequently drinking on the job.
- Jason, you see him a lot of times,
he's sitting here drinking a beer.
It could be all day. It could be all night.
When he's sitting there drinking,
he's not working anymore.
- He will even refuse to serve someone a drink
and say, I don't work here.
NARRATOR: And Paul and Cathy
are worried about their investment and their friend.
PAUL COOK: He needs to get better organized.
- He's been too busy.
That's his favorite word.
"Have you done this yet?
I've been too busy."
Yeah, he was drunk.
When Jason drinks, some things do fall through the cracks.
I have sent him urgent emails and I look
and they haven't been read.
He does have knee jerk reactions.
And we have yet to have a paycheck
or have been reimbursed at all.
- He starts drinking.
CATHY COOK: Yup.
PAUL COOK: And by later in the night, he's aggressive.
- I did not know about this side of Jason
at all before this. The knee jerk reaction.
- And I didn't know
that you guys would both gang up on me without ever
talking to me about it.
- We've tried talking to you about this.
- Jason, we've tried talking to you.
- Hey, I called you
the other day in my great mood.
- Drunk, drunk, drunk.
- Oh my god. I called you at 10:00 at night.
What the [bleep] do you want?
- To have a conversation
about the bar that's not repeated five or six times.
NARRATOR: Now Hogwash Saloon
is losing $3,000 a month.
And Jason is in danger of losing both the bar and his friends.
- Get off me.
- I'm getting out of here.
NARRATOR: With both the bar and their friendship
on the line, Jason, Paul, and Cathy
have agreed to pull back the doors, bust open the books,
and make a call for help to Bar Rescue.
- We don't have that much time
left on this Earth.
And I'm not going to spend it being stressed.
[dramatic music]
JON TAFFER: I'm in Fountain
Hills, Arizona, just out of Phoenix
at a bar called Hogwash.
Hogwash has three owners, Paul, Cathy, and Jason.
Jason is the managing partner.
And Paul and Cathy are his partners who are worried
about him and their investment.
So you're equity partners in-- in the bar?
- Yes.
- And what percentage do you own?
- 1/3.
JON TAFFER: You own 1/3 of it.
OK. (ON) CATHY COOK: Right.
- And how much money did you put up?
- 150. (ON) JON TAFFER: A lot of money.
- Yes, it is.
JON TAFFER: You worked hard
for that money, didn't you?
CATHY COOK: Yeah, we did.
- So Jason now owns 66% of it.
CATHY COOK: 66, 3, 3.
- Yep.
And now he comes in to run it, right?
- That's the way it was initially designed.
- That's the way it was--
- He's listed in the partnership
as the managing partner, 2/3. (ON) JON TAFFER: Yeah.
- And we were going to be silent partners.
And we're worried now because that's-- he's real stressed.
And he's drinking a lot, yeah.
- And he gets very antagonistic,
and aggressive, and--
- So he's chasing customers away?
- Yes.
- Wow.
Friendship aside, that's a really bad situation, correct?
- It's not a good situation.
- Now it's your friend.
That makes it even worse.
I want to do something different.
Normally, I do recon with my experts.
But, you know, tonight, I want to do recon with you.
And let's observe and assess the situation together, all right?
- Sounds good.
- Let me take you over here.
- Thank you.
JON TAFFER: So here we are.
Here's your bar. (ON) CATHY COOK: Yep.
- So let's see. There's Jason, right?
- Yeah.
JON TAFFER: Right there in the black shirt?
PAUL COOK: Yeah.
- Jason's got his pitcher
of beer going over there.
It's early in the evening.
The pitcher is already 1/2 empty.
- That's probably his second.
PAUL COOK: It is. (OFF) JON TAFFER: Right?
And it's probably his second pitcher.
So he's a pitcher and 1/2 in by now, you'd say?
CATHY COOK: Easily.
- So Jason comes in as managing partner.
He does change the interior.
CATHY COOK: Correct.
- Which is interesting.
Look at that yellow striped wall.
When you start using bright colors like that,
it starts to get infantile.
It starts to get cheap.
And then look at the rubber chicken on top of the beer tap.
Drink up, bitches.
- You guys have anything to eat?
- We have chips.
- I noticed there's no food anywhere.
CATHY COOK: We don't have a kitchen.
PAUL COOK: Potato chips.
CATHY COOK: We have snacks and that's it.
Or--
- Well, you know, the science of it,
people stay 54 minutes longer when they have food.
That's a second drink, and a third drink,
and a fourth drink. (ON) CATHY COOK: Right.
And it also brings people in.
- Of course it does.
- How's the Lamborghini?
- Ferrari?
- Well, whatever.
Same damn thing.
[laughs]
JON TAFFER: This is an affluent community.
50% of this community makes over $100,000 a year.
So this is a market that knows quality, right?
- Yes.
- Knows good food.
Knows good drinks.
Knows good service.
