He's gonna do that to me.
I'm--anybody got a pillow I can sit on?
He's usually a dick.
[LAUGHS]
NARRATOR: For over 30 years
Jon Taffer has traveled the country
saving hundreds of bars from failure and ruin.
The past two years are unlike anything
I've seen in our industry
but we're bouncing back.
People are going out again
and restaurants need to get ready.
NARRATOR: Now, Jon is faced with a new set of problem.
There are supply chain issues.
Why are we out of this shit?
Staffing shortages.
Every week, we get a new staff.
We have to crash course 'em.
And consistent health concerns.
This can't fail.
It just can't.
NARRATOR : So now, Jon is back out on the road
and heading to Valrico, Florida to rescue J.F. Kicks.
This is a new era for our country.
So we need to raise the bar and rise to these challenges.
NARRATOR: In 2019, contractor Johnny Spieldenner
bought J.F. Kicks in Valrico, Florida.
I got a phone call from the owners of J.F. Kicks
and they asked me if I knew anyone
who wanted to buy a restaurant.
I wanted to get out of construction.
I saw an opportunity and a good change
in trajectory for myself.
NARRATOR: With help from his brother Jimmy,
J.F. Kicks was up and running and an instant success.
So my brother Jimmy,
he moved down to Florida to work for me.
And so when I decided I was gonna buy the restaurant
and Jimmy helped me out financially
and it was a big help,
I wouldn't have done it without him.
I saw a lot of upside buying the place.
People loved it as a little local hangout.
Uh, we had almost doubled the old owner's total sales.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
NARRATOR: But not long after opening.
Jimmy tragically passed away.
Him passing away is probably one of the hardest things
I've ever dealt with.
I mean, he was my best friend.
So...
Jimmy supported me in this in the beginning.
And then I supported him through his cancer.
There's a connection between him and this restaurant,
so I don't wanna see his efforts and my efforts go to waste.
NARRATOR: After the loss of his brother,
Johnny found himself short staffed
and decided to enlist his son Tanner
to help run the kitchen.
There wasn't really anyone to teach me,
I would ask a service staff how something looked going out
and I would just guess how it was made.
I don't have the experience
but I'm just stepping up wherever I need to be.
He's only 18 now
and he's one of my most reliable guys in the kitchen.
Tanner, how we doing down there?
NARRATOR: But even after Tanner's help,
Johnny is still working himself to the bone.
From the beginning, Jimmy supported me in this.
I am having a real difficult time without him.
I'm losing money and I don't even know why.
He's always in the kitchen.
And I feel like a lot of times like the bar gets neglected.
Because if he's back there, he doesn't have time
to come out here.
I'm the line cook. I'm a dishwasher.
I'm the general manager. I wear every hat.
In the first year, I kept inventory
and I was able to watch
a lot of the things that were going on
and I think I had a better grasp of it
but it's difficult without Jimmy.
We all feel he spends too much time here.
NARRATOR: But the stress of the bar
was taking a toll on his health.
I had a stroke.
I was standing in the office
and suddenly I lost vision in my left eye
and I had to rush to the hospital.
I was in there for three days.
I think it's just from the stress
of this place to be honest.
I feel like this job stressed on him
is definitely taking years off his life.
I feel like I could lose him to this place.
NARRATOR: And now the apple isn't falling far from the tree.
I'm here every day because he's here every day.
He feels pressured a lot by his dad.
He's just always tired.
I'm pushing myself more and more
but I need to be here for my dad
because if I'm not here
he really does have no one else who can help him.
NARRATOR: So with his life on the line,
and his son following in his self-destructive path,
and the legacy of his brother at stake.
I'm about $300,000 in debt
and I don't understand how.
I don't know how long he could really keep going
at a hundred and ten percent like he is.
NARRATOR: Johnny has made the decision
to pull back the doors,
bust open the books, and make a call for help,
to Bar Rescue.
At this pace if I keep doing what we're doing,
I feel like it could kill me.
Well guys, thanks for being with me.
-Thanks for having us. -Thank you.
NARRATOR: For this rescue, Jon welcomes
All Elite Wrestling stars Adam Cole.
ALL: Adam Cole baby!
NARRATOR: Britt Baker.
ALL: DMD!
NARRATOR: With backgrounds on the independent wrestling scene,
Adam and Britt have traveled the globe
performing for crowds of all sizes.
[BELL RINGING]
NARRATOR: Having visited establishments
around the world,
Adam and Britt are perfect
for assessing any bar's quality and potential.
So Adam, how long you've been wrestling?
Nearly 14 years now.
-Fourteen years. -Yeah.
-And Britt, you too, how long? -Just six, almost six years.
Almost six years.
And you started wrestling in bars?
