TV show "Bar Rescue"– Piratez Tavern

[MichaelWinicki]

Not sure how many have watched "Bar Rescue" or even know that it's on Spike TV.

I just recently found it myself.

I gotta say I was addicted almost immediately.

It's a business-makeover show of which there have been several over the last few years.

But the guy that's the focus of this show, takes the cake! He's loud, rude and abnoxoius, but he's also usually right and he's entertaining.

Anywho, this season's premier show was last night and did he have a gem of makeover.

These yawhoos started of all things a "pirate-themed" bar/restaurant in Silver Springs, MD and up to this point the woman driving the project (her husband ran the kitchen– and what a piece of work he is) and so far the business has lost about $900,000. She, her husband and her daughter from a previous marriage were living in her mother's basement. This pirate-themed bar was her brain-child.

The decor was over the top, the employees were more interested in being pirates than actually serving people. The husband in the kitchen doesn't know how to cook. It's a cluster-***** from the word go!

The makeover guy comes in, gives them all hell for the lousy theme they've used and the lousy followup to the theme. He makes over the place, changes the name, brings in a ton of new customers and then the next day the owner, who's failing miserably changes everything back to how it was... ugh.

I can't fully describe here how crappy this place was/is. You have to watch the episode. Here's a link... http://www.spike.com/full-episodes/81jluh/bar-rescue-yo-ho-ho-and-a-bottle-of-dumb-season-2-ep-201

So did anyone else watch it?

 

[Meat-O-Rama]

I haven't seen this one in particular, but I would love it if they would do follow up shows on these joints. Show how the place is doing a year later, whether the owners kept the changes/advice and whether it made a real difference.

 

[iceberg]

yea, i saw that one last night and about died laughing when the guy couldn't drop his accent for even a moment.

the guy does amazing things to the bar and i have to wonder who pays for what.

 

[dez_for_prez]

Piratez with a Z? Maybe people thought it was "that" kinda place. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Piratez with a Z? Maybe people thought it was "that" kinda place. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

No... I don't think that even entered into it.

 

[dez_for_prez]

No... I don't think that even entered into it.

How do the get $900,000 in the hole? They must have be trying to fail.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

How do the get $900,000 in the hole? They must have be trying to fail.

I would guess a lot of it was rent/lease. I'm sure property costs are outragiously expensive there.

They're probably also behind on taxes and paying venders.

 

[CashMan]

I saw it, you could tell, that she was that person who was against corporate people, and didn't know why. I think he totally failed(this being the only time, imo), with the new theme/name. Anyways, pretty much after the show, they ripped the sign down, burned it, and threw it up on youtube.

 

[Dodger12]

Great show Michael and I found myself instantly hooked the minute I saw my first episode earlier this year. But the host, John Taffer, is no where near as tough as Gordon Ramsey although I do believe he's every bit the professional; the guy just knows what he's talking about when it comes to the bar business.

In this case though, I'm not sure the name ("Corporate") worked. It was actually a let down to me. But the owners could have changed the name and kept the concept which, IMO, was the right one.

I'll never understand some people because these owners got a golden opportunity handed to them, especially since they were in the hole $900,000. I think these people just wanted Taffer and his crew to come in and renovate the place for free and had no intention of going away from the Pirate concept. I wouldn't go to that place after seeing their attitude towards their customers, not to mention the scrap they serve.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

How do the get $900,000 in the hole? They must have be trying to fail.

You'll find a lot of leeches, idiots, and scammers that own bars and restaurants. My guess is that her parents are footing much of the bill and can only afford so much, so they force her to live in the basement while they fund her debt.

And while it may suck to you and me to have to live in your parent's basement, particularly with your husband and child...for others they can deal with it just fine as long as they get to own the bar/restaurant and are their own boss. In the end, if the debt is too much, they'll just sell the rent to somebody else and sell all of the bar equipment...and often, they wind up getting the funds to start another bar or restaurant.

That's where this show really kills me, these people get free stuff and then go back to their old ways and get to keep the crappy stuff. Then when they go belly up, they'll sell it.

The only thing I didn't like about this episode is I didn't like the name of the bar that they came up with 'Corporate Bar & Grill.' Little too uncreative and doesn't come off like a place one can have fun and blow off steam. Otherwise, I thought they had a really cool concept with the self serve tap and perfectly made drink machine.







YR

 

[Jammer]

I record every show. It's one of the few shows I look forward to. It's not so much if the place stays open I car about, but what actually makes a bar work or fail. Some owners are just stupid.

