Woman 1: Knowing what you know now,
would you guys do this again?
[chuckles]
[instrumental music]
As of right now, no.
[dramatic music]
King: For over 30 years,
Jon Taffer has traveled the country,
saving hundreds of bars from failure and ruin.
Jon: I started rescuing bars decades ago
because they're part of the backbone of America.
Let's go! And we're doing it, we're doing it.
But as the industry continues to explode,
the amount of failing bars is increasing at an alarming rate.
[dramatic music]
When do I have you say, "That's not gonna work"?
So I'm on a mission to save as many bars as possible
and give worthy owners a second chance at success.
I'm gaining more respect for you by the minute.
King: Now Jon's heading to Port St. Lucie, Florida,
to attempt to rescue Cielo Restaurant And Lounge.
We are determined to raise the bar
and rise to the occasion.
[instrumental music]
King: In June 2021,
Mark Maffei decided to buy a second bar
after the first bar he owned closed due to COVID.
Mark: I had to close my first bar because, when COVID hit,
the restrictions were just impossible to make it.
The city totally shut the restaurant down.
And then my lease ended, I was gone,
and I needed to do something.
[upbeat music]
King: To partner with him,
Mark brought in Osafa Os Ou...
We're gonna get this party started.
King: A dancer who had been running Latin dance lessons
out of Mark's previous bar.
Os: I met Mark when I was looking
for a space to open my dance school.
Mark: He came in one night asking if he can do
his dance thing at my place, so I said, "Sure."
Became a pretty popular big success.
It was my idea to open up a second place
and I mentioned it to Os, then he offered to do it with me.
King: As 50-50 partners,
Mark and Os drew a distinct line in the sand
as they split up their ownership responsibility.
Mark: The business agreement originally was
he was gonna be handling the entertainment
and I was gonna do the day-to-day operations
o-- of the restaurant.
King: Initially Cielo was a hit
with the local community.
[upbeat music]
[crowd cheering]
Mark: Friday and Saturday night is definitely
our bread and butter, it's packed,
but it's just two days a week.
The problem is, it's very tough
to get people to come out there in the week.
People are struggling, economy's terrible.
I don't know how some restaurateurs make it.
King: As the two owners scramble to keep the bar
afloat, training standards
and consistency for the staff have fallen to the wayside.
Os: You gotta get better with the, the inventories,
and money was, uh, falling through the cracks.
Our staff definitely needs some more discipline.
Mark: Definitely overpouring at times.
The drinks are not being correctly made.
Kim: It's like a hot mess.
King: Now Cielo is less than
three months from closing its doors,
and the stress is taking its toll on Mark and Os.
Os: Right now I'm going through
a foreclosure process with my house.
I can probably go a few months, and to be honest,
that's-- that's being optimistic.
Mark: I got an equity loan on my house just to keep us going.
And if I can't pay that, I lose my house and the business.
Mark: Right now we're probably about a $115,000 in debt.
I had to refinance my house.
So here I am, trying to make it work.
King: Before the bottom drops out
of Cielo Restaurant And Lounge,
Mark and Os have agreed to pull back the doors,
bust open the books and make a call for help to Bar Rescue.
Cielo is where my dreams live.
Cielo means... everything to me.
- Here we go. Welcome, Brad. - Thanks for having me.
King: For the kitchen, Jon brings in Chef Brad Miller.
From the suburbs of Chicago to the coast of California,
Chef Miller specializes in bringing together
simple ingredients to create specialized cuisines.
He's currently the chef and co-owner
of the Inn Of The Seventh Ray,
one of Los Angeles' most revered restaurants.
- How you doing? - Mia, good to see you, hon.
For the bar, Jon brings in
Mia Mastroianni,
a legendary bartender
at Soho House, Los Angeles.
Mia has served Hollywood elite
while also creating cocktail menus and programs
for bars across the country.
So here we are, guys.
We're in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Jon: We're at a bar called Cielo.
