Bar Rescue (2011– ) User Reviews

An interesting show, but could do with out the "Reality TV" drama

[mattpope384 · 6/10 · 6 July 2015]

I have mixed feelings about Bar Rescue.

On the one hand, the typical "Reality" TV formula and attendant drama gets old fast. If you watch Bar Rescue more than once, you learn the formula: a clueless bar owner + Jon Taffer blowing a gasket + a big show down between Taffer and the owner + a disastrous "stress test" + redemption, training, makeover = happy ending.

Personally, I could do without the yelling, screaming, crying, fighting and the needlessly- tight (usually five day) turnaround to "rescue" the bar.

On the other hand, when Mr. Taffer gets in to the analysis of why some bars work and many fail the show becomes very interesting. Learning facts like that a bar that alienates women will likely fail, and that bartenders over-pouring due to a lack of training - or as an effort to boost their tips at the expense of the establishment's inventory- are the kind of insights that make the program watchable.

Taffer's ultimate point is that running a bar is not a good-time job or excuse to party. It is a business and like any small business, if an owner wants to be successful at it he or she has to be ready to effectively deal with the necessary inventory, personnel, budget, compliance and marketing responsibilities.

A challenge Bar Rescue has to contend with is that viewers can easily see for themselves how the rescued bar does after the show's filming.

By the time an episode airs the renovated bar has had a few months to operate under the new recommended fixes. A quick Yelp search usually undermines the rosy ending. In many cases the bar still fails, or reverts to its old habits. The reviews sometimes reveal that the rapid 36-hour renovations done for dramatic effect and production schedules are pretty slap-dash on closer inspection, or that the changes to the bar made by the show were not in compliance with local law.

I actually think Bar Rescue could spruce itself up if it was a more professional, measured presentation that took more time than just five days to really work with transforming a bar. The formulaic theatrics and shouting, coupled with the slapdash renovation and the uncomfortable sense that a lot of the fixes really won't stick detracts from what could be a really interesting program about how to run a successful bar.

Don't take it too seriously

[asneyd · 7/10 · 13 March 2021]

I started by binge watching this show on YouTube and now watching the show over pay TV. Yes you can tell its fake in some parts, there are forced exaggerated scenes but the general theme of the show 'dodgy bar with help becomes thriving bar' is interesting. Aside from this, I've actually learnt so much from this show about the bar industry. I really like Taffers performance on each episode. Yeah its exaggerated and heavily edited, but isn't everything nowadays?

Very Entertaining

[michaelpapelman · 8/10 · 15 April 2021]

Jon is firm but usually fair, and there's plenty of great advice on running a bar. Some episodes are wild and raunchy, while others are borderline tearjerkers. My only beef is occasionally Jon goes too far with the remodel and strips the bars of their characters, making it all generic and hipster-like. They usually knock it out the park though. But overall, this is a good time waster and it'll definitely keep you hooked.

Highly entertaining

[MaesterOfWargs · 9/10 · 4 September 2011]

My wife and I love Bar Rescue! John Taffer is really intriguing to watch work, and his interactions with the bar managers and staff range from cringe-worthy to hilarious to touching.

It's really cool to get some behind-the-scenes looks at why certain things in successful bars work too (such as menu placement, seating, and drink specials).

The show does seem a tad contrived at times, but doesn't every reality TV show?

Bottom line: Bar Rescue is awesome, check it out! I can think of several local bars near me that are in desperate need of a "rescue" by John and his team.

Specially edited for dramatic effect, dishonest at best.

[ImNotFromEarth · 13 April 2017]

I happened to catch this episode (i am reviewing the Portland Tonic Lounge episode) because i was in portland when they shot it.

One of the most dramatic scenes is when there were bugs EVERYwhere, some flying around, but most of them were dead, lying on countertops, on dishes, on food, on cooks' utensils in the kitchen, EVERYwhere. Later, they shine a flashlight under a bottle of gin (or something) from the bar so we can see the tonic is filled with dead bugs! Eewww.

Now for what really happened. Of course they couldn't possibly be open to the public with dead bugs everywhere. Did they plant all of these bugs to set the storyline up?