Knows a professional interior.
Does this look like the kind of place
that somebody who makes over $100,000 a year
is going to come to?
- No, it doesn't.
- Glass, sir.
Keep those juices on the bottom.
- There's John.
John is-- is a bartender.
- There you go, buddy.
Yeah, you're welcome.
CATHY COOK: Yeah, John is dynamite.
JON TAFFER: So there's John running credit cards.
CATHY COOK: You just have the one POS on the one side.
JON TAFFER: I see. Yep.
- They stack up at the POS system.
[shakes bottle]
JON TAFFER: That's Misha.
Misha is another bartender.
CATHY COOK: And she is a dynamo.
She is very well liked by the patrons.
- An order of chips? Yeah, sure.
What flavor would you like?
- Excuse me, right behind you.
Sorry about that.
I made it a sweet and sour.
[upbeat music]
JON TAFFER: I'll tell you something interesting,
you're serving cocktails in pint glasses.
- Uh-oh, she didn't look very happy.
JON TAFFER: Right.
I can see by the color of that drink that it's not right.
Generally speaking, a mixed cocktail like that
should be one part spirits to three parts mixed.
When you have a glass that big, there's
either too much alcohol in the drink or there's
too much mix in the drink.
But the drink can't possibly be right
when you're serving a one ounce cocktail in a one pint glass.
So there's no knowledge here.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
- We got an owner who's now on his fourth glass
of beer in just the few minutes that we've
been sitting here talking.
- Never owned a bar before.
[laughter]
I'll sell you one.
[laughter]
What are you-- what are you drinking?
Dirty Shirley?
What the [bleep] is that?
[laughter]
- You notice the beer stays next to him.
CATHY COOK: Always.
- The pitcher and the beer is with him always.
- Have you met my dirty Shirley and--
[laughter]
JON TAFFER: We got a problem here, guys.
He shouldn't be drinking pitchers of beer at night.
He's running a business.
Is that acceptable?
- Well--
- I don't think so.
- Well, then we got to tell him so.
Put friendship aside. (OFF) PAUL COOK: We have been.
CATHY COOK: We have been.
- This guy took your money.
He's drinking.
He's not making smart decisions.
He's not doing his homework.
And he burns through your money.
How do you feel about that?
- It's hard to separate the friendship.
- But if you don't, you're going to fail.
[suspenseful music]
This guy is running this business to the ground?
You agree?
- Pretty blunt terms, but yeah.
- If he wasn't your friend,
would you fire him?
- Yes.
- That's important to understand
because I'm going to say something to you
both now that you're not going to like hearing.
You're both enablers.
You're paying for his beer.
[chatter]
- Sorry.
- If you want him to fix his life,
you have to hold him accountable.
He is the manager of your investment.
PAUL COOK: Oh, I hear what you're saying.
- So no more excuses, OK?
Let's do it.
[dramatic music]
- Happy, happy birthday, baby.
[laughs]
[dramatic music]
Oh, shit.
I've had a very rough [bleep] week.
[dramatic music]
MISHA: Holy shit.
Be calm.
- Let's find Jason and see.
- All right.
- Jason, come here now.
CATHY COOK: Jason, Jon Taffer's here.
[dramatic music]
[chatter]
Jon, this is Jason.
- Hi, Jon. (ON) JON TAFFER: How are you?
- Good. How are you?
- Good.
Leave the beer over there, please.
[chatter]
Thank you. Have a seat.
JASON REINKE: You're welcome.
JON TAFFER: Have a seat.
You know, I've just been sitting with your partners.
And all they talk about is how much they love you.
JASON REINKE: Oh, I tell you what, I--
I appreciate you saying that.
And I appreciate you saying that.
- You know what's sad?
If you were sober, you would appreciate it even more.
How drunk are you right now?
- Probably had maybe three beers.
Six beers, maybe.
Actually, probably six.
- Six beers.
Your life is falling apart because of this place.
And you come in here and you have another drink.
- I'm never drinking when I'm at work.
- You're at work now.
- No, I'm not working.
I'm-- I'm watching.
But I'm not working.
- Who's the manager right now?
[chatter]
- I am.
But it's already been--
- So you're the manager?
JASON REINKE: It's already been managed.
- This nice woman here has a heart attack.
You're drunk.
And because of that drunkness, this woman died.
You didn't react quick enough.
You didn't make the right decisions.
Do you understand you're responsible for these people?
- Yeah, I do.
- You're responsible for their safety.
And you're drunk.
- Hey, and I understand.
I understand what you just said.
I'm a pretty goddamn quick learner.
- But not quick enough, obviously.
- No, well, maybe somebody
needs to teach me.
- Well, maybe somebody needs to be
sober so you can be taught.
I want to ask you a question, do you love
them as much as they love you?
JASON REINKE: Oh, yeah.
- You take $150,000 of their money.