Yes.
Bingo halls, bars, you name it. Yeah.
So, I mean, between the two of us,
we've been to, I'd say hundreds of bars
-all across the world. -Yes.
Oh, we're bar people for sure.
And done wrestling promos in bars and all?
Well, there we are. J.F. Kicks.
Now I'm told that stands for Just For Kicks.
This bar is owned by a guy by the name of Johnny.
Okay.
Tanner, we got nacho chips cooked.
Johnny bought this bar three years ago.
And he's working seven days a week,
literally, 18, 20 hours a day and he had a stroke.
So he works with his son Tanner who's just 18 years old.
-Oh, my God, 18? -Yeah.
He can't make enough money to get a staff in here,
so he's stuck working seven days a week,
-twenty hours a day. -He is?
-He is! -Oh, my God.
After he had the stroke.
So this is a really difficult situation.
So they're not making money and we gotta figure out why.
Take a look, so there's the kitchen.
We got a Philly set, you got the both fries,
we need a side onion ring, do you have that down?
Not the cleanest
but not the dirtiest I've ever seen.
-Yeah. Yeah. -Swinging out!
See there's Tanner working in the kitchen.
-Okay. -They do everything themselves.
So Tanner and his dad work in the kitchen literally
-20 hours a day. -Oh, my God.
There is Nikki, she's the floor manager.
Okay.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
There's Joel, he's one of our bartenders.
-Blue cheese ranch? -Yeah.
Cool beans. Let's get it on.
There's Sam. She's another bartender.
Here, another day, another dollar.
-Okay. -And there is Crystal,
she's a server.
-Quesadilla? -Yup.
Looks like he's confident from here.
-Yeah. -Let's see how his pour is.
Failed the pour.
So, even he knew it he blew it.
If you do a bad move in the ring,
do you broadcast this to everybody?
No! Fake it till you make it.
So, he let the customer know that he blew it.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
Looks like he's making some kind of tequila sunrise
or something, right?
With the red on the bottom, looks like more like a sunset.
Going out or doing something.
So, do you think he can put his hands on those garnish?
That's what I wanted to see,
he's pushing down on the--on the--
Look at this. Look at this. No rubber gloves.
What if he was sneezing a few minutes earlier?
-Right. We don't know. -We don't know.
So here's what I'm thinking, I'd love to send you guys in.
I'd love you to order a little food.
And then order couple specialty drinks.
-Okay. -Okay. Yeah.
That sounds like a plan.
This place is not making money and we gotta figure out why.
NARRATOR : Jon spies after J.F. Kicks,
a large 4,000 square foot space
with a cluttered U-shaped bar,
high and low top seating,
and a stage in the dining area.
How are we doing guys and gals?
-Welcome, welcome, welcome. -Thank you.
No menus yet.
Very cold environment,
this place makes no sense at all.
The bar is just filled with junk everywhere.
Just disorganized.
Have you guys been helped yet?
-Not yet. -What can I get for you guys?
Do you have mojitos?
-I do not. -You don't know mojitos? Okay.
-Sorry. -You go ahead first.
-Can I do an old fashioned? -Old fashioned?
What's--what is your most famous cocktail?
I like our cranberry cloud.
-Yeah. -Okay. Let's do that.
No surprise to me they couldn't make the mojitos.
Let's see how cranberry cloud comes out.
Not a very good pour.
She over poured.
Old fashioned looks a little red to me.
Hmm.
-What is that? -Is that weird?
Look at the color of that old fashioned.
I don't love this drink at all.
[LAUGHS]
The look on her face.
I would never drink that. Okay.
Let's see what we're gonna order.
-Excuse me? -Ma'am?
Do--are--the lobster rolls, have you had them?
-I have. -Are they good?
-I like 'em. -They're good?
-It's different. -I should try it?
I would. What do you like to eat,
like, what are the some things you like,
I mean, if you're looking at some seafood stuff,
the crazy rolls are wild.
-The what? -The crazy rolls.
-The crazy rolls. Okay. -The very bottom.
So it's basically the lobster filling.
With a little bit of a twist too,
so we have like shrimp and fish inside of it.
And it's put into an egg roll, deep fried.
That's what--I'm gonna do that and the lobster roll.
I gotta hand it to him, he is selling the menu,
he knows the menu, he's recommending items,
he's being enthusiastic,
that was pretty professional, I must say.
Lobster rolls and a French dip.
Nice to see Tanner putting some gloves on.
Lobster roll.
Look at Johnny go, this guy can cook.
Big order, small order.
That's small. I got it. It's a pretzel by itself.
Heard.
I gotta tell you Johnny is moving back there,
he could cook, he seems organized.
The freaking guy is a good cook.
Why does he do everything himself?
