[laughing] I'm there. Ha-ha-ha!
Oh, Lord, here we go.
King: For over 30 years, Jon Taffer has traveled the country
saving hundreds of bars from failure and ruin.
Jon: I started rescuing bars decades ago
because they're part of the backbone of America.
Let's go! We-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 gonna 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.
King: Now Jon's heading to Houston, Texas,
to attempt to rescue Coaches Pub.
We are determined to raise the bar
and rise to the occasion.
[instrumental music]
King: In May of 2022,
restaurant industry veteran Robbie Curry
decided to purchase Coaches Pub,
a bar that had been open for more than 15 years prior.
In total, I've been working in the bar business 20 years.
I was living in Missouri and I made the move to Houston
to come support my friend Alan who had brain tumors.
Alan and I met in 1996, and we are always there
for each other, we understand each other,
we've been there when our families
didn't support us being gay men.
And so we've supported each other through everything.
Robbie: So I decided to look for a bar here,
and that's how I ended up buying Coaches.
King: Eager to finally be working for himself,
Robbie came in full of ideas to improve the 15-year-old bar.
When I bought the bar, I didn't wanna run anyone away,
but I wanted to grow.
King: But he was not prepared for the pushback
that would come from its loyal patrons.
Everyone was sure to tell me how things went here,
so everyone was like, "This is the way we do it at Coaches."
"This is the way Coaches is."
It is good. You're so full of it.
Robbie is very excited about new ideas,
but the old owner ran a really tight ship.
I'm busting my ass to try to recover money that I've put in,
and all you're hearing is what you shouldn't do
and why you shouldn't do it and what shouldn't change.
Robbie: And I'm really lost at what to do.
Mentally it started to just wear at me.
[dramatic music]
[indistinct chatter]
[man scatting]
King: With Robbie checking out mentally,
the staff was left to supervise themselves.
[indistinct]
I think our staff drinks too much.
Jojo: We don't really have anybody
to hold us accountable for anything.
King: And with no one upholding standards,
consistency and cleanliness have fallen to the wayside.
The-the-the sanitation of it all, or the lack thereof,
has caused tons of fruit flies.
Sammy: Our equipment is getting more dilapidated
because a lot of the maintenance and things
aren't being done.
Kristina: What is that?
King: Now Robbie's debt is mounting
and Coaches Pub is months away
from closing its doors for good.
Robbie: Right now I'm at about $230,000 in debt.
Sometimes it's hard to get out of bed.
King: Before his dream ends as a nightmare,
Robbie has agreed to pull back the doors, bust open the books
and make a call for help to Bar Rescue.
Robbie: This bar means everything.
I've changed my life so much to make this work.
[dramatic music]
[glass shattering]
So here we are, guys, Midtown Houston.
So this bar is called Coaches Pub.
For a sports bar, I don't see anything related to sports
anywhere in the, in this pub.
Yeah, neither do I.
King: For the bar,
Jon brings in Diana Small
as beverage manager with Marriott International.
Diana prioritizes cocktail excellence and creativity.
She specializes in setting high standards
across multiple markets,
ensuring the customers have
special and satiating experiences.
For the kitchen, Jon brings in chef Brad Miller
from the suburbs of Chicago to the coast of California.
Chef Miller specializes in bringing together
simple ingredients to create specialized cuisines.
He's currently the chef and co-owner
of the Inn Of The Seventh Ray,
one of Los Angeles' most revered restaurants.
So this bar was bought two years ago
by a gentleman by the name of Robbie.
You guys have any questions? Or you put your order in already?
Man 1: Yeah, yeah. - Alright, great.
Absolutely. Alright.
Jon: Robbie was a regional manager
for a national chicken wing restaurant company.
So Robbie opened this bar.
Now he's about $240,000 in debt.
He's losing six, seven, eight-thousand dollars a month.
He's got enough money to make it a couple more months.
And this is his dream, and it's going down the tubes.
Cheers.
Brad: Looks like Robbie's taking shots with the customers.
If my restaurant was about to go down,
I wouldn't be sitting doing shots at the bar.
[chuckles] And do you want a short or a tall?
- Tall. - Tall?
There's Kristina.
- She's our manager. - Shit. Ah!
There's Sammy, one of our bartenders.
It might not be as cold as you want it to be, but it's fine.
There's Jojo, the other bartender.
And there's Francisco, our cook.
Jon: So, guys, look at this kitchen.
Look at the door, the paint peeling off the door
in a residential door in the kitchen.
Is that the drenching station over there
next to the peeling paint?
With the dirty bowls right next to the garbage pail.
That's a health code violation.
Yup.
[humming]
So there's Robbie in the kitchen. He's looking around.
Brad: Gave a thumbs up. - Nice thumbs up.
Gave him a thumbs up like everything's going well.
Jon: Well, for recon, I got two local radio celebrities.
So Lo is the host of the afternoon show,
and Riggs is the host of
the morning show, "The Morning Zoo," as they call it.
And I'm curious to see what they think of this place.
- I'm curious. - Hello, how are y'all?
- Good. How are you doing? - Good. How are you?
- Can I do a margarita, please. Jojo: Yeah.
Can I have a tequila sunrise?
Jojo: I can do a tequila sunrise.
Jon: She's making a drink into a metal cup
rather than a glass cup.
Diana: She didn't have a pour spout or jigger,
and she also over-poured tremendously.
[ice rattling]
Jon: Oh, my gosh, look at the color of that margarita.
Little orangey, right? It's terrible.
Diana: This is the tequila sunrise.
- No measurements whatsoever. Jon: Okay, what is she putti--
It doesn't get pineapple juice.
So she put pineapple juice and grenadine in tequila?
- Is that what she put in there? Diana: That's what she did.
When it calls for orange juice.
Yup.
[indistinct chatter]
Y'all want anything else, anything to eat or--
- Yeah, we'll put in some food. - Yeah.
- I'll have the ribeye, please. - Okay.
The Coaches' famous wings, thank you.
Jojo: You're welcome.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
[man whistling]
[suspenseful music]
Diana: Oh-ho-ho. - Look at his face, oh.
And all that, all that tequila was on the top.
I was like, "Where is it?" There it is.
Wow.
Oh, is that a fruit fly?
It's right by your face.
There's a fruit fly on his face.
You know the place can't be clean or they wouldn't be there.
- Mn-mn. Right. - They wouldn't.
- Cheers. - Cheers.
[Robbie laughs]
That's his third shot tonight. And it's early.
And as the owner, he's not setting a good example either.
Okay, so let's see how our cook is doing back here.
Jon: And look at that steak, look at the piece
of fat in the middle of that steak.
And you can tell that how long it's been frozen by
the outside being a little gray and going pink to the center.
Brad: That's been frozen for a very long time.
Jon: It looks disgusting, doesn't it, chef?
It looks completely gross.
Jon: Basic chicken wings, flipping them in a bowl.
Brad: Right back to the garbage pail.
- Ugh. - Oh.
Jon: Okay, there's that steak. Look at that steak, man.
Jojo: So I have some wings. Melted blue cheese.
Lo: Thank you. - Here we go.
The moment of truth.
[suspenseful music]
They can't cut through it.
Like, I'm having trouble cut... Like cutting through a tire.
[Riggs laughs]
Jon: He's still cutting. He's still cutting.
I don't think he's gonna get through that steak.
Jon: Let's go. Cut away!
He's cutting and he's cutting and he's cutting!
We still do not have separation.
This is unbelievable, he's still cutting!
Here we go, separation, first bite.
Diana: Oh! Jon: Oh!
- He wants to spit it out. - He wants to spit it out.
Diana: Oh, his face. Brad: Yup, there it goes.
What happened?
It's all fat?
They can't even eat it if they tried!
Diana: He's hitting the door.
Jon: He's actually hitting the door with it.
That's material contamination.
That's wood chips in the food.
Diana: Yeah.
Jon: With a cockroach walking across the floor.
[Jon sighs]
But look at the filth everywhere.
Brad: Those have never been cleaned.
[intense music]
Brad: Jon, those are rat droppings.
- Oh, my God. - Oh, man.
Brad: They're gonna get somebody sick.
Yeah, honestly, guys, I don't
think they should be eating anymore of that, do you?
- They shouldn't. - I'm gonna stop them.
I'm going to work. I'll see you later.
[intense music]
- Like, Lord of the flies. - I mean, fruit flies, I know.
It's terrible, I know. I'm so sorry. [chuckles]
[intense music]
[bleep]! Oh, I'm getting so anxious.
- Hey, Robert. - Hello.
So, uh, I hear you were regional manager...
for a chicken wing restaurant chain.
- Correct, correct. - How many years?
- Twenty years combined in-- - In the industry.
- Yeah, in the industry. - So...
As a regional manager then,
and you would do inspections?
So you would check cleanliness standards?
- Absolutely. - Training, consistency?
- All that kind of stuff? - Absolutely, I do.
Come over here with me, yeah, I want you
to see something for a moment.
[intense music]
Jon: That's rat droppings.
Cockroaches walking all over the floor.
Okay, let's keep going, we're on a roll here!
How about this stuff next to the garbage pail?
- Do you wanna eat that? Robbie: No, sir.
You know health codes!
- Is this legal? - No, sir.
Of course not. What about this?
Robbie: Not good. - Not good.
How about this one, how's that? Not good.
Jon: Not good! Not good!
Look at this sitting here next to the paint.
And when he does it, he goes like this.
[tapping]
Where do you think that paint went, Robbie?
- Into the flour. - Right into the flour!
Let's come out here now.
[music continues]
When was the last time you took this cover off and cleaned it?
- It's been a minute. Jon: It's been a minute.
Ooh. I bet it's been more than a minute.
What do you think, Robbie? You're the owner.
When was the last time you looked?
Look at that. Oh, boy, cockroach legs, feces.
We got it all going on in here. Enjoy those drinks, guys.
[music continues]
[glass shattering]
Stop! Don't drink it.
Nobody should be eating a thing in this place!
Jon: I'm starting to think that if I built you the Taj Mahal,
you'd [bleep] it up.
I understand what you're saying,
but I wanna be successful, I wanna have other bars.
Okay, you wanna be successful. What are you now?
- Not at all. I'm a failure. - Now say I'm a failure. Say it.
- You're a failure. - Yes.
So if you won't fight for this, why should I?
Because I need help. I gave up on myself.
I don't wanna give up on myself anymore.
This is such bullshit, all you have to do
is wake up in the morning and get the place freaking clean
and train your staff. Come on, it's not rocket science.
Why do you come in here and not care enough to do something?
Could you come over for a minute?
I gotta understand this. Help me.
- How long have you worked here? - About three years.
- Three years? Good guy? - Mm-hmm. Great guy.
Jon: Do you know he's in debt $400,000?
How much money do you have left, Robbie?
- None. - None.
He still comes in here and doesn't clean
and doesn't do anything.
Robbie, listen to me, if you don't care, I can't!
- I do. - If you don't fight for it...
I won't! I'm your last chance.
- Aren't I? - Absolutely.
Okay, well, I gotta tell you something, I'm 50-50
walking out of here because I don't believe in him.
I think you should give him a chance.
[intense music]
Robbie: I'm willing to do whatever I need.
When I come here tomorrow,
if this place is not clean, I walk out of here,
and you're done. Do you understand what I'm saying?
Absolutely. It will be clean.
Okay, we'll see. I'll see you tomorrow.
[exhales sharply]
It hurts, it hurts seeing somebody
I care about get yelled at like that.
Kristina: Robbie's just such a great, nice person.
I think it's not just Robbie, we're all at fault
because we should be a team.
Alright, let's get it straightened up.
I'll help you clean. We'll all clean.
Robbie: We gotta get it all straightened and cleaned up.
[instrumental music]
What's going on, everybody?
- What's up, boss man? - Ah.
It was a tough night, just a lot to think about,
a lot to take in and process.
So I heard, uh, you guys had some fun last night.
To say the least.
But I'm ready to get things moving in the right direction,
and I'm feeling good this morning.
Those of us who were here last night had to stay really late
to get everything cleaned up and straightened up.
Our team stayed last night to clean as tasked by Jon,
so not many of us got a lot of sleep, but we needed
to take care of the things we needed to take care of.
Long story short, um, there were
a lot of cleanliness issues with the bar
that Jon came in and addressed.
Kristina: Of course, there was a fruit fly in somebody's drink.
Braden: Just one? - It was really bad, yeah.
After leaving last night, I'm not sure if I was angry or sad,
to be honest with you.
Jon: Robbie is clearly broken.
He knew how to do this,
but he's letting himself down.
He's not doing what he knows he should do.
- Hello! Robbie: Hello.
- Hey, hey, how's it going? - Good.
Jon: Alright, come on up, you guys, let's all talk.
Jon: Today I gotta figure that out.
If I don't change Robbie, I can't change his future.
I heard a great story of a guy.
Had a dream to come down here and help a friend, right?
I'd like them to hear the story.
So I came down here because my friend Alan
has five brain tumors, and we've been friends for 28 years.
Um, and so I came to support him.
Both of us, us have been there, part of each other's lives.
Robbie: We're like brothers. He didn't have family here.
So I decided to move here to be near him.
And that's why I moved to Houston.
So you sacrificed the life that you had
to come down here and be there for your buddy.
When I hear that kind of a story,
I say, "This is a good guy."
- Definitely. - Yes.
How far in debt are you now?
- Almost $400,000. Jon: $400,000.
I see the look on your face. He's in trouble, guys.
What is your title?
I-I would say part-time manager, part-time bartender.
Okay. So do you do the schedules?
- I do not. No. Jon: You don't?
'Cause you know what you are right now?
And this is not a reflection of you.
It's your job. You're a stupid visor.
Jon: Because you don't have any authority, correct?
She's a boss who doesn't have the authority to do anything.
That's not fair to you either, is it?
- No. - You wanna be a real manager?
- I do. - Okay, let's make that happen.
- Okay. - What's your name?
- Jordan. - And what do you do here?
- I'm a bartender. Yeah. - Bartender?
- Hi, what's your name? Braden. - I'm Braden.
- How long you've been here? - Just past a year.
Jon: Just past a year. So you're one of the new guys?
Have you worked in other bars before?
Yes, sir, I used to work in a bar down
the street. I've worked all over town.
Is this a more organized, less organized?
It doesn't compare to other bars.
Braden: I mean, it's kind of a free for all.
- Yeah. What's your name? - Sam.
- How long you been here, Sam? - Over 15 years.
Fifteen years?
- So you predate Robbie. - Yes, sir.
So if I were to ask you why is
Robbie failing, what would you say, Sam?
I believe that Robbie's failing because
he takes out a lot on himself, doesn't delegate.
Sammy: There's not really a structure or a plan or set days.
Jon: It's a free for all. - It's a free for all, overall.
Jon: What's your name? - Jason.
Jason, how long you've been here?
Uh, roughly about 13 years.
- Also long time. - Yes, sir.
So you knew the previous owner as well.
If the old owner was running this bar today,
would it still be successful?
Yes, it would be.
- Sam? - Yes. Yes.
So this bar is failing because of Robbie.
You had a winner and you made it a loser.
[intense music]
Jon: And you gotta look in to your soul
and understand how the hell that happened,
'cause inside you are two people.
There's that regional manager, he's still in there,
and then there's a lazy bar owner.
And that manager's gotta hold that lazy bar owner responsible.
And you gotta make that happen within you.
If you don't do it now, Robbie, what happens?
I would lose everything.
[music continues]
So what are we waiting for?
Nothing.
I have to admit, it is on me. I lost sight.
Being honest with you, I can't remember when it happened.
Like, they have recipes back there, but did I hold
anybody accountable to continue to read 'em? Absolutely not.
I didn't stay on top of it, and so I can't be upset
that they're saying that, because, no, I didn't follow up.
I did it in the beginning, I did a test, I taught it,
and then I let it slide.
So I'm understanding and accepting
that piece of it on me. I am.
You guys care, don't you? You care about this place.
Will you guys step up for him, Sam? Will you step up for him?
- Will you? - One-hundred percent.
Jon: This isn't about a bar anymore, is it?
It's about his life and your futures.
- Let's make it happen, okay? - You got it.
I'm gonna bring my experts in, we're gonna start training.
Jon: We got a lot of work to do, guys, it's a stress test
tonight. I'm gonna pack this place.
Once we see why we fail tonight, I can fix it tomorrow.
- So, you ready, guys? - Ready?
- Okay, let's go to work. - Alright, let's do it.
Doesn't feel good to hear about
Robbie's financial struggles,
especially considering that
I feel partially responsible
as a member of his staff, you know?
I could have been doing a better job
to at least help them help us.
So it doesn't, it doesn't feel good.
[glass shattering]
[instrumental music]
[traffic bustling]
[upbeat music]
- Hi, guys. How are you doing? - Hi.
Y'all ready to get some training on?
- Yes. Diana: Perfect.
Last night I saw a lot of errors.
They were pouring without pour spouts,
without even jiggering or any measurement, they were
getting their ingredients from all over the bar
and they weren't even engaging with their guests, they weren't
smiling, they acted like they didn't even wanna be there.
Today's training, Jon and I want to focus
on consistency behind the bar,
so I wanna invite couple of bartenders back
and I'm curious if one bartender can make
the same exact drink as the other bartender.
Diana: So I'm gonna have you make a margarita,
how you would make it.
[instrumental music]
[ice rattling]
[liquid sloshing]
[ice rattling]
[liquid sloshing]
[indistinct chatter]
[music continues]
Got you.
Diana: So what is the first thing we notice?
Robbie: I don't taste any tequila in Braden's.
I taste too much orange juice in the other one for me.
Okay, the pour counts are a little bit off.
Uh, you poured about two-and-a-half ounces of tequila
and you poured about three quarters of an ounce of tequila.
Also, we wanna steer clear from orange juice in margarita,
so throw that right out the window.
And we're gonna go into a proper way to make a margarita,
but we have a little bit of a twist on it.
It's gonna be called an upside-down margarita.
So we're gonna do three quarters of an ounce Twisted Alchemy
lime juice, same thing with our agave, three quarters
of an ounce. And then we're gonna do half ounce triple sec.
I'm gonna fill it with ice. This is not really gonna do anything.
You really wanna just go for it, right?
And take our chamoy and Tajin, glass, ice.
Float one ounce of tequila,
garnish with a lime wheel and a tamarind straw.
And there she is, called an upside-down margarita.
Mm. That's good.
Apparently, you're not supposed to put OJ in a marg-margarita.
Jojo: But it's all good, I'm learning.
I haven't had much training before this.
This is the most training I've ever had, actually.
So tonight is stress test, we're gonna do a lot of training
and we're gonna get our accuracy right. We got this.
Alright.
- Welcome. - Hi.
So I wanna work on the ribeye with you guys.
Last night it was like a tire, it was tough,
and the reason being is it was a cheap cut
and it needed to be cooked properly.
Brad: Now we wanna have a beautiful cut of ribeye,
nice and marbled, great grade of meat, it's gonna be tender.
Alright, so tiny bit of oil, not too much.
I want to do a signature dry rub.
Onion powder, garlic, a little bit of ginger,
some coriander, smoked paprika.
This is something that's extraordinarily cost effective,
but is so, so flavorful.
And we're gonna go on the grill
right here, so you get those grill marks.
So I'm gonna throw those fries down. Nice, clean fryer oil.
I'm gonna go on the other side, we're getting those hatch marks.
When you have nice, clean fryer oil, you get crispy hot fries.
Salt, fresh-chopped parsley, a little bit of pecorino cheese.
We're gonna take this guy off the flame,
he's gonna rest right over here.
And keep flipping it over, that's the key.
Whenever you have a steak, gravity is taking
all those juices to one side.
So, very, very simple plate-up.
And there you have it, there is the way
to serve a ribeye in your pub.
It's simple, it's easy, and on top of that,
it's gonna make people happy, it's gonna keep people drinking,
and people are gonna come back and spend that money.
Chef Brad's new rendition of the ribeye
is just ten steps above the ribeye we had before.
Robbie: For the stress test tonight, I'm not gonna lie,
I'm a little nervous, we need to prove
that we have the knowledge
and that we have the spirit
and willingness to do better.
Alright, so tonight there's a lot on the line.
Brad: You guys have to get this down.
We need you guys to work together.
These are high stakes, pun completely intended.
[engine revving]
[upbeat music]
Robbie: Alright, figure out what to do for the kitchen
'cause we don't have a damn cook.
- Unexpected always happens-- - Why is...
- Why, what the-- - We have to roll with it.
- How are we doing, Rob? - Doing alright, doing alright.
You look a little stressed. Do we all talk for a minute?
- Absolutely. Mm-hmm. - Okay, come on over, guys.
- Uh, we lost somebody. - We did.
Francisco, he works two jobs, and he told us his other boss
had him on the schedule and told him he had to be there
or they were gonna let him go, and he left.
And so right now I don't have a cook.
So who's the most qualified to cook?
- It would be myself. - Okay.
'Cause you've done it before.
I think that's a smart decision. You're stepping up.
- I'm proud to see that. - Thank you.
So who's in the kitchen with you?
- I know how to do it. Yeah. - You okay doing it?
- Who's your manager? Robbie: Kristina.
She would be the manager on the floor.
- Okay, so we got a plan. - Absolutely.
- So let's get organized. - Got you.
Robbie: So I'm nervous going in the stress test.
My worries are that we just completely flop it,
and then everything I worked for is gone.
But I can't look at it like that.
I have to set that fear aside to
where you're stepping up as a team
and we're gonna make this work.
Alright, guys, come on in. Welcome to Coaches.
[crowd cheering]
- Welcome, welcome. Alright. - Hey, guys, welcome in.
Jason: How you doing today? How y'all doing?
[indistinct chatter]
Well, what did y'all wanna get started with? What kinda drinks?
Woman 1: First base. - First base?
- What are we thinking, man? - Um...
- Upside-down margarita? - Yup.
Oh, and the buffalo wings and steak sandwich.
- Got you. Jason: Three more margaritas.
- Excellent. - And the steak sandwich.
[indistinct chatter]
Can you put your stopwatch on for me?
I wanna see how long it takes.
- Perfect. Thank you. - Yeah.
[indistinct chatter]
Uh, you wanna do ice last 'cause number's gonna die.
[chuckles] This is gonna be fun.
- Yeah. - Reaching over.
- Going back. Watch. - Well, we're off and running.
Since we lost Francisco, Robbie's in the kitchen
with Sam, cooking, orders are starting to come in.
Be stronger than this. Oh, no, I lost one. Oh, I lost two.
Not looking strong. The next few minutes will tell all.
[indistinct chatter]
I don't taste any tequila in that whatsoever.
Listen up, everyone, since this is a popular place
to watch the Astros' games, I got nine baseballs here.
How many strikes in an inning? Nine!
Every time they start screwing up now,
I'm dropping a ball in the buckets.
We get nine strikes, I'm closing this place down.
[intense music]
I am supposed to float the tequila.
You are supposed to float the tequila.
I'm gonna make this drink,
like, five times today.
Diana: You have to float your tequila. Come on, man.
Right now you've dumped two drinks down the drain. One, two.
I can't get through these drinks, will you take
those people's food order down there?
Hi, guys. [laughs] What can I get you?
Brad: Grill marks are looking good, but it's
a little too much high flame, guys.
- Rob, are these ready? Robbie: Yes, they are ready.
Braden: How are we supposed to get this in here?
Come on, guys, we gotta go a lot faster. Look at this.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Twelve, thirteen tickets, guys.
Jon: We gotta double up. Please dig us out.
So have you guys been helped already?
You're just waiting on drinks? I do apologize.
Sammy: Two wings, guys. - Not me, bro.
No name, quick sale. We-we've gotta start tabs.
- What does your stopwatch say? Woman 2: Fourteen and a half.
Fourteen-and-a-half minutes. Do you have a drink?
- No. - Another ball!
How long have you guys been waiting?
Strike! Another ball!
Who's still waiting for a drink? Show me. Who's still waiting?
Jon: Is that a strike?
Another one.
Five down, four to go.
Robbie, I'm so sorry, real quick, ticket time's...
- What are we looking at? Robbie: Um, about...
Oh, gosh, about 20 minutes. Alright, 20.
Okay, so there were five of you, and you got four drinks.
Is that another strike? It is.
Guys, serve a table at the entire time,
not four out of five.
Another strike, guys. We're running out of balls!
Brad: Yeah, you guys got tickets hanging, too.
Jon: Talk to me, chef. How are we doing?
We have over 12 tickets just hanging.
Brad: The tickets that are right here aren't even being made.
I think we're making one ticket at a time.
Okay, now that steak is on fire.
Literally that steak is on fire. Tongs, tongs.
[intense music]
[glass shattering]
That steak is on fire. Literally that steak is on fire.
Tongs, tongs.
Okay, that's another strike, man.
Yeah.
Jon: You heard your chef.
So I'm seeing steaks that are getting thrown in the garbage
'cause they're overcooked. We're putting wings in with fries.
There is absolutely no order here.
Let's not forget the kitchen.
Two steaks just thrown in the trash.
Strike. Strike. One ball left.
Let's see how long we can survive. How are we doing?
They're shaking their drinks the wrong way.
It's like we completely forgot what training was today.
- We're under the wire for sure. - Yeah, absolutely.
Diana: Menu knowledge is what we're struggling with mainly.
I'm constantly dumping drinks.
We are failing and falling way behind.
- Tiny bit of salt and pepper. - Uh-huh.
Talk to me, chef. How are we doing?
We're not doing great, Jon.
Brad: We don't have the layout, we don't have the system.
We've seen what we need to see.
You got a lot of work to do.
I hate to say it, folks, the bar can't do it.
They don't have the skills yet, the kitchen can't do it.
We can't get any food to you.
Final strike, game over.
Robbie, come out here!
Tonight we failed, didn't we?
- Absolutely. - You wanna apologize?
I'm sorry, everybody, we're gonna work it out,
and I ask you guys to come back and support us,
and we'll show ourselves much improved, I promise.
[all cheering]
[applauding]
Robbie: So tonight it was just rough.
And I'm so welcoming the training in the upcoming days.
I know that we need it.
[upbeat music]
- Hello, everybody. Hi. - Hello, Diana.
How do we feel how last night went?
Stressful.
- Stressful? - Chaotic.
Last night during the stress test, I had to dump
so many cocktails down the drain.
Diana: What I wanna focus on today in training is their
pour counts because once they get their pour counts down,
they'll be able to remain consistent with their drinks.
Diana: So to get our accurate pour counts,
the nice technique that I like to use is the siren technique.
You kind of count like the pace of a siren would go.
So it would be like, one, two, three, four,
five, six, seven, eight. And eight would be your...
- Two ounce. - Two ounce. Two ounce pour.
[imitates siren] That kind of...
Exactly. That's exactly the pace that you wanna go.
I've actually never heard somebody refer to it as a siren.
It was a really good earning technique, honestly,
'cause it sticks with you, it's really easy to remember.
And now you can't get that sound of a siren
out of your head, so you can never forget it.
So we're introducing a challenge cocktail.
Jon and I wanted to create something that would draw
the customers in, like how they have people that have
the world's biggest hamburger or the spiciest wings,
you will have the Buckin' Bronco,
and it'll be a challenge for them to finish the drink.
Diana: In a mixing glass, muddle two Thai chilies sliced,
then add five dashes of firewater,
half ounce Twisted Alchemy lime juice,
one ounce house ancho chili syrup,
half ounce triple sec, one ounce whiskey.
Add ice, shake, dump into a rocks glass.
Garnish with a lime wheel and Thai chili pepper skewer.
This is the Buckin' Bronco.
Then they have to eat the chili before they drink the drink.
That's interesting.
Diana: And then they have to finish it.
The Bronco drink is so amazing.
Robbie: The challenge, the presentation.
I know that people are gonna be excited about drinking
and wanting to continue to drink 'em.
It's so exciting to add a fun flavor to the bar.
We have a lot more training to do. Tomorrow is relaunch.
- Yes. - So let's get to training.
- So, yes. - Yes, let's do this.
[instrumental music]
Last night I saw Robbie work his butt off
and accomplish nothing.
Something happened to him that's causing him to fail.
This is my last chance to find out what's causing him
to hold himself back from success.
- How are you feeling? - Good.
Tired, lot of information to absorb,
a lot of everything, but I'm feeling good.
I'm very grateful. Thank you so very much.
I know you are. And-and that's why I'm working so hard for you.
What happened that made you lose yourself?
Talk to me.
[inhales sharply] Well, I...
I don't speak of it often,
um, because I was raised
to never even in weak moments to appear weak.
And so I learned to, in moments of sadness I-I went
or-or hard times, I had to rely on myself there for a minute.
- You withdraw. - And I withdrew.
And I withdraw into it.
And in the process of me doing that,
then my best friend had the brain tumors
and I just... it got like a hit on me.
From a high in life, of starting into the bar
to one of the lowest emotional points of it.
Wow. You shut down.
Yeah, but I just put on the face, you know?
I had to wear the face every day.
- Are you're still jovial... - Yeah.
- Robbie, right? - I had to do that.
But no one could see what was going on inside.
Let me tell you a couple of things.
- Okay. - One, you're a good guy.
- I think Kristina is terrific. - Absolutely.
So let's work on giving her a little more authority.
A little backup for you will make you stronger.
We're back on sync in the kitchen.
Bartenders are working hard to get them
all up to speed by tomorrow.
- Yes. Mm-hmm. - Your staff is trained.
You got great food, you got a great cocktail program.
- All that past is gone. - Yeah.
I want you to look me deep in the eyes
and say, "I deserve this."
I deserve this.
"I've helped a lot of people in
my life. I deserve this."
Ooh, "I've helped a lot of people
in my life, and I deserve it."
Say it again. Come on, buddy, say it.
I've helped a lot of people in my life,
and I deserve this. Thank you.
Now we're getting somewhere on this,
and now I got an owner who deserves it.
- Yeah. - Who's excited to see it.
- Absolutely. Yes. - Staff that's ready.
Alright, buddy, I gotta go back and finish your bar.
- Yeah, okay. - Alright.
Robbie: Oh, this week I've
learned so much about myself.
I'm gonna show my team that I have my fight back.
And I'm gonna do that by showing up,
making the changes that need to be made
and standing around with them.
[instrumental music]
[machine whirring]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd applauding]
- Hello! - Hello.
- They're here to support ya. - Absolutely, absolutely.
- How are you feeling, Robbie? - Ooh, I'm nervous.
Jon: I bet. - Excited. I'm so excited.
He's energized, isn't he?
- Yes, he is. Jon: He's a different man.
When I got here and I said, "I don't think he can do it,"
you said to me, "He can."
And I stayed here because of you. And you were right.
Robbie: Thank you. - And you really stepped up.
I see what kind of man you are now.
- Thank you. - He's a good guy, isn't he?
- Absolutely, yes. - Yes, he is.
Jon: Well, you deserve this.
Alright, here we go, guys. You ready?
- Whoo! - Here we go. One...
[crowd applauding]
Two, three!
Oh, my goodness! I love that.
Holy shit.
[glass shattering]
Alright, here we go, guys. You ready?
Here we go. One...
[crowd applauding]
Two, three.
Oh, my goodness! I love that.
[instrumental music]
Robbie: I love that. - Yes.
[applauding]
It's okay, man.
You got it, big man. You need to hold it in, buddy.
- This is awesome. - This is real, this is you.
- What do you think? - I love it.
Jon: It's got some class now, like you.
Thank you. [exhaling sharply]
So, new brand.
Jon: New reason to come, right? - Definitely.
Jon: Call to actions on the windows, so you know what it is.
Humble Sign Company worked all night long
to get those letters done for you guys.
I can't wait for you to see the inside.
- I can't either. Ha-ha. - I bet you can't. You ready?
- I'm ready. Alright. - Go ahead.
Come on, y'all. Come on, come on.
[crowd cheering]
[indistinct chatter]
- Oh! - Oh, my God!
[indistinct chatter]
- What? Holy shit! I love this. - Oh, my God.
- Wow! - This is [bleep] amazing.
Robbie: Look at this. This is unreal.
These booths are sick, and you can see
from one end to the other.
Oh, look at the lights. Look at... I love those bar stools.
Wow!
It's hard to contain myself
walking in the doors tonight. Everything in here I love.
Everything feels bigger, brighter, open, inviting.
I just love it all.
Jon: What do you think?
Jason: This is... It's amazing. - Awesome.
Jason: This is so awesome. Kristina: Thank you so much.
So there's a lot more. Come, grab a seat, guys.
- I wanna show you everything. - Oh, my God.
So now we're set up with two workstations,
two brand-new soda guns.
Jon: Now we're really set up to become a machine. Right, guys?
You have a SkyTab POS system on both sides.
Then I got Cocktail Kingdom to give you guys
all the bar supplies, tools, glassware.
I got Barproducts.com to give us all the barware,
Got Signs in Houston to do vinyl wrap on your walls.
Look at that beautiful vinyl wrap they custom-made for you.
TV Installation Houston did all of your TVs.
Overhauled the entire system.
And we made a special little loop there for you guys
that shows some of your foods and some of your cocktails.
Lastly, I was a little worried about your refrigeration,
so I got Texas Restaurant Improvement to come in.
They checked every refrigerator. Everything is perfect.
So you know you're set in the kitchen now, Francisco.
- Good deal. - You got everything you need.
Thank you so much.
So, what do you think?
Kristina: I-I-- - Ms. General Manager?
I'm speechless. I-I... Overwhelmed.
Alright, guys, we got a big crowd out there, right?
- Yeah. - Okay, we got 'em here.
Robbie: Uh-huh. - Tonight, get 'em back.
- Alright. - Okay, guys, let's go to it.
Alright.
[applauding]
[sighs] Welcome to Midtown Pub, guys. Come on in.
[crowd cheering]
[instrumental music]
Jojo: Hello. Jason: Welcome in, welcome in.
You guys, how we doing? Let's party, boys.
Woman 3: Why don't you open up your caddy?
[ice rattling]
Woman 4: So what would you suggest?
Honestly, I love the Bronco.
So, so the Bronco has a challenge with it, right?
You get level five and you can finish it, you get a T-shirt.
[laughing]
Brad: Alright, we got tickets, all day we have
two orders of wings, two chicken, three steak sandwiches.
- How are we doing, guys? - We're getting it done.
- We're getting there. - He's-he's hustling.
He's doing a great job, he's got
this whole kitchen rocking already.
Jon: Excellent. Smooth, guys.
Much smoother than the other night.
Much smoother. Alright, brother.
Let's keep rocking and rolling. We're doing a good job.
Braden: Try to eat the pepper first.
We gotta eat the pepper first and then drink the drink.
- Okay. - Alright.
Whoo!
Oh, he's getting the shirt, man.
- We might have to give him... - Yeah.
We might have to give him two maybe.
Buddy, buddy, you got a shirt.
Woman 5: Yes!
- Alan? I'm Jon. - Yes. Hi, Jon.
- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you as well.
I know you're Robbie's buddy.
- Yeah, 27 years. - What do you think?
I think it's awesome. He deserves it.
Robbie is a very giving person. He-he--
And he's gotta take care of himself now.
Thank you, I've been talking to him about that, so I'mma
tell him Jon say it along with me, we need to
make sure you focus on yourself a little bit--
- It's a deal, it's a deal. - Absolutely. But thank you so--
Hopefully, he's got a whole new lease on life now.
We're gonna try to make it. Thank you, sir, so much.
- Nice to meet you, Alan. - Likewise.
Jon: Look at this, Robbie, we're coming
together, man. We're coming together.
This looks like a bar operation here.
- Whoo! - Buddy, buddy.
Yeah, sure, that's a brand right there.
I was feeling in such a dark hole,
and now it's like I've bust out of it.
It hurts so much.
I'm so excited and so grateful to have this fresh start.
Jon: How are you feeling? Robbie: Amazing.
- Okay. Ah. - Thank you so much.
- It's a beautiful place. - Thank you.
You got a great team of people who really believe in you now.
- You realize that? - Absolutely.
And most importantly, to me,
I want you to know I believe in you, buddy.
- That's so good to hear. - My work's done.
- Thank you so much. - I'm out of your bar, right?
Robbie is a good guy who was in a bad place.
Jon: He lost his own confidence.
And now, through four days of training,
his confidence is back, his pride is back
and he's making money. I call that a pretty good rescue.
[instrumental music]
[rock music]
[instrumental music]
♪ MTV ♪♪♪