You have not done a good job managing this business.
Would you agree with that?
- I'll give you about 50% on that.
- I'm going to give you a 100%.
When you're shit faced drunk every [bleep] day in your bar
burning their money, is that 100% failure or 50% failure?
[dramatic music]
drunk every [bleep] day, is that 100% failure or 50% failure?
[dramatic music]
- 100%.
JON TAFFER: 100%.
Thank you!
Now we're getting somewhere!
[chatter]
I want to see this place.
Let's take me for a quick walkthrough.
Let's just walk together.
So here's our bar.
We have one POS system on the other side, right?
- Correct. (ON) JON TAFFER: So I just--
I want to understand--
- And-- and the bartender didn't
want another POS on this side.
And that's bullshit.
- They didn't.
And the bartender said no, so you didn't do it.
Really?
The other word for Hogwash is bullshit.
- Bullshit. (ON) JASON REINKE: Bullshit.
- And boy, are you full of it.
- Yep.
- You've got an excuse for freaking everything.
And it's bullshit.
If you were sober and you worked harder,
this wouldn't be happening!
Let's go see your kitchen.
JASON REINKE: There's no kitchen.
JON TAFFER: So this was going to become a kitchen.
Is that-- was that the plan?
- We-- we couldn't
afford to have the kitchen.
- Well, let me tell you something.
When people eat in a bar, they stay an hour longer.
- I know.
- They have two more drinks.
CATHY COOK: Right.
- I got to get you food.
So I'm going to make a deal with you right now, if you promise
not to have a drink while I'm here,
I will buy you the kitchen equipment
and I will turn this into an operating kitchen.
CATHY COOK: Oh my gosh.
[dramatic music]
- Promise me.
[dramatic music]
- All right, I'll promise you,
I won't [bleep] drink in this goddamn bar again.
- Nope.
Starting right now, dump out that pitcher.
I'll see you tomorrow.
- Not a problem.
CATHY COOK: Oh, goodness Oh, honey.
Confrontation was hard to watch.
But it was needed.
I think having Jon come in and be so blunt in a way
that we couldn't made all the difference.
I hope it works.
I pray it works.
[suspenseful music]
JON TAFFER (VOICEOVER): Last night was upsetting to me.
But it was even more upsetting to Paul and Cathy.
- Hello.
To see Jason in the condition that he was in last night
is at the least alarming, not only for their investment,
but for him personally.
And today, I got to deal with that.
Hey, everybody.
[all greeting]
- Hi, Jon.
- If I don't fix Jason, I can't fix this bar.
I'm here because you guys asked me to be.
And I responded because of your love for Jason.
Hi. What's your name?
- Hi. Christine.
JON TAFFER: Christine. And how long have you been here?
- Almost three years.
JON TAFFER: Three years. And what do you do?
- Bartend. (OFF) JON TAFFER: Bartender?
How much has his drinking affected
the decline of customers?
- A decent amount.
He's very moody.
He doesn't want to be bothered.
- Has he cost you money?
- Yes.
- Has he cost you tips?
- Yes.
- So his drinking has had a negative impact
upon your life.
- Yes.
- A good guy doesn't do that.
Hi. (ON) MISHA: Hi.
JON TAFFER: What's your name?
- Misha.
- So has Jason's actions cost you money?
- Yes, absolutely directly.
I think it's honestly a self-sabotaging mentality
that he has.
CHAELA: I think there's a lot of inconsistencies.
You can't come here and get the same thing every time you come.
And I think because of that, we lose a lot of regulars.
JON TAFFER: If I ask you to make
me a margarita and you to make me a margarita, and you'd--
- They'll be totally different.
JON TAFFER: They're all going
to be completely different. [both agreeing]
Do you know that they should be the same?
- Yeah.
JON TAFFER: But you let them
be different all this time.
- Well, they make them different.
- How would you get them to make them the same?
- Train them.
JON TAFFER: And you never trained them.
Why did their friendship and their money not
matter enough to you to even try?
You could have trained them and you didn't!
One of two things, either you said
to yourself, excuse me, [bleep] Paul and Cathy and their money!
I'm going to go have a beer!
Or you're so stupid, you didn't even think that!
Which is it?
- I had made decisions to protect the money.
- Really? (OFF) JASON REINKE: Yes.
- How's that?
- By hiring the company that came in here
and did the inventory.
- Boy, did you just walk yourself off a cliff.
Because now I'm going to prove how little you really care
or how much of a moron you really are.
Partender is an inventory control product that I use.
And I had them do an inventory of the last few days.
You guys poured $5,800 worth of liquor in the past few days.
You only took in $4,500 in the last few days.
Cathy, how much is that in three days?
CATHY COOK: 1,300.
- How much is it is in a month?
CATHY COOK: 15,000.
- How much is it a year?
- 180,000.
- $180,000!
You knew it a year ago and you did nothing!