Of course not! That would be just plain.. WRONG, not to mention immoral. and unethical. Instead, they left the doors to the building wide open all night long and let the bugs fly themSELVES in and die all over everything, and then shot the video the next day. That way you see, they can't be accused of engineering any sort of story they want to- they're not like that- it was the bugs who did it.

It's a ridiculous waste of time unless you're easily amused by funny editing. But i kept watching, and the rest was filled with other distortions and manipulations of half truths, not to mention the parts where the staff got pretty heated. Sure some of it happened to one degree or another. But it's not hard to notice some of the crooked editing.- hair is a different style during the "same" conversation, you can hear the cuts when they decide to reorder parts to make them seem more dramatic and pissy. They copied the owners laugh and pasted it in awkward parts to make him laugh when he wasn't for effect. Well this is all pretty obvious to most, i just don't get why people watch this kind of stuff enough to elevate the show to where they are. OK, maybe it's the same reason i watched it.

After the TV people left, portland hated the penis room, especially the name. It was changed to The Raven for awhile, now it's back to the tonic lounge. Some of the changes made inside were OK, but everyone really liked the original format and hated to see it go, replaced by more of the same with a scary name. Some of the better ideas stayed, but mostly it's back to being the Tonic Lounge that everyone loved. In the bigger picture, the show was probably good for the Tonic, but for mostly bs reasons.

At the end the host looks like the genius bar savior that came from a far off land to save ye townfolk from thyselves, or something, along with more tricky editing to make it stick. Oh, bonkers.

Excellently Planned and Executed

[weatherluvr1212 · 9/10 · 13 April 2014]

This show on Spike is one of those shows that I will gladly watch reruns. Jon Taffer is an expert in the field and he consistently brings in the best experts for the bar/restaurant. I always love how hard Taffer goes down on the owners like a drill sergeant in the Marines. A lot of reviews stay that 90% of this show is staged, but I would change that number to about 20%. If you watch to the end of the credits, they list all the places that provided equipment/supplies for the remodel of the bar. The producers pay for the cost, almost like "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition". There is a lot of time compression, but what reality show does not have this? Overall, this show is an excellent one and I love watching it whenever it is on.

Great Show - Taffer is Incredibly and Refreshingly Blunt

[BobbyG · 9/10 · 19 February 2013]

This is a very interesting look at the competitive bar and restaurant business. Host Taffer pulls no punches with his incredibly blunt assessments which can make viewers cringe at times, but creates a lot of interesting reactions from the owners, managers and employees being berated. He never fails to blurt out, "this is the worst I've ever seen" about something in the business he's trying to turn around.

Although a lot of the show is scripted and contrived, it still pulls you in and keeps you watching. You may have a hard time eating out after seeing the deplorable condition of some of the kitchens. The only suggestion I would make is that they provide more detailed numbers as far as revenues and profits in all of the episodes. There is some of this, but it didn't occur in all the episodes I observed.

Tedious

[ramsfan · 6/10 · 4 June 2018]

Bar Rescue is another in a long line of reality shows littering this decade of television. Each show features veteran Bar and Restaurant entrepreneur John Taffer rescue a failing establishment at the behest of it's debt-ridden owners. Amusing for the first couple of seasons, it now is merely tedious rehashing of the same basic plot: Taffer rides into town with his band of guest mixologists, chefs and "experts", does surveillance on the circus-like proceedings of the bar in question, enters the establishment, berates its owners & employees over their poor business practices, substandard equipment, lack of ethics and then storms out. In the morning, he returns with more muted criticism and we're treated to the usual array of arguments between the stubborn owner's refusal to accept change and Taffer's vision of what the bar should be. Rounding out the hour is Taffer's eventual success in "getting through" to the owner/s as he implements his changes and records the staff's enthusiastic reactions to the unveiling of their new bar.

More disturbing than anything is the realization (affirmation?) that there are some real morons in this world who own businesses and betray a public trust. Why reward them with a bailout? The show runs on the false premise that Taffer can wave a magic wand and in three days undo the rotten business practices and human failings these idiots have maintained over a lifetime.

I guess a compliment should be made for this show running into it's eighth season with a shoestring plot and little room for variation. It's also a testament to how low many people's viewing standards are today.