Why can't he get somebody back there?
He clearly can train 'em.
See, look at him go.
No wonder why this guy gave himself a stroke a year ago.
All righty, guys.
I'm gonna slide it in between all that--
Ooh, what is-- the buffalo chicken--
This is gonna be your buffalo chicken dip.
-Okay. -Food is out already.
He's giving them napkins.
He's giving them plates.
Proper service.
Yeah.
So that is cream cheese.
Is it?
That is all cream cheese right there.
I got a lobster roll and then a French dip as well.
Oh, wow! It's all coming out. Okay. Okay.
I am French dip. Thank you.
There's that for you guys. You're welcome.
Can I get you all anything else?
No, we're great. We have so much food.
-We're good? -Look at this.
Yeah.
This is a half a cup of cream cheese on my plate.
Here, they're raving about this, so we gotta try this.
Okay. Here we come, the moment of truth with the crazy roll.
Here we go.
Hmm.
-That's really good. -That's really...
Excellent.
So they're doing some things right.
They don't seem to be doing anything
so terribly wrong.
But this place is killing Johnny.
Look at this, now Johnny is doing inventory.
So he's cooking food, now he's doing the inventory.
Why does he do everything himself?
That worries me.
I gotta have a serious talk with Johnny,
Johnny needs to learn how to run it rather than do it.
He's gonna kill himself in this place
rather than have the place better his life,
he's making it worst.
I'm gonna go in, I wanna see how that food looks myself
and then I wanna talk to Johnny.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Jon Taffer just walked in.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Well, all right.
So Jon came in and I didn't know what to expect.
I see the man and I--I'm--like,
I--I'm prepared for Jon to come in
and just, you know, punch us into shape.
And how was your lobster roll?
It had so much mayo in it.
I ordered a lobster roll, not a mayo roll.
If there was lobster in it, I don't know where it was.
I mean the lobster roll
should have some chunks of lobster.
-Yeah. Yeah. -Yeah, listen,
you guys were terrific, thanks very much.
-Thank you. -I gotta go to work, okay?
-Thank you very much. -Of course.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
So, the actual design off of garlic parm on that.
Gentlemen, hello?
Mr. Taffer, how you doing, sir?
Good. Tanner, how are you?
Good. How are you, sir?
-Johnny? Nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you.
You're running your ass off back here.
A little bit.
No, I'm watching you move around in this kitchen,
you got the moves, you got eight, ten plates
going at the same time, you're not burning,
you're not frying, I mean things are coming out,
-you can cook. -Thank you.
So you wanna go out front, let's talk for a couple minutes?
-Sure, you got it. -Great. Let's do it.
You know, I heard your story.
How far in debt are you?
I mean, right now it's 300,000.
Wow.
And that's your boy Tanner?
-It is. Yeah. -Good kid?
He's the best kid. Yeah.
So he's here helping you?
He is been a Godsend here in the last six months.
He's the only one really that cares about how things go.
So you got into this business to make your life better?
-I did. I did. -And just made your life worst?
You know, I didn't intend on, you know, being a line cook.
What's your biggest fear? It's gonna kill you?
Yeah. I mean that's gotta be number one.
I just watched my brother pass away
and that's, you know, that's a hard thing.
-And I, I-- -Older or younger?
-He was younger. -Younger brother?
-He's 40--41. -That got you?
It kills you, he's got a little daughter
and I've got my kids and if something happened to me,
what happens to them, you know?
So listen buddy, I wanna dig you out.
-Thanks. -Okay?
-I appreciate it. -I'm here to help you.
I got to think about why this place is not making money.
Johnny is trying.
He's not ignoring his business, he's working like crazy,
his food is very mediocre,
nothing great but he's trying.
He's $300,000 in debt
and he's scared he's gonna die from this bar.
I've got to get Johnny out of this kitchen,
I've gotta get him running this bar
and I've gotta get him out of debt.
And set him up for a long life.
-So see you tomorrow. -Thank you.
See you tomorrow, sir.
[TENSE MUSIC]
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Tonight, like, if we can work like as a cohesive team--
I think we should just all work together tonight to be honest.
I mean, you know, you see something
that's not happening over here, you guys come out,
we see something that's happening over here,
we come and get that.
Yesterday I was a little nervous
but now that I see what's happening
and how things are going,
I feel a little bit better about it to be honest.
What do you think your response is gonna be
if Jon Taffer comes in and lays into you?
You--I do hold my ground but, I mean,
he's [BLEEP] Jon Taffer guys, I mean let's be real.
I think the only hard thing to hear it would be that,
like, you're a bad manager
because I have put a lot of my heart
and soul on this place and time, and money.
And so, that's one thing that kind of makes me nervous.