JASON REINKE: Well, the bartenders,
they [bleep] failed.
I did-- I did what I [bleep] know what to do.
- He doesn't give a shit even right now, does he?
He has no emotions.
You don't even care. You know what?
I think you guys need to talk to him because I'm
ready to walk out of here.
- Please don't.
- I can't work with that.
Do you understand that?
I need a man who's going to be honest,
who's going to be respectful of you two.
That's not him.
I'm walking out of here because of you.
Go talk to him.
Jason is so frustrating.
I walked out.
I'm tired of hearing his excuses.
CATHY COOK: What can we do to help you through this?
- Paul and Cathy need to talk to him
and get his attitude right so I can go to work.
- I don't know how
to [bleep] train a bartender.
I'm not a bartender.
- Well, I had shared
that one of the companies that we're involved with,
for free, they trained the bartenders.
But you just let that go.
And I've told--
- Where was this?
- I--
see, that's another thing, Jason.
You don't remember our conversations because--
- Well, we've been a little busy.
- Well, see, there's
always an excuse, Jason.
There's always an excuse. (ON) JASON REINKE: Well--
well, I haven't been able to get in the office
for a couple of days.
CATHY COOK: Well, see, there's another excuse.
There's so many options and solutions to these issues
that you say, I don't have time.
- Jason, we're not trying to criticize
you or find your faults.
We're trying to get through to you that we would like
to help if you'll listen to us.
- And so you know, I don't know
what else to-- what else to do.
- I've been listening.
He doesn't remember what you say because he's drunk.
Every excuse, you guys let him get away with.
He lies to you because you let him off the hook.
This is a small, little bar.
The books should be done. The payroll should be done.
The product should be ordered. The employees should be trained.
There's not one excuse for that not to happen.
- I tell you what, I would
appreciate your [bleep] help.
[dramatic music]
- We need you.
CATHY COOK: We need it.
We do, Jon.
- I do.
- If Jon leaves, we're basically screwed.
- I need your goddamn help.
[dramatic music]
PAUL COOK: That's not easy for him to say.
CATHY COOK: No, it's not, Jon.
- I'm not a dumb ass when
it comes to [bleep] business.
But I don't know how to run this [bleep] bar.
JON TAFFER (VOICEOVER): Do you know how to run yourself?
- Working on it now.
Thank you, Jon. (ON) CATHY COOK: [sighs]
- Let's go to work.
- Thank you, Jon.
- Obviously, I do have a lot of excuses.
- I'm proud of you.
- But it is my fault. That's why he's here.
- I want you to look at them
and tell them what's going to be different going forward.
JASON REINKE: I'll support you 100%.
- Yes, please.
- I apologize, you guys, for letting you down.
- Accept it.
JON TAFFER: Well, don't accept it yet.
Let's see some change.
Then there's a reason to accept it.
Let me get my experts in here.
CATHY COOK: Oh, experts.
Oh.
[upbeat music]
- Hey, buddy. (ON) ROB FLOYD: Hey, hey.
- How are you?
Tatiana Rosana is a great executive chef from Boston.
We don't have a kitchen.
So I wanted to bring somebody in who
was really creative, who could take
simplicity and make it special.
NARRATOR: For the kitchen, Jon
brings in Chef Tatiana Rosana.
With over a decade of experience in fine dining,
Chef Rosanna is fluent at many different international
cuisine styles.
She's a cooking competition winner.
And her experience making flavorful dishes out
of uncommon ingredients makes her
the perfect expert for creating food programs from scratch.
- Given that there hasn't been food
here yet, the menu is going to be really basic
and make sense for this bar, OK?
We're going to drive revenue both for the staff
and for the owners.
- Rob Floyd is a dear friend of mine.
We've been working together for many years.
Rob is a cocktail genius.
[upbeat music]
NARRATOR: For the bar, Jon brings in Rob Floyd.
From being a cocktail ambassador with Princess Cruises
to a cocktail director with VAI Resorts,
Rob has influenced the culture of mixology
across the country with his dynamic approach
to recipes and customer interaction.
- So we don't have a cook.
Would you do it, John?
- I don't have any cooking experience.
- We're doing a ballpark-like menu so that
the food connects with sports. It's casual.
It's inexpensive.
It's fun.
It's going to be easy food to do, John.
- That sounds good.
- So now we're going
to have John in the kitchen. He's going to be cross-trained.
You're going to be working the floor as an active manager.
Let's do this. (ON) CATHY COOK: Yes.
Woo hoo. [applause]
PAUL COOK (VOICEOVER): Looking at Jason now
and seeing his expressions, and I feel like he's listening.
Jon's getting through to him where we couldn't.
We were too close, I guess.
But I feel like Jon got through to him.
- Hi.
- Hi there.
Thank you for being an unwilling participant.
- [laughs] I'm excited to have a kitchen for the bar.
I'm a little bit nervous.