It means sky or heaven in Spanish and Italian.
Look at the outside of this bar.
First of all, look at the sign, Cielo.
It's in some funky script, so you can't read it. That's one.
Then two... I don't know what kind of restaurant...
Jon: I don't know what kind of lounge has no identification.
Mm-hmm. It is not defined clearly.
This bar was opened
by Mark and Os.
Os is a dance instructor.
Jon: Years ago, before COVID,
Os would do dance classes in Mark's bar.
- Kind of love that. - COVID closed that bar.
And now they opened this bar as 50-50 partners.
Now comes the kicker, they're in about a 150,000,
which is all the money they had.
And now both of their houses are on the line.
- So this is it. - This is it for them.
- She asked for the bill? - No, I believe.
- Okay. Jon: There's Mark.
Uh, every Tuesday it's like a, you control the music,
100% kind of request and stuff. Yeah.
- It's real cool. - There's Os.
Jon: And there's the room. Look at the room.
Jon: Look at that bar. Mia: Oh.
Jon: How about that green ligh-- - That is not flattering.
For now, Mario, you, you serve this bar, too.
If it gets crazy, I'll help you out.
- It won't get crazy. - There's Mario.
Jon: Mario is one of our bartenders.
Mia: Okay. - Long Island.
- The blue or regular? - The blue.
Blue? You got it, baby.
There's Kim. She's another bartender.
The owner, he wanna check your ID.
- Oh, yeah. Jon: There's Denise.
She's a server. And Joel in the kitchen.
Brad: So he's battering the calamari
with this pure dump of flour.
- Look at how he's doing this. Brad: Right over the trash can.
Mia: Practically, in the trash can.
That one dish is gonna screw the oil
for the whole entire night.
Jon: Oh, my gosh. Look at that.
Brad: It should absolutely not be steaming like that.
That is absolutely excess contaminants.
Look at this place. It's a mess.
Jon: Look at the dirt on that counter.
- Look at the filth everywhere. Brad: Oh, my God!
Mia: That has never been clean.
Brad: That's absolutely a fire hazard.
Man 1: Look at these two, instead of doing something
to save their business, they're just standing around.
They're choosing to let this business fail.
So for recon tonight, I got two local radio celebrities,
Virginia and Fran.
So these girls do remotes all the time.
They're in bars, they know Port St. Lucie really, really well.
And let's see what they got, 'cause there's only
three customers in the whole place.
- Hello. - Hi, how are you?
Hi. I want the mojito.
I'm gonna do an amaretto sour.
Definitely the calamari. Thank you so much.
He is pouring in the air. You know I hate that.
Looking behind this bar, I don't see a service well.
Mia: It doesn't seem like there's anything
a-- across the front of the bar for a workstation.
There isn't. Everything faces the other way.
Jon: So that's his amaretto sour.
Mia: That's the amaretto sour.
Now an amaretto sour should be
shaken, of course, correct?
- Yes, anything with citrus. - Yup.
Mia: So Mario is doing a mojito.
So far I saw him use fresh mint.
I'm surprised they have it, to be honest.
And there, simple syrup. Looking for the rum.
Mia: Still building in the air, but, oh,
I think we have some overpouring, Jon.
And now he's going to muddle. Okay, that's a choice.
Mia: And if he keeps going to town with that muddler,
he's gonna make that mint swampy and bitter.
You'd really just wanna release those oils,
and he's just destroyed that mojito.
- Mojito. For you. - Yes. Perfect.
- Thank you. - Thanks so much.
- You're welcome. - Thank you.
- Cheers. Ting. - Cheers.
[suspenseful music]
She can't even talk.
Yeah, mine is definitely too sweet.
- Not sour. It's just sweet. - Yeah.
Woman 2: So much mint in it, with the bar straw,
you get mint sucked up in there.
It's like a-- a salad in a cup.
- That is... - A salad in a cup?
Mia: It really is. She's not wrong.
So let's see what Joel's doing.