-Hello! -ALL: Hello! Hello!
-How's everybody? -ALL: Good! How are you?
Great. You guys wanna talk a little bit?
-ALL: Yeah. -Come on over, let's do it.
As far as bar rescues go, you had an easy night.
We did.
You know, this is a difficult situation,
when you have an owner who's a good guy,
who's working seven days a week,
a hundred hours a week,
had a medical issue a year ago.
-Uh-hmm. -Right?
This guy is working this level, what's gonna happen?
He's not gonna get healthy, is he?
-Nope. -So I need you guys
to step up with me now
and let's fight for him this week, okay?
-Got you. -Okay.
Nikki, how long you've been here?
Almost seven years.
I noticed in between cooking last night,
you were doing liquor inventory,
why isn't she doing the liquor inventory?
She's got a lot on her plate.
She is a fulltime server as well.
So I feel like I would be spreading her
a little too thin.
So instead you do it to yourself?
That's what I do. Yeah.
How's that working?
It's not working well.
Does your dad not give responsibility,
is he bad at delegating Tanner?
And you gotta be straight with me to help him, right?
Yeah, he does everything himself
because he just usually feels like he can do it faster
-and better than anyone else. -Yeah.
But then a hundred hours a week,
does he do it any faster and better than anybody else?
No.
Okay, guys. We got a lot of work to do.
So I got two great experts to come work with me here today.
Guys, are you ready to come in?
There they are.
-How you doing, Jon? -Derrick Turner.
NARRATOR: For the bar, Jon brings in Derrick Turner.
A mixologist from New York City.
He's named the top 10 bartender by Timeout Magazine.
Derrick has worked with both craft spirit brands
and major breweries across the country.
Derrick is a great mixologist.
We're gonna work on a great signature
cocktail program for you.
And Chef Mike Ferraro.
NARRATOR: For the kitchen, Jon brings in
Chef Michael Ferraro.
With his Italian roots and decades of experience
in some of the finest restaurants
in New York City.
Chef Ferraro has cultivated menus
at high end establishments
as well as local neighborhood restaurants
across the country.
Cocktails have to be profitable, correct?
-Oh, absolutely. -Should be the most profitable
part of the business, you agree Johnny?
-For sure. -I wanna show you something.
This is Partender.
The way Partender works is they come in,
they weigh every liquor bottle in the bar
then we come back in and we weigh the bottles again.
Then we compare what was consumed
to what was sold.
-Makes sense? -Uh-hmm.
So over those several days,
we poured 7,416 ounce worth of liquor,
we sold $5,647.
-Oh, my God. -In retail value.
-I want you to see this number. -Yes.
Johnny, I want you to read to me
the number that that is every year?
That's $322,843.
Yeah. There's your debt.
And it's leaking at the bar,
$300,000 loss over the year.
When I was looking at those numbers
for the bar leak, I almost started tearing up.
I looked at my dad
and his face is just utter shock.
I can't help but feel how he does in that moment
just seeing that much loss
and what could've been ours.
We wouldn't have to worry about
losing the house or anything.
One thing and that would've cleared our debt in one year.
Maybe he wouldn't have gotten sick a year ago
because that debt might have gotten you sick.
-I feel sick right now. -Bet you do.
So while you're in the kitchen cooking,
this is what's happening out here.
This is why I need to get you out on the floor.
And this is on you,
because these transactions happened under your eye.
-Yes, sir. -So either the over pouring,
the quick cash not hitting the drawer,
whatever it is, it's happening under your eye.
So I'm gonna say it straight out.
You might say she's qualified and she earned it,
I don't see it.
I see a completely ineffective manager,
if you are my manager,
you'd have one foot out the door.
in the way the physical room looks
and the way the room operates.
I'm being straight with you, if you are my manager,
you'd have one foot out the door.
So prove me wrong the next two days,
show me you can do this.
I almost got my feelings hurt
but I know what he said was probably true
and I have probably overlooked things
that are way overdue.
So what I'd like to do, Tanner and Johnny,
I'd like you guys to go back in the kitchen with chef.
Derrick, I'd like Joel and Sam to go behind the bar with you.
Nick, you go with him too.
Okay. Are we ready to do it? Let's do it. Follow them guys.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
-What is up, guys? -Hey, what's up?
-How we feelin'? -Good.
-Feeling good. -Feeling good?
Jon has invited me out to J.F. Kicks
to see what these bartenders are about.
From what I heard, there's a real big problem
with over pouring, so I'm looking to see
if they have technique down,
to see if they know how to use pour spouts.
And I'm interested to see what their skill level is.
This is one of my favorite.
It's called the Rummer Up.
It's a rift on the Rum Runner.
It's simple and delicious.