I don't have a whole lot of experience in the kitchen.
But I'm willing to take on any challenge
that anybody throws to me.
- Welcome to Jon's phase one
of your new kitchen buildout.
So we really pared this down.
We want it to be really simple.
The goal today is to get the basics down.
I'm very, very familiar with working
with cooks and people who don't have a whole lot
of kitchen experience.
So you are in very, very good hands.
We're going to start with a meatball sub.
There's nothing more hearty, delicious,
and super, super simple to make than a really
good meatball sub.
And we want to give them a pretty hearty portion.
So we're going to do three meatballs per order.
We're going to take some shaved Parmesan cheese, OK?
And then we're just going to garnish it
with a little bit of parsley.
You want it to look good.
See the difference that just adding that parsley makes?
- Yeah.
TATIANA ROSANA: And this is the meatball sub.
- Our regulars will love it on a Sunday.
- Yeah, it's not super hard to make.
The cost is low on your end. (OFF) JASON REINKE: I love it.
- All right, John, tonight is stress test.
I want to see a ton of food coming out of this kitchen.
And I will be here to guide you every step of the way.
- Yep.
That's good.
[upbeat music]
- Hey, how are we?
[all greeting]
Good, good, good.
Well, I didn't get to see last night,
but I heard there were quite a few issues.
Everybody's, kind of, just doing their own thing
behind the bar, if it will. (ON) MISHA: Yes, yes.
- And then that's why we're here.
We're going to build that consistency and that structure
so that we're always making the same drink.
Wanted to look at some of the cocktails
that were made last night.
Misha, can I have you make your gin and tonic?
You know, the expectations that I have for the staff in stress
tests are that they work together
and they're consistent in their cocktails.
All right, so you're all in a little bit of trouble just
starting off here because--
- Because of our glasses.
- The pint glass. (OFF) MISHA: Yep.
- So what Jon wanted to do
was use a really pretty rocks glass, like this.
I'm starting with my gin and then, of course,
finishing with my tonic.
Grab our little lime.
And then we have the gin and tonics.
So go ahead, give it a taste, and tell
us what you think-- not only in presentation, but the flavor.
- This one has definitely
got a distinctive flavor.
This one is already watered down.
ROB FLOYD: It just tastes like tonic.
MISHA: Yeah, it's really watered down.
- The first cocktail we're going
to do is the Phoenix Sunrise.
- Phoenix Sunrise.
- We all heard of the Tequila Sunrise, right?
Where did that originate?
[all saying mexico]
It was born here.
- Wow.
- Arizona's got some great cocktail history.
So as we are building the cocktail,
we're going to start off with two ounces of orange juice.
Twisted Alchemy grapefruit juice, two ounces.
Two ounces of our tequila.
3/4 of an ounce grenadine.
I'm going to ice it now.
We're going to just give it a little stir here and pour.
Last but not least, we have a dehydrated purple pineapple.
- Cute.
- Oh my gosh.
ROB FLOYD: Phoenix Sunrise.
All right, our tasting time.
- Ooh, that's a good one.
- Get out of town. (OFF) ROB FLOYD: I like that.
- I am absolutely stoked for tonight's
stress test because we have new products,
we have a new attitude.
Yeah, it's going to be awesome.
[laughter, applause]
ROB FLOYD: Yeah, all right.
[laughs]
[applause]
Yeah, all right.
[upbeat music]
- Jason, you ready, buddy?
JASON REINKE: Yeah.
- Let's talk for a second.
So tonight, I want the staff to see you engaged.
They're used to you going off on the side.
You with me?
So get in the trenches. (ON) JASON REINKE: Yep.
- Go to war with them, OK?
- Yep. All right, buddy.
Thank you.
- Let them in.
- Welcome to the Hogwash.
Here we go, everybody.
[upbeat music]
MISHA: How are we doing, guys?
Here's our menus.
- Can we sit at the bar?
- Absolutely. (ON) CUSTOMER: Meatball sub.
- Meatball sub?
- Phoenix Sundown. (OFF) CUSTOMER: Love you, buddy.
- Good to see you guys.
CUSTOMER: Good to see you too.
- I need three gin and tonic total, three Sunrise
total, and three Sundown total.
JASON REINKE: I can't taste them.
But they're actually awesome drinks.
- Put your stopwatch on for me.
I want to see how long it takes you to get a drink, OK?
Let's move quick, quick, quick, quick.
Let's do this.
- Order up.
TATIANA ROSANA: All right, two subs.
Let's go.
Got to keep it cleaner than that if you want
people to pay money for it.
Come on.
- All right, I totally lost where I was.
CHRISTINA: Sorry.
- That's too heavy on your Aperol.
You can already see it. Go again.
That's all right.
CHRISTINA: Oh, and I forgot the grenadine.
- We're going to dump this
and just get started again. (ON) CHRISTINA: Aw, come on.
[upbeat music]
I'm still making the first three drinks.
- If I said I wasn't worried, I'd be lying.
I'm very worried.
Can Jason actually get involved?
He's used to hiding in a corner.
Now I want to see him in the middle of it all.
Let's see if that happens.
- How many drinks are in here?
- Three.
- There's no way you're fitting three drinks
in that.
Start again.
Let's go. (OFF) CHRISTINA: Ah!
ROB FLOYD: It's all right.
- Hey, don't forget about the other side
of the bar, girls.
- Rob, am I blind?
I don't see one drink out anywhere.
- Nope.
Nothing yet.
- Who doesn't have a drink?
[shouting]
Come on, guys.
We're 10 minutes in.
I have one drink over there.
Are you going to share your drink with everyone?
No?
OK.
So we got a problem here.
Let's get drinks out.
JOHN: Order up, table five.
- Table five.
- Yep.
- Guys, we're completely failing here.
Rob, how many are we dumping out?
- About 80, 90%. (ON) JON TAFFER: 80, 90%.
- Yeah.
- This is much worse than I thought.
And, Jason, yep, he's sober.
Yep, he's trying.
But he doesn't know what to do to resolve this.
So nothing's getting resolved.
[dramatic music]
Let's do this.
- Who else needs a gin and tonic?
JON TAFFER: Guys, this isn't
happening fast enough at all.
- You guys are happy with this?
- Just a bag of chips.
- I don't.
- Where are they at?
- I have them on my server
station behind the red door.
- Take a deep breath.
Put it out quickly.
- God.
- Are they even collecting money?
- I haven't seen anything.
- You guys collecting money?
- Any gin and tonic? (ON) JON TAFFER: No.
So we've not collected any money?
- Oh my god.
[dramatic music]
- Any gin and tonic? (ON) JON TAFFER: No.
So we've not collected any money?
- Oh my god.
- I did.
I collected one. (ON) JON TAFFER: Well, one.
But that-- (ON) CHRISTINA : I know.
- Guys, we got to go.
Let's go collect some money, please.
That's why we're here.
- Thanks, guys.
- Thank you very much.
- Appreciate it.
- These are great.
Just redo that one.
- They haven't collected
any money behind the bar.
You've given away everything tonight.
We're now about 45 minutes in.
Food came out.
But more drinks have gone in the trash
than have crossed the bar.
- We need to collect
money from these guys too.
- I haven't.
- This is a total failure.
Folks, listen up.
I think if we sit here until tomorrow morning,
you still won't have cocktails.
MISHA: I think you're right.
- And to put you through this
and put them through it is just torture.
This is about as bad as I've seen in Bar Rescue!
You have no skills and, at this moment, no chance of success!
Now let's get out of here so I can go to work.
Good night!
[dramatic music]
- We apologize.
We'll see-- we'll see you Friday.
Sorry, guys. (OFF) MISHA: Thanks, guys!
- We failed, worse--
worse than I thought we would.
- Jason, I'm so sorry.
- No money got pulled in.
And all the drinks got pushed down the drain.
And there's no systems.
So I failed.
[dramatic music]
- We had a little stress test last night.
- [laughs]
- Last night's stress test
was one of the worst stress tests I've ever seen.
They were overpouring.
They were underpouring.
I had to dump out so many drinks, it was awful.
So the big thing that Jon wants to make sure
that we get from here in this training
is that we have our pour count sharp so that we're not
overpouring and that we can get more
than one drink made at a time.
So our next cocktail is easy to do.
And it's called the Diamondback.
[upbeat music]
Three ounces housemade lemonade, two ounces of our vodka.
Ice this up.
Shake.
[shakes bottle]
We're going to pour our cocktail.
The interactive part, we're going to put in blue curacao.
Present it just like this.
Then your guests get to have a little fun with it.
They get to take it off and pour it in.
CATHY COOK: That's cool.
That is cool.
ROB FLOYD: Stir.
JASON REINKE: That's an awesome color.
- Really fun.
[upbeat music]
- I saw some good things last night.
Rather than hiding in the corner and drinking,
Jason actually was out in the room
shaking hands, talking to tables.
That's a big change in his behavior.
How are you? (ON) CATHY COOK: Hello.
- What he couldn't do
was make the systems work for him because he didn't have any.
I want to give you a little compliment
because I've been beating the hell out of you for a few days
now. (ON) JASON REINKE: Yeah.
JON TAFFER: You know, last night,
you didn't hide in the corner. You were out there.
It's a big change.
- Thank you.
- But when I think about what let us down
last night, the systems, I think I'm fixing
where our weaknesses are.
Rob and Chef have been training the team big time all day.
You're going to have a POS system
behind the bar on both sides.
- Yes.
- We're going to have
a food menu, a beverage menu.
Food is going to increase our length of stay hugely.
What I worry about is I don't want
you to climb back into that shell that you were in.
- When you don't know what the [bleep] you're
doing, it's easy to climb into a goddamn bottle
and forget about what the [bleep] you're doing.
- And have I given
you what you need to step up? Are you getting that confidence?
- Yep. Yep.
And I appreciate that.
- What do you want to say to him?
- I am so proud of you, Jason.
I-- I truly am.
The transition that I have witnessed this week
was incredible.
And I just know going together as a team that we are,
things are going to improve tremendously.
- I hope so. And--
CATHY COOK: Oh, I know so. (ON) JASON REINKE: I know so.
- I know so. [laughs]
- I was asked several times
if you'd be able to make it.
And I said, I have no doubt he'll make it.
- No, I appreciate
you sticking by my side.
Both of you.
- This nightmare is going to become a dream.
- Oh, I like that.
- Yeah, I believe so.
- All right, buddy,
there's one thing left here.
I got to finish building your bar.
So I got to go to work. (ON) CATHY COOK: You go.
You go.
- Since this week, my expectations
and hopes for the business seem to be coming to fruition.
Jason is following his promise to Jon.
And I respect the hell out of him for that.
I think he's now aware of what that was
doing to him and the business.
I have a strong belief that he's going to keep going.
[upbeat music]
- Everything is wrong in this place.
I mean, the soffit over the bar is terrible.
The back bar is just awful.
You enter on a dance floor and go in the other way.
This needs to be the front door.
So you've got to figure out a way to make this door
look like an entryway. (OFF) WOMAN: Yeah.
JON TAFFER: Maybe move the awning, some plants, something
out there. (OFF) WOMAN: Dress it up.
- So it looks like an entryway
that you would actually walk into.
So we got to figure out a whole new floor plan for this place.
WOMAN: Right.
JON TAFFER: We got to reconfigure the equipment
so it makes sense.
And then here's the big one, Brandon, the kitchen.
We got the equipment to get in now and the rest of it.
Can you get all that in time?
- I'll have to reach out to Middleby,
see what we can get, see if we can get plumbers in there,
electricians in there.
You know, we're-- we're under a time crunch.
JON TAFFER: Yeah, and if we
don't get them a food program, I don't
think we're going to succeed. (OFF) WOMAN: Sure.
- Yeah, all right,
guys, you better go to work.
[upbeat music]
[cheering]
- Hello.
Hey, I knew this was a great town when I got here.
- Right?
- Hey, everybody.
[all greeting]
I'm going to start with you, Cathy.
Was this what you thought it would be?
- Better.
What we have learned in the short amount of time from you,
Jon, has just been incredible.
- Jason, we had a--
not the most pleasant first night together if any of you
were here.
How has this week been for you?
- Stressful. (ON) JON TAFFER: Yeah, I bet.
I bet.
- But a good learning experience.
- You feel you're a better partner for it?
JASON REINKE: Damn right.
- Well, that's what it's about, isn't it?
[cheering]
There's a lot of love here.
And every moment that I spent with the two of you
was never about the money.
It was always about your friend.
So I knew there was something special about you.
And you were worth fighting for, buddy.
So you ready to see it?
- We can't wait to see what you've done.
JON TAFFER: Yeah, all right, here we go.
[cheering]
1.
- [shouts]
- 2, 3.
[cheering]
[shouts]
2, 3.
[cheering]
MISHA: Oh, awesome.
[chatter]
- I love it.
PAUL COOK: I like it. (ON) JON TAFFER: You like it?
- I love it. (ON) MISHA: That's awesome.
- Perfect.
- [bleep] love it.
- Yeah. (ON) MISHA: That's awesome.
- When you go to a sporting event,
what's the luxury area?
- The Skybox. (ON) JON TAFFER: Bingo.
- Right.
JON TAFFER: FastSigns of Phoenix worked all night long
to get that sign done for us.
You guys ready to see the inside?
- Oh, god yes.
[all agreeing] (ON) MISHA: Oh my gosh.
- [laughs]
[cheering]
- Holy [bleep].
MISHA: Oh my gosh.
Oh my gosh.
JOHN: The bar tops look [bleep] awesome.
CHRISTINA: I love it. Beautiful.
- Look at the Skybox lounge.
CATHY COOK: Oh!
MISHA: What?
CHRISTINA: Are there massage chairs?
MISHA: Are there massage chairs?
- It goes up. Look.
How fun.
The thought that went into this is phenomenal.
Look at the pool table down there.
It's not a bar.
It's a lounge. (ON) CHAELA: It's sophisticated.
It's so weird.
- It's very sophisticated.
- Wow.
[upbeat music]
- Oh, yeah, it's--[bleep]
it's finished.
- Oh my gosh.
Oh, look at all this stuff.
- Badass.
It's awesome.
I never expected it to be anything like this.
- Oh, I love the black.
- It just looks awesome.
- Oh my gosh, this is so awesome.
- Rambo.
- What do you think?
[interposing voices]
- Oh my gosh.
So classy. (ON) JON TAFFER: You like it?
MISHA: Absolutely.
- Up a few notches?
- You're absolutely right.
We love it.
It's classy.
MISHA: It's absolutely cool.
JASON REINKE: That is sweet, buddy.
JON TAFFER: How about this wall here?
CATHY COOK: I was just going to say, check it out.
JON TAFFER: You feel like you're at the game, don't you?
JOSH: That's crazy.
JON TAFFER: Signature Graphics worked all night long
creating that mural for us.
So, guys, grab a seat.
I want to show you everything I did.
- This football field is phenomenal.
I mean, I can't even believe this is our bar.
We can't believe it's the same place.
- How about that kitchen?
- That one piece that does it all, oh my gosh.
JON TAFFER: That's the perfect fry unit by Middleby.
They were very quick to not only give us that fryer,
but to give us a double decker Turbochef oven.
- Oh my god, it's perfect.
- It's perfect every time.
Then I got SkyTab POS.
So each workstation has its own POS system.
You have your tablet.
You can do your credit card swipes,
your transactions, everything, and right at the table.
Barproducts.com gave you mixing cups, strainers, glassware,
pour spouts, everything you need so the bar is
completely equipped. (ON) MISHA: Yay.
- I got you subscription to Partender.
- Oh, wow. (OFF) MISHA: Whoa.
- So literally, Cathy can do inventory.
MISHA: Awesome. (OFF) JOSH: Nice.
MISHA: Awesome.
- All right, guys,
you see that crowd out there? (OFF) JOSH: Yeah.
- Yeah, let's let them in.
- I promised you I'd bring them here.
You guys now have to get them back.
Are you ready? (ON) JOHN: Hell yeah.
- Let's go to work.
- Let's do it. (ON) MISHA: All right.
[upbeat music]
- Hello, everybody.
Welcome to the Skybox Ultra Sport Lounge.
Come on in.
[upbeat music]
- How are you guys doing?
How are you?
- Thanks for coming.
MISHA: Welcome to our Skybox.
[laughs]
- What are we drinking tonight?
I have a great Diamondback cocktail.
CUSTOMER: Yes, I'm in. (ON) MISHA: The Sunrise?
You got it.
- Are you guys going to order any food?
[all agreeing]
- The Buffalo chicken flatbread.
- How are you guys doing?
[upbeat music]
ROB FLOYD: Perfect.
- Oh my god.
[cheering]
Thank god.
Thank you.
Please.
Yes!
[cheering]
- Well, it happened.
We slipped into our groove.
- You scared the crap out of me.
And now I know what to do.
- Look at Misha, making
two, three cocktails at a time.
Nothing's going down the drain.
It's working.
TATIANA ROSANA: Tickets are starting to come in.
Remember to pull your plates, OK?
JOHN: Two Buffalo chicken flatbreads.
TATIANA ROSANA: Two Buffalo chicken flatbreads.
We got those coming right now.
JOHN: Because I got two of them in there.
Yep.
(OFF) TATIANA ROSANA: There you go.
Nice job pulling those plates, John.
JOHN: [laughs]
- That's what I like to see.
- Repetition.
JON TAFFER: How are you doing?
- Everything looks amazing.
He's doing a great job.
Food is looking great.
It's going to be running out the window.
JON TAFFER: He's having fun, man.
- Yeah, oh, yeah, appreciate it.
JON TAFFER: No problems here.
Food is perfect, coming out quickly.
- Going to bar B2.
JON TAFFER: John's got this.
I'm so proud of everyone.
[upbeat music]
I got to tell you, to see him back
here with a gun in his hand, making a beverage,
I'm impressed.
Jason hasn't had a drink.
He's sober.
He's engaged.
- And that is teamwork.
Thank you so much.
- His days of sitting in a corner are over.
Look at us here, guys, a team working together.
I am so proud of you guys.
- The light at the end of the tunnel
ain't a train anymore.
It's wide open.
CATHY COOK: [laughs] Look at your smile.
- Look at that smirk.
- Look at your smile.
- Look at us. This was never about a bar.
This was always about you because everybody
loves you so much.
It's been my honor to help you, buddy.
My work's done.
[cheering]
This one feels good.
Paul and Cathy are communicating with Jason.
Good night, everybody.
JON TAFFER (VOICEOVER): I've broken down that barrier.
They're working together as a team.
I think Jason's ready to take control of this bar
and take it to success.
[upbeat music]
(RAPPING) Come on.
END NARRATOR: Consideration provided
by SkyTab POS, Partender, barproducts.com, Twisted
Alchemy, Lawson Plumbing, Fire at Will, FastSigns of Phoenix,
Signature Graphics, Starlight Electric
LLC, Middleby, and Esri.
[audio logo]
MTV.