 

[CashMan]

When you own a business, it is VERY bad having friends and sometimes family work for you. When it is not their money invested into the place, they really do not care. It might be fun for all the employees to dress up and play as pirates, but at the end of the day, they are not responsible for the bills. And after watching it, and reading Yak's post, it does seem like someone is footing her bill. I think when you are in your 40's and living in your parents basement, most people would be ashamed, but it does not seem like she is. Maybe she is getting a TON of alimony/child support from her ex.

 

[yimyammer]

Not sure how many have watched "Bar Rescue" or even know that it's on Spike TV.

I just recently found it myself.

I gotta say I was addicted almost immediately.

It's a business-makeover show of which there have been several over the last few years.

But the guy that's the focus of this show, takes the cake! He's loud, rude and abnoxoius, but he's also usually right and he's entertaining.

Anywho, this season's premier show was last night and did he have a gem of makeover.

These yawhoos started of all things a "pirate-themed" bar/restaurant in Silver Springs, MD and up to this point the woman driving the project (her husband ran the kitchen– and what a piece of work he is) and so far the business has lost about $900,000. She, her husband and her daughter from a previous marriage were living in her mother's basement. This pirate-themed bar was her brain-child.

The decor was over the top, the employees were more interested in being pirates than actually serving people. The husband in the kitchen doesn't know how to cook. It's a cluster-***** from the word go!

The makeover guy comes in, gives them all hell for the lousy theme they've used and the lousy followup to the theme. He makes over the place, changes the name, brings in a ton of new customers and then the next day the owner, who's failing miserably changes everything back to how it was... ugh.

I can't fully describe here how crappy this place was/is. You have to watch the episode. Here's a link... http://www.spike.com/full-episodes/81jluh/bar-rescue-yo-ho-ho-and-a-bottle-of-dumb-season-2-ep-201

So did anyone else watch it?

Saw it and cringed at how stubborn and clueless the lady that owned the bar is. How in the hell she got anyone to loan her $900,000 blows my mind. Her decisions are horrible on every level from the pirate themed bar to her husband to being so damn stubborn that after the bar received a great makeover and had a shot at success, she has the audacity to dump all the advice and improvements and go back to being a pirate bar.

This just shows some people are beyond help

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Saw it and cringed at how stubborn and clueless the lady that owned the bar is. How in the hell she got anyone to loan her $900,000 blows my mind. Her decisions are horrible on every level from the pirate themed bar to her husband to being so damn stubborn that after the bar received a great makeover and had a shot at success, she has the audacity to dump all the advice and improvements and go back to being a pirate bar.

This just shows some people are beyond help

We often hear the awful numbers about the success of small business. But the fact is if you do it right, your chances of success sky-rocket.

 

[DallasCowpoke]

I have a really hard time believing the 900K figure.

No food purveyor, landlord, bank or utility company is going to continue to provide you a service once you've demonstrated you can't or don't pay your accounts.

Even if you've built up a relationship w/ a purveyor such as Sysco, that gives you a 90-day credit line, once you miss that 1st accounts payable date, you're done and NOTHING comes in your backdoor that isn't paid for on the spot. Try not paying your electric or gas bill, or better yet, the state comptroller even once, and see what happens.

I've been in the hospitality business as a chef, owner and consultant since the mid 90's and I've seen this time and time again.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

When you own a business, it is VERY bad having friends and sometimes family work for you. When it is not their money invested into the place, they really do not care. It might be fun for all the employees to dress up and play as pirates, but at the end of the day, they are not responsible for the bills. And after watching it, and reading Yak's post, it does seem like someone is footing her bill. I think when you are in your 40's and living in your parents basement, most people would be ashamed, but it does not seem like she is. Maybe she is getting a TON of alimony/child support from her ex.

Could be numerous things.

A good friend of mine comes from old money and his parents in particular are loaded. What happens often times is the parents foot the bill because there's a grandchild involved. My buddy's parents basically support him every step of the way, but made a deal with him that he had to have some sort of job. He makes maybe 1/5th of what I do, yet he owns a huge house, Mercedes and Land Rover and takes big vacations. Obviously, his parents are footing those bills.

I used to work with a woman, nice person, who just happened to have a lot of luck on her side and that translated into money. First, her parents owned a home in Atlanta and when they died they willed the home to her. Then the location was on a spot that they wanted to create a downtown shopping plaza on, so they city gave her lots of $$$ for that property. Then she got married and divorced and got to keep a condo in Florida that she wound up selling for a good chunk of change. Then her ex-husband was fairly well off and essentially was forced to pay almost all of the child support.

At the time, she was making about $30-$40k at the job she worked with me and she had a fairly successful side business selling stuff on eBay. Once she sold the condo in Florida, with all of the other money she had and her ex-husband footing almost all of the child support, she quit the job to go sell eBay stuff full-time.




YR