[dramatic music]
That's chicken wings.
Chicken wings on the dishwasher.
Brad: I hope he's not gonna rinse those wings
at the dishwasher station.
So he's got raw chicken all over that countertop,
all over the area. It's not even in a bowl.
Jon: It's dripping right now all over the counter.
Mia: Mm-hmm.
Brad: He's touching the faucet. - No.
Jon: He's put the valve all over the chicken.
Jon: Look at that. - Oh, God.
Brad: And then he's gonna clean glassware with that.
- Ready-to-eat serving utensils. - Well, this is bad.
So let's see what he touches with his hands.
Jon: Wow. So there's chicken juice all over that container.
Uh-huh. Now on the door handle.
Jon: He's opening a residential door.
He's going outside, he's throwing that away. Okay.
Now the raw chicken meat is all over that door handle.
Raw chicken meat has now touched
six to seven different things in this kitchen.
So we have complete cross-contamination.
God knows it could be on everything, right?
Brad: This is how you get people sick.
I'm dying to see when he's gonna make the ticket.
I watched that ticket come in,
like, six minutes ago.
[dramatic music]
What the...
Jon: That's '23, see that? Brad: Yes.
- Is that calamari? - That's calamari labeled '23.
So that's over a month old.
Brad: Oh, that's the calamari. Jon: Oh, my God!
Brad: It's supposed to be calamari.
I hope that's just marinade on there.
[intense music]
Is the owner vaping in the, in the kitchen?
I swear, I just saw the owner vape in the kitchen.
- Yup. Jon: Chef.
- Can our people eat that? Brad: Nobody can eat that.
So we have to stop that. That can't leave the kitchen.
- That cannot leave the kitchen. - Let's get inside.
Mia, we'll see you in a little while.
[intense music]
- Sober or something? - Yeah.
[music continues]
You drink two of them, you're being carried out.
- Ha-ha! - Who gonna drive my car?
[intense music]
- Mark. Jon Taffer. Good. - Oh. How are you?
Very nice to meet you. Mark Maffei.
Come, it's my chef, Brad.
Come in the back with me for a minute.
Mark: You got it.
Where is that calamari you just made?
Bring it back here.
Jon: I don't want anybody to eat that.
First of all, where's the calamari? Show it to me.
Didn't this have a date '23 on it when you opened it?
- Yeah. - So this is from '23.
- What year is it now? - It's '24.
It's '24, but it's new. It's not old.
Then how do I know it's new if it says '23 on it?
- It's a mistake. - Can you look at that, chef?
- Is that acceptable to you? - It's not old.
[clears throat]
- Smells fishy to me, Jon. - Smell that.
[intense music]
So you guys own this place. Do you know that that's good?
- You don't, now, do ya? Mark: At the moment, no.
That doesn't mean nothing's fresh.
It means that you don't have a [bleep] clue.
That's what it means. Okay, next.
I watched you before with chicken wings.
Take 'em to a dishwash area, not a prep area.
He's got chicken wings juice all over your hand.
You open the doorknob, took a box to the garbage.
You have raw chicken juice all over that door.
You then grab the handle here.
This entire kitchen is covered in raw chicken.
- Right? - Yes, sir.
- But this is your place. - Yeah.
Jon: Look at this stuff in the freezer, unwrapped.
Look at these, guys. You wanna eat those?
We got a freezer burn on 'em. You wanna eat those?
This is your money.
And now, just like that money...
it's in the trash.
[tray clatters]
And when do you think this is from?
You don't [bleep] know, do you, Mark?
So you don't know that either!
I want to understand what do you know.
Jon: You got a guy back here who's
cross-contaminating your kitchen.
You're vaping, which is against the law in a fricking kitchen,
oblivious to everything,
and you're supposed to be experienced,
and this is your kitchen.
You're gonna [bleep] kill somebody!
You don't have a fricking clue!
Jon: You are supposed to be experienced
and this is your kitchen.
You're gonna [bleep] kill somebody!
You're gonna lose your house, aren't you?
What happened to your daughter's college fund?
Tell me, Os, what happened?
- I had to spend it. - Spent it.
So you spent your college fund, you're about to lose your house,
and this is what's gonna save you?
Jon: If I was losing my house, I'd learn everything I could!
You are sinking!
And you're doing nothing about it.
I mean, um, we're doing what we can.
No, you're doing what you choose.
You're not doing what you can.
If you were doing what you can, you would have learned it!
You're losing your house, too, aren't you?
Well, I'm getting damn close to it.
You guys made a choice to be ignorant.
Welcome to the world of ignorance.
In a world of ignorance, you lose money!
Yeah, we're finding that out.
This is shameful, guys.
I'll be back tomorrow and I'll teach you,
and I'll save your ass.
But you gotta save it with me.
Get rid of that sport jacket tomorrow, come in here,
'cause you guys are gonna work your asses off.
- See you tomorrow. - I'll be ready.
Thank you.
Can I clean this shit up?
Mark: Ah, I got our ass whupped.
A lot of things that
we thought were okay, obviously aren't.
I didn't expect him to come in here and be nice,
but he made it out like I, I was a-- a dumbass,
didn't know nothing.
Mark: Been running restaurants for five, six years.
I know a little bit, and I'm not [bleep] ignorant.
I know that.
[cutlery clanking]
[instrumental music]
[upbeat music]
Jon: Last night was incredibly frustrating to me.
Both of them, Mark and Os,
have owned this business for three years.
Neither of them take any accountability,
any responsibility.
If I don't get them to own it,
their business is gonna run them
rather than them running their business,
and it'll run 'em right to the poorhouse.
So you guys cleaned up pretty good last night, huh?
So what time were you guys here till?
Mid... I'd say midnight.
What time were you here?
- 6 a.m.. - After they left.
This job means a lot to you, then, doesn't it, Joel?
So what got me upset about both of you last night
is complacency.
Raw chicken is about as dangerous a product
as we can ever have.
Jon: And it was cross-contaminated
completely across that entire kitchen.
You know, and this poor guy is trying to do well,
but he doesn't have the tools, he doesn't have a manager.
You're back there alone.
Nobody's training you, teaching you, guiding you.
So, so we can't be successful like this.
This is your food, too, right?
You gotta be connected to that kitchen.
Who does the recipes?
When I get here, it was an Italian menu.
And suddenly all the crowds start to change.
And Mark told me, "Can you help me with some Latin recipes?"
And they changed the menu.
- So you created the recipes? - Yeah.
Okay. Have you tried every one of them?
Yeah. I mean, I'm not a food expert, so...
Especially in Latin food.
Do you think you can be successful
in a business you know nothing about?
- Uh, short answer, no. - Of course not.
Do you think you can be successful?
I've been asking myself
if I should really be doing this with the knowledge I have.
So do you understand why I let you have it last night?
Yeah, of course, of course. Yeah.
It's not easy to beat up somebody in his own business,
in front of his employees, but the fact of the matter is...
You've been in this business how long, Os?
- Two. Jon: Two years.
You put your life savings in it.
And what are you supposed to do when you come here every day?
- What's your job here? - Well, my job, uh...
I do the marketing and the promotions.
So what kind of promotions do we have?
Os: We have our, uh, dance class here.
Uh, we have comedy nights. Some nights we have, um...
Anytime I've ever run dance lessons
or dance programs in a bar, they drink water, diet cola,
and nobody makes any money. Is that accurate?
- Yes. - So that's not a promotion.
You know why every, almost every comedy club in the country
has a two-drink minimum?
'Cause they won't make money if they don't.
So are these the same promotions we're doing now
that we did three months ago?
When you do a promotion, and three, four months into it,
it's not working, shouldn't you come up with a new one?
There is just so much, I, we-- we...
Both of us are, are constantly feeling like we're underwater.
Jon: Because you don't know what you're doing.
If you knew it, you'd do it. It's a pretty calm process.
It is. And people aren't stressed out like you are.
What is your job when you come here every day, Mark?
I pretty much run
all the aspects of, uh, of the restaurant.
I mean, there's just a million things going on at once, so...
We don't know what we're doing, do we?
For example, Partender is an inventory-tracking application.
So we know what we consumed and we know what we sold.
Jon: Right? - Of course, yeah.
This is your management, Mark.
Over those several days, we poured $8900 worth of alcohol
at retail value.
We sold $6400 worth.
The gap is $2500 in one weekend.
- How much is it a year, Mark? - 130,000.
$130,000 a year.
All of this is being overpoured, given away, or not rung up
as you're standing here running this place.
You're not losing money, you're giving it away!
Kim: Losing that much of, that amount of money?
Like, how, how is it possible?
You overpoured those drinks last night.
Jon: You were standing right there when he did it.
That's your partner.
He managed nothing.
- Believe me, I do a lot. - It's easy, man!
Check the food, check the drinks, train people! You bet--
When there's 200 people running around in here,
I can't check every [bleep] drink they're making.
Your attitude sucks.
You stand here saying, "Well, I didn't learn, I didn't this,
I shouldn't be in this business,
maybe I shouldn't do it." Not once--
You want honesty from me, I'm giving you honesty.
I understand that. So why are you here?
- For them. - That's bullshit.
- Mark! Mark: No, it isn't bullshit.
How much more money do you have till we're closed?
- Three months we're outta here. - Three months.
So you lose your job in three months.
- Did he come through for you? - But things don't change.
If he cared about you and this place
and you keeping your job, he'd run it, wouldn't he?
Nobody here is gonna question whether I care about 'em or not.
I didn't, I didn't manage it effectively,
but I [bleep] care about everybody here.
It's not bullshit! You can call it--
Because you come here and you do nothing to save her job!
I know what effort I put in for this place every day.
Mark: Maybe I don't have enough knowledge.
- You come here every day. - Yeah!
But you don't do the things that you don't like doing,
like checking the kitchen, checking the bar.
Jon: You're full of shit, Mark.
[dramatic music]
- You're full of shit, Mark. - Um...
For three years you didn't put in the effort
to learn a fricking thing.
I don't know about the kitchen. I'm not a chef.
I'm not a cook. I never had the desire to be.
I learned a lot about just running our restaurant in--
So do you know how to run a bar? Do you know how to make a drink?
Yeah. I got my certificate up there just like Mario.
So that's why you lost a $130,000 a year?
For not checking it up, that's why.
Okay, so now we're getting somewhere.
So you come to work, but you don't check.
You come to work, but you don't taste.
You come to work, but you don't train.
But you're telling me that you're trying.
Mark, you're full of shit, and you're bullshitting yourself.
And until you own this [bleep] failure,
you will never be successful!
Of course, the buck stops with me.
- So what are you gonna do? - I'm gonna, I'm gonna...
I'm gonna make it work. I'm gonna learn it.
Okay, well, 'cause I'd like to stop screaming at you
and I'd like to start learning.
- Thank you, Jon. - Yes, thank you.
But we got a lot of work to do, right?
It's absolutely hard to hear it because I know
the blood, sweat and tears I put into it,
but I have to prove that I can manage in a way
that actually makes this place profitable,
because everything I've been through
really wasn't worth it if this doesn't work.
Jon: We got a lot of work to do, guys. You ready?
- Yup. - Okay, let's go do it.
[upbeat music]
Mia: Hi, guys. So, uh...
Mario, last night our recon guests came in
and they ordered a mojito and an amaretto sour.
So would you just join me back here
and make me an amaretto sour like you did last night?
- Sure. - Your time to shine, honey.
[ice rattling]
Alright.
♪ Why are you building your drink in the air? ♪♪
Because I'm not used to having a well.
So you're perfectly illustrