User reviews

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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..

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!

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 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!

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.

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.

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.

I am in season 4 of "Bar Rescue" and I love it! But I think the rating needs to be upgraded to TV-14 due to some of the language and violence. This is not a show for kids and some of the foul language bypasses the censorship. You also have people getting drunk, fights and violence breaking out and sexual harassment. This is not a PG rated show. Parents should asses this show before presenting it to anyone under the age of 14+. Other than that, the show is amazing and emotional and I love every episode. Taffer reminds me of Gordon Ramsey. A man with a big heart but a tough approach. I highly recommend this show, but not to kids.

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.

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.

Wow, the dramatic music, lines, direction, and typical to agt and other terrible reality style shows, the attitude. Why? Why inject this negativity into our culture show after show, and script it with what is obvious nda agreements claiming it was natural, impromptu and real?

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.