Negative

[mayleedani · 10/10 · 26 October 2021]

I know this is just my opinion but it just seems a bit scripted and like a knock off of Gordan Ramsey's shows. The man that's like the main character, he just seems to be acting and not very convincing. I have never watched the show until today when I came home and the bf is watching it.

Reality show ...

[jfh-24988 · 6/10 · 27 February 2024]

I actually enjoy watching this show. But don't be fooled, this is all staged. Tapper is a narcissist. It's all about him. He brags about all the bars he's "rescued". Think about it. He brags about "six weeks later, sales are up 20%". He comes to a bar, rebuilds it, and creates a brand new bar, installs everything brand new. OF COURSE sales will be up 20%. All new bars attract new attention in the beginning. Google many of these bars: They close within 6-12 months or have been sold and rebranded. Crappy owners don't change in 3-5 days. And others go back to their original bar concept and fail..

Terribly scripted lies

[tvmicman-18694 · 1/10 · 2 February 2021]

I was a fan of the show until they did a bar in my neighborhood and realized what a scam they were. Absolutely scripted reality show. Bar closed down 2 months after the show. Every show looks like a success story but that just isn't believable. According to the show they have a 100% success rate...HAHAHA!! Give me a break

Bar Rescue make me see where my bar went bad back in the 90's.

[djadrianleigh · 10/10 · 10 April 2013]

Ever since I discovered Bar Rescue on Spike I watch it every time I can. John Taffer can be a hard headed S.O.B. but in the business of bar owning and operating you got to be damn near a General leading his troops into war against other Bars, Clubs, Pubs and All Night Spots. I used to work for a pub called Jenro's Classic Pub back in the mid to late 1990's. The owner boss and friend of mine Mike Lambaiso had the right idea but failed in a lot of other areas. What he got right was catering to the neighborhood the Pub was located in. A combination of Blue Collar, Armed Forces, and once in a great long while a few White Collar Corporate Types but not that many. Where he failed was not upgrading equipment and also not targeting younger hipper people with money. I worked every corner of the building. Bouncer, Barback, Doorman, Floater, House DJ, Kitchen Helper, Kitchen Cook when there was no cook, and Waiter if need be. Last position I held was outdoor Patio Bartender. I wish Bar Rescue had been around in 99 when the bar failed and was limping weakly towards 2000 when the name changed to Jenro's 2000. FAIL !!!! We had been booking bands and their friends and fans got too rowdy and out of control to the point of bar room brawl with bloodshed. I was the man who had the duty of calling 911 more than once and cleaned all the blood off the dance floor. We also had thieving Manager named Linda who was robbing the owner and customers blind deliberately. She finally quit when in August 99 she and the owner Mike had to work together behind the main bar. Talk about 2 Raging Bulls in a pin and he caught her more than once stealing from customers change and shoving it in her purse. She did her count out after work and left on an "F U Mike". Afterwards in September through October people she chased off started coming back but it was too little too late and Mike sold out in November 99 and Jenro's was history.

Love the show but..

[janmarie-52012 · 7/10 · 8 August 2022]

There's no way in he** some of these bars could stay open with the bugs, rats(!),dirty kitchens etc without the health department taking notice and shutting them down.

In that regard, it's exaggerated drama.

One episode was filmed right down the street from me, a Vegas sports bar transformed into the Bacon Bar.

Talking to the employees, they said a lot of the arguing, drama etc was scripted. The tv crew wanted them to act, not "be themselves".

So why do I watch? I admit, the finished products are awesome. It's more than just a cleanup and some fresh paint.

Bacon Bar as an example: I visited it before and after the change. It's a complete remodel inside and out.

I mainly watch to see the transformations. Like most reality tv, the added drama doesn't work for me.

But I do like the show. John comes across as a loud bully but again, it's all scripted so I don't read too much into it.

Cringe worthy

[Bryan- · 1/10 · 12 April 2017]

Like all "reality" shows this is full of trumped up drama. Drama is the key word here. The host knows his stuff but his ridiculous over the top yelling makes me cringe. Some will find it funny. I'm amazed it's managed to have so many episodes made for it. Kitchen Nightmares is much more entertaining.

Bar Rescue host John Taffer

[maxbelille · 20 August 2017]

This is the first time that I've ever written an online review. I was so upset when I saw the beginning of an episode. All I know is the bar owner's name was Max and he had helped who he thought was a veteran. He posted the video online and from there things went haywire. When Jon Taffer came in, it was so hypocritical and abusive. I just couldn't handle it. He was so insanely ridiculous despicable and disgusting. Everything was so sensational for the cameras. Here was a war veteran who was rough around the edges but was trying to rebuild his life and instead of appreciating that, Taffer basically tried to break down this man to the point that his brother suffering from PTSD could not be part of the initial rescue. I was sickened and disgusted. I have no idea what happened for the rest of the show and I'm not interested in the turnaround. Abuse is abuse! And help could have been offered in a more productive manner. This type of TV is revolting and we really need to stop feeding into the crap out there. We can help people without breaking them before we build them. Jon Taffer left a huge impression on me and I will never support anything that he does and we'll steer anyone I know away from the crap that he puts out there.

I love it!

[machellehaus · 10/10 · 15 October 2018]

I thoroughly enjoy watching Bar Rescue. I've learned a lot about the restaurant and bar business. It can be applied to other businesses as well. I watch a few episodes a day I'd I have time. Even if it is not totally true, it is entertaining!

Showing the bad side of bad bars

[zerosaviour · 9/10 · 29 July 2012]

Love seeing how they expose why certain bars fail while others succeed.

Everything John says is pretty much spot on. I watched a marathon of it today and couldn't stop watching due to the fact that it just sucked me into it. I wanted to know what new disaster would happen and who was gonna step up to fix it.

If you love shows where you see the bad side of restaurants and bars, then this is the show for you. This show will change your opinion on what good bar service should be. I love that they bring in world class chefs and mixologist to actually bring everything up to par at the bars.

One of the biggest and most shocking aspects to me was just showing how filthy a lot of these places were.

I can't wait for season two and dealing with the Pirate bar and Tiki bar. Both appear to be train wrecks awaiting to happen.

Awesome but Unnecessary Stress Tests

[ezjm-02316 · 7/10 · 31 May 2017]

When they're actually training and talking about how to improve the bar, it's awesome, but I have to wonder how much of the drama is made up for the show.

Especially during the stress tests, Jon Taffer and Staff are yelling in the employees' faces from the minute it begins and if they make any mistake they're called out immediately and possibly insulted for not doing it perfectly right away. A few, but not all of his staff have major attitudes, especially Phil Wills. This makes it especially annoying when they're in the stress test and Phil Wills always thinks everyone has an attitude because they react when he's a dick to them, well maybe it's you not them.

Great Show but parts are unrealistic

[Garymcelroy · 8/10 · 22 September 2013]

I love watching Taffer and his "professionals" turn a bar around to be successful but I really find it hard to take when the do their "stress test" by letting in 100-200 people and then complain when the wait times are more than 20 minutes. What the heck do they expect? If you give the average drink order 3 minutes from the time that a patron at a table orders until the receive their drinks then it is going to take 20-30 minutes to get all of them served. I agree that things like name changes are though of in advance. Permits for things like electrical, plumbing, and structural don't happen that fast. One last thing, how does Jon expect to gain the owner's respect when he yells at them in front of bar patrons.

Fake.

[gumptown-70898 · 1/10 · 24 February 2023]

For a so called bar professional with 30+ years experience....i can't count how many times he says "I've never seen anything like this before" about every single aspect of the business...he's never seen anything apparently... at least half the bars he quote unquote "rescued" didn't last after he left...he sends his own wife daughter and experts into these failing bars putting them in potential danger of poisining while he lays back and watches from his SUV...he loves to look down on others while winking his eye as if he has down syndrome or maybe just wants to rub something in others face while he holds his crooked smile... I'd rather fail than accept his help. SMD TAFFER.

Jon Taffer Bar Rescue one amazing man that will not stop until he gets what he wants! Is peace of mind of his hard earned work for Bar Rescue! Ty

[p-23527 · 8/10 · 4 August 2023]

Based on my feelings and opinions on bar rescue. It's a reality.show. I enjoy watching this show Jon Taffer is the number one reason why I keep watching He has this dynamic way in helping everyone He goes through tremendous stress in dealing with the intoxicated scene it's amazing that his blood pressure is stable lol I find episodes hysterical and all the drama behind it It wasn't for Jon Taffer. All these bars would be shut down if it hadn't been for Jon and his amazing crew I am extremely proud of Jon for what he does for everyone Finally I believe Jon Taffer could do this and mission accomplished.

Used to like it but too fake

[tomwoodland-96599 · 1/10 · 13 December 2021]

How do people believe this is real?? So the customers and staff etc don't notice people following them with cameras and cameras mounted around the place with lighting? Yet these people still manage to do things wrong even when they know they are watching?? The spying makes me wet myself hahahahah! They send people in to spy but yet again they have cameras mounted everywhere so oh no who could it be!

I don't even believe the customers are real as there is no way unscripted people would just happen to say something bad about the food or drinks just when the camera looks at them! One episode the customer even looks up at camera before saying it....

Haven't looked into John but doesn't seem like any help whatsoever, who pays for the turn around on these so called broke bars? The show? All John does is turn up screaming at everyone and just buys all this fancy stuff and somehow changes bar name and interior within a night then goes.

Just think about it, if you owned a bar with dirt and dust and all sorts everywhere and moldy food and bars wouldn't you have the brains to clean all this up before John and his crew turns up and outs you on national TV? Show is just scripted reality tv and i would love to see how many "broke" bars they actually somehow turn around!

Some annoying fakery... but also some genuine interest

[Wizard-8 · 30 August 2012]

It doesn't take long with watching an episode of "Bar Rescue" that the events we are seeing are being highly manipulated - sometimes to the point of blatant fakery. "Conversations" between people are edited from multiple camera angles, showing that these sequences were shot several times and edited together. Time seems also to be compressed to a ridiculous point. For example, I may not be an expert on business, but I know you can't change the name of your business overnight! Also, there are some very nagging questions, like: Just who is paying for all these bar renovations, especially since the bar owners seem to be broke the majority of the time?

Yet despite these and other manipulation touches, the show remains interesting. For one thing, the show manages to show the many ways that a bar can fail, and why. This may sound boring, but it's actually pretty interesting. Also, we get to see what touches can make a bar successful, from menu design to interior decoration. This is interesting as well. So despite the annoying fakery here, the show does have genuine interest.

Bar Rescue the show is like looking into your newborn baby's eyes for the first time!!

[msmstafford8 · 10/10 · 30 May 2014]

The shows' host is highlighted with his love and passion of the business of people. Jon, one of a select few in the nightclub hall of fame is the band leader of the whole show. When watching this masterfully produced show you feel like your on the inside of the bar business with the way jon helps the audience in understanding every angle of the biz and dare I say it life. With the help of Jon's well trained on point experts jon tears through all of the imprefections of every establishment he visits, while leaving his personal touch. Most of the bars he visits are in much needed repair of both aesthetics as well as a big overhaul of how the staff thinks and acts toward their customers, Jon often says he's not in the bar business he's in the people business. Often he is tasked with rebuilding the actual foundation of the establishment itself bringing in one of his many experts. Bringing in just one expert is often not enough for jon and the job that has put before Jon. Jon has an expert for any need, if the sign package is sub-par or the food package is inadequate he has you covered. Most of the bars he rescues don't have a 2TOUCH POS system in place a making the everyday operations of the bar hard to handle, so jon is happy to provide that system relieving most of the communication break downs associated with not having 2TOUCH POS in place. For the Kitchen I perferre Chef Duff with his no guff attitude when it comes to quality of the product and overall satisfaction of anything he gives to his customers. As far as his club management my favorite device he uses is the "Butt Funnel" enough said. Mostly while watching my favorite show I'm in total awe of Jons' dedication to his Beautiful wife and Gorgeous Daughter b/c in the end he is a family man. Above all else he has everyone take care of their personal affairs, Jon losing his first marriage to a business he ran with his first wife.All of My MONEY is in Jons unrelenting loyalty to his fans, not allowing spike to manipulate the shows format or prduction style having at least 40 episodes a year. In the end i would like to say god bless jon taffer and god bless America!! I'm currently fighting for a Taff/Duff ballot in the next election.