And it's very easy to mix,
so it would help out over pouring.
So we're gonna start off with a half-ounce of grenadine.
A half-ounce of lime.
A half-ounce of maraschino liqueur.
Two ounces of dark rum.
You can already see the variation of color,
it's bright, it's vibrant, it looks nice.
Seal steel, over the shoulder,
cold crush, ice this up.
A little bit of soda water.
Oh, it looks so good.
A little bit of aromatic finish on top
with a nice flag of cherry and lime.
And that ladies and gentlemen, is the Rummer Up.
Getting to expand my knowledge more
behind the bar and understanding more of it
than just your normal rum and coke,
it just--it amazes me.
-So one, two, one, two. -One, two.
I didn't think that the bar needed help before this,
and now that I see it, and I see numbers,
and I see proper training, uh, I'm, like, wow.
Definitely blown away by it.
All right, guys. We got this, right?
We're gonna remember these cocktails.
We're gonna get these counts down.
-Yes. -We're gonna communicate.
-We're gonna be a team, right? -Yeah.
All right. So let's get ready for stress test
and let's rock and roll, man.
-Let's go. -Let's do it.
So Jon has brought me into J.F. Kicks
to check out what's going on in the kitchen.
Apparently, the owner, Johnny, is stuck behind the line,
and I'm here to help him get out of there
and get his son Tanner, ready to take over.
Gentlemen, how are you?
-Doing good. -All right.
-You're Patrick? -Yes, sir.
Michael, nice to meet you.
So, Tanner?
The goal is here is to get your father
-out of the kitchen, right? -Yup.
So, very important, Tanner, that we teach you
how to run the kitchen,
and to be as efficient as possible, right?
While raising the standard.
-Yeah. -All right?
So I'm gonna show you a new dish today.
So the goal going into the kitchen today,
a few things from scratch
make them more elevated but with less work.
So we are gonna make a crispy chicken sandwich.
Here, I have a chicken breast marinated in buttermilk
with some seasoning. Dredge.
Okay? Just season the flour.
We're gonna shake off the excess.
When you put the chicken in, go away from you, right,
so you don't get any splash.
Five minutes.
A little bit of butter on the grille,
toast the buns.
So the slaw, shredded red cabbage,
a little bit of carrot, a very simple vinaigrette.
Pepper jack cheese,
pop that underneath the boiler.
[timer pings]
Cheese melted on both sides.
So look at that beautiful
-crispy chicken breast, right? -Uh-hmm.
On the bottom there, tomato,
some of that slaw, Old Bay aioli.
-That's a big, thick sandwich. -Oh, yeah.
That's a showstopper for a sandwich right there.
A lot better than the frozen bought stuff, right?
-For sure. -Comes together very quickly.
All right, gentlemen. Let's get ready for stress test.
-See you in a little bit. -See you in a little bit.
-Thank you, sir. -Thank you.
Johnny, you wanna put them together?
-Yeah. You guys ready? -We just need you all
-for a minute. -Let's go.
I am stressing to the max right now.
A big part is Johnny.
Without Johnny, I wouldn't be here.
So, tonight, it's important because I wanna make sure
that he has two bartenders that know what they're doing.
What do you think, Johnny?
I think I'm nervous here tonight, to be honest.
I realized here last minute
that I don't know what the hell I'm gonna do.
So you'd be checking production behind the bar, right?
You'd be looping through the kitchen,
checking on Tanner, looking at ticket times.
"Do you need anything? You good back there?
Okay, guys, thank you." Look where you can help.
Find that weak spot and jump in.
That's how we make you guys successful
-as managers, right? -Right.
Joel, what do you think, buddy?
Nerves. I have a lot to learn,
but I'm ready to go.
I understand you got an amazing little boy at home?
-Yeah. [CHUCKLES] -All right.
Show him what his dad's made of, okay?
Okay? That's worth fighting for, isn't it?
Yeah.
It's overwhelming, you know?
It just gets to you, you know, you starting thinking of,
you know, Johnny and doing your job right.
-You ready? -Yup.
Okay. Come on, have five minutes
to set up and we open. Let's do it.
I don't plan on failing tonight.
Let's get it on.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Tanner, just so you guys know,
I'm handing these out to every guest
-who comes in tonight-- -Yes, sir.
--so they can mark, one, two, three, four,
-or five stars, okay? -Yes, sir.
Okay. Calm down. Take a deep breath, calm down.
You know how to do this. Okay?
I'm doing my best for you.
You guys ready?
-Yes, sir! -Let's go, come on in!
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
How we doin'? Good to see you guys.
-Well, come in, guys. -How are you, guys?
What's going on?
Take a seat. How we doin'?
Okay. Let's keep going, guys.
Sam, you're getting old here. Let's go, move it.
You move like an old lady here.
Come on, let's go, let's go.
Guy back there is hungry, way back there.
-Hi. -You guys thirsty?
-[CHEERING] -Yeah!
We got to hustle that up.
Oh, here we go.
I'm gonna do Rummer Up.
-Okay. -I'm gonna do Rummer Up too.
All right. So four...
Joel, move to two at a time, buddy.
-Yup. -Two or three at a time.
-How many you making? -One.
One?
You're gonna be here a long time,
one at a time.
I'm trying to inspire this team
by encouraging them to move along.
The fact is we're all very slow here.
Nothing's happening quick enough.
There doesn't seem to be the energy level
to drive success.
You good on fries back there?
It's been a while since I actually did
the owner things and walked around the tables.
-Are you the bartender tonight? -I am the owner.
-You're the owner? -How are we doing? Yes.
Hi, my name is Johnny, how are you doing?
But to not be in the kitchen when they're struggling
and not jump in to help them,
it goes against every grain in my body.
Sam, how you doing with tickets, honey?
Tickets are right here, I need you to help.
-Got it. -It couldn't move.
This gun's not reaching.
-Two hands, buddy. -Two, three, four--
-You got a left hand, too. ---five, six, seven, eight.
You guys got your drinks?
-We did. -Did you all order food?
-Yes. -No food yet?
It's been quite a while too, hasn't it?
Talk to me, Mike.
Fourteen minutes on the lead ticket.
Johnny, what's going on?
Uh, we're running a little slow on a big ticket.
All right, guys. Now, it's do-or-die, isn't it?
Berry right and I have a Rummer,
Rum--Rummer Up coming right now.
Guys, we got tables that still aren't served yet.
Sam, we need you to move. Joel, we need you to move, buddy.
Come on. How about those people in the back?
Do any of you have drinks?
-No! -No? How about over there?
You guys got drinks? Joel, come on, buddy.
Get this out, let's go!
We're losing it now.
Bar is behind, kitchen is now running
at 15-minute ticket times.
People getting frustrated, we're unraveling.
Now, we crash.
Boom, boom,
there you go. Send that off.
Service!
You guys gotta keep your ears out for service, man.
I can't keep coming over here and grabbing service tickets.
Joel, I need drinks here, please!
Let's go!
[BLEEP]! [BLEEP]!
Yeah!
[BLEEP].
[TENSE MUSIC]
Yeah!
They lost their steam. This is crazy.
They're drinking them faster than we can make.
Of course.
We had empty glasses all over the place.
-Empty, empty. -No maintenance.
So we're getting in deeper by the minute.
Sam, you got four of those runners, make all four.
So I'm still missing two berries and limes
from this ticket that went out.
-We're missing what? -Two berries.
-Table 63.
Sixty-three.
What's happening, Michael? We're losing it, aren't we?
We're not even cooking here.
We're defrosting on this griddle top.
This is a disgrace.
It doesn't even look edible to me.
Okay. So we're unraveling back here in the kitchen,
we unraveled in the bar, too.
Guys, I'm gonna shut this down, this is ridiculous.
-Do you wanna serve that? -No, sir.
Would you go out, tell everybody, apologize,
you gotta take the heat, buddy.
Tell everybody we're gonna shut down
and invite them back in two nights, Johnny, okay?
Excuse me. Can I have everyone's attention, please?
We're gonna go ahead and shut it down tonight,
we're crashing hard.
We appreciate you being here,
and hopefully you can come back Thursday
and see what we've done. Thank you, guys.
[BLEEP]!
Folks, I'd ask you to take a second
and fill out these little cards.
Rate it on your overall experience,
service, attitude, food quality, drink,
and give us a fair evaluation, okay?
Thanks, everybody.
It sucks, bro.
It sucks, man.
[BLEEP], we had that shit going so [BLEEP] good, man.
Yeah, I think I lost my confidence tonight.
This job's important to me for my kids.
My family.
And, uh, we wanna live up to certain expectations
and that's what's important.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Okay, guys.
We're gonna be introducing things that are simple,
easy, and delicious.
So the next cocktail is gonna be called
the Florida Breeze.
So we're gonna start with a quarter ounce
of simple syrup, a half-ounce of lemon juice,
a half-ounce of orange liqueur,
and then two ounces of your bourbon.
You can tell a drink is over poured or under poured
by just simply looking at the color.
Seal steel. Over the shoulder.
And guess what glass is this going in, and then pour.
So this gonna be garnished with mint.
And that, ladies and gentlemen
is a Florida Breeze.
Taste it, tell me what you think about it.
And you saw how easy that was, it's not that hard.
That's good. That's really good.
Yeah? So what do you think about it?
I love it. It's a beach in a glass.
I love the new drinks.
I think they're great and refreshing,
and no matter what
I'm gonna get this down
and it's gonna be killer.
I can't wait to serve 'em tomorrow.
-You guys got this, right? -I got it.
All right. So let's work on this,
let's tune it up.
You guys have it, you just have to work on it.
All right? All right, let's get to it.
Okay. For our next dish,
we're gonna take one of the dishes
that you're doing already that people tend to like,
but we're just gonna make it better.
So we are gonna serve a hot lobster roll,
New England style.
Classic split-bun, melted butter,
and we're gonna toast that on the flat top.
Fresh poached lobster that we did today,
hot butter, fresh lemon juice.
Salt, pepper, chives.
Give that a good mix.
Some of that goodness right there.
-Goddamn. -Right over the top,
a side of fries there.
There you have it.
-Hot lobster roll. -Yeah, that looks good.
Guys, freshness. Okay?
Very efficient,
few steps, big impact.
All right.
Thank you.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
Johnny is a good guy.
He's hardworking
and he really cares and he's stuck.
-How you doing, Jon? -Good.
-Johnny needs to remember
why he got in this business.
To make his life better, not make himself sick.
And we gotta come up with a plan that's healthier
and more productive for him.
So, how you feelin'?
Uh, I'm excited.
I'm looking forward to it. I'm stressed.
So I wanted to run a couple things past you.
-Sure. -One, how about
if you contemplated closing on Tuesday,
put yourself in the front of the restaurant,
you get a day off every freaking week.
You're energized, build revenues with energy.
And if you find that you grow your revenues
the other days of the week, you can always reopen later.
-Okay. -So, I think that
if you take that day down,
you have a far better restaurant the other six days of the week.
I trust you. I think that that's a great idea.
You know, you're a young guy, you're a good guy.
And you got a young son.
You went through something a year ago
that had scared the shit out of you.
I can't imagine emotionally how hard that is to go through.
Don't let that happen again.
Don't let this bar do that to you again, Johnny.
-Yeah. -You gotta figure out
a way to enjoy your life, to depressurize yourself,
to spend some time with Tanner outside of that bar.
That's what you gotta do. And get you out
of the 300 grand debt.
-Yeah. -What is it that you love to do
-when you're not working? -Yeah, I'm a--
I'm a singer in a band, I was,
and that was kind of my, uh, my release,
and I haven't been able to do that.
Well, I really need you to get back to that stuff.
You got a great son around you.
You got great family around you.
Make it a goal to get back to your music
-the next couple months. -I'm, I'm in.
-Okay, buddy. -Thank you.
And you're gonna have a great bar in a few hours.
-I can't wait. -All right, buddy.
-I'll see you tomorrow. -Thanks, Jon.
[UPBEAT MUSIC]
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
-Hi, everybody. -What's up, Jon?
-How you doing? -Doin' good.
You had a rough year, buddy.
Think about what you've been through.
You bought this bar, what, three years ago?
Three hundred thousand in debt,
you get sick, your brother gets sick.
-You lost your brother when? -November.
This rescue was about getting you well
far more than any bar.
If I could make this business work,
I could take the pressure off you,
get that 300,000 paid back and you get your health back.
That's what this was about all along.
Was it a week of pride for you?
Do you feel in a-- in a better place today?
Yeah. These guys all came together.
I'm really excited about it.
Yeah. You love them more than you ever did, don't you?
I did. We're a lot closer after this, that's for sure.
You guys ready?
-I'm ready. -Here we go. One,
two, three.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
two, three.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
-Means something, doesn't it? -Yeah.
Now you make that name and you make your brother proud
every time you walk in this bar. Right?
-Sure. -A source of pride for you.
Yeah, man. Thank you. I appreciate you.
Do your thing.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Jimmy is Johnny's brother.
I wanted the sign to mean something to you,
in Jimmy's honor.
This is all about in Jimmy's honor,
to create your health and your future.
Pretty special.
I wanna thank Signs Now of Brandon,
who worked all night long getting that sign done.
Great local company.
You guys ready to see it?
-Yeah. -Yeah, let's do it.
Oh, wow!
[LAUGHTER]
-Not the same place. -Oh, my God.
Holy shit.
Oh, Johnny. Look at that bar, dude.
-Oh, dude. -It's overwhelming man.
-Oh, my God. -Wow.
Look at these chairs, Johnny.
J.F. Kicks was a cool place, but it, it was so kind of rando.
There was stuff everywhere, uh, walls were all different colors.
Johnny, look at the lights behind the bar!
Now, it all kind of makes sense and flows.
See what's on the TVs?
Walking in, the first thing I saw was his name.
It's on the TV. I feel a lot of pride
just seeing his name up there.
I miss him a lot.
And just getting a part of him back,
man, that means everything to us right now.
[LAUGHS] Jimmy would've loved it.
And it was definitely his style.
What do you think?
-It's awesome! -It's amazing.
This is a beautiful bar top.
We put a lot of effort into fixing this,
-as you can see. -Yes.
This craft. They did a really good job.
I didn't wanna lose this bar top, it's too special.
It's a class place now, isn't it?
-It really is. -Come on around here, guys.
Grab a seat, let me behind the bar
and I'll show you everything.
We set you guys up with brand new
Harbortouch POS system,
the state-of-the-art with SkyTabs.
I got PathSpot to give you a UV hand washing system.
I got you an Orange Door entertainment system.
There's 50,000 songs, music programs,
everything, including karaoke, trivia games.
I got Tektronics to overhaul your audio and video systems.
Sounds great now, guys.
I also got Draft Medic to come and clean,
overhaul the draft beer system,
make sure there's no foam coming out.
And, remember that Partender number
I showed you that got you so upset, Johnny?
Well, I got you a subscription to Partender.
-Oh, nice. -So now, you have the products.
So you can track this,
complete inventory in 15 minutes.
And Tanner.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Attaboy!
So Johnny, your team is energized, aren't they?
-I can feel it. -Yeah. You're energized,
-aren't you? -I am. Yeah.
All right, guys. Let's get them back tonight, okay?
-Yeah. -Let's do it.
-Make it happen.
-You guys ready? -[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]
Come on in to Jimmy's local bar!
Hello, hello!
How are you guys?
I'll give you guys a few minutes to look at the menu.
I'll try the Bay dip one.
How are you? Welcome to Jimmy's.
-Fries down? -Yes, sir.
How are we doing on the mahi? Are they coming?
-They're in the oven. -What are our ticket times now?
-Do we know? -Eleven minutes, Jon.
Eleven? Okay. Is that food coming up soon?
Yes, sir.
I'll be right back with you guys.
-Thank you. -You're welcome.
Let's get these people over here too, yeah?
Got 'em.
Johnny, how's all the food looking?
It looks great, man. Really beautiful.
Doesn't that roast beef sandwich
look much better with that au jus?
Is it wrong if I start eatin' them?
-[laughs] Yes. -There you go, Dad. Crazy roll.
Crazy roll. Got it.
Look at this food coming up on the line now.
Hot, beautiful.
We're at eight-minute ticket times.
Tanner really pulled this off. His kitchen is organized.
And listen.
It's calm, too.
-You're good, you're good. -I'm doing this.
Just keep--yeah. Joel's finishing him off now,
-Sam's backing up. -Yup. Excellent.
-You stepped up. -Thank you.
You stayed really organized, I'm proud of you.
Yeah, come on. Keep doing double,
let's go, good job!
I told you, you have it! Let's move!
Let's keep it going.
Everybody's cheering me on,
building that confidence back up.
I never really had confidence in myself.
Um, I know we're gonna do good things here.
Look at me for a second. If you were my dad,
I would be really proud of you.
You stepped it up. Listen to me,
you're a freakin' hero, right?
-I appreciate it. -So I hope that they get
-a chance to see this. -I appreciate it.
You talk to your little boy and your little girl.
They need to see how great their daddy did.
-I appreciate it. Thank you. -Good job.
Look.
-Things are tickin'. -You like what you see?
Yeah. Everybody's moving and shakin', doing their thing.
Yeah, I gotta say it. Nikki stepped up.
Big time. She was great on the floor tonight.
It, it just feels good in here.
It, it feels weird to be on the other side of the line.
Up until Jon got here, I didn't really see any light
at the end of that tunnel, and it's just been such a relief
to see that there is a light, and that I, I--
my health will improve,
I will start to have more freedom and time
to spend with my loved ones,
and get to enjoy the fruits of my labor.
-Do you feel it? -I do.
Do you feel it coming off your shoulder?
I do, I really appreciate it.
Excellent. Well, my work is done, buddy.
It is. Hey, thank you, man.
Appreciate you, Jon.
I can see a different look on Johnny's face already.
A look of relief.
Okay. Make Jimmy proud, right?
I will. Thank you.
He's out. Tanner handled it.
Johnny can now come to the front of the house
and run this place correctly, but the best part is,
Johnny doesn't only have his bar back,
he has a chance at having his health back.
NARRATOR: Promotional consideration provided by...
Harbortouch, Pathspot, Partender, Orange Door,
Draft Medic, Tektronics, Lowegear,
Signs Now Of Brandon, The American Clean, LLC,
Maid in Brazil, LLC, One Stone, Timpano and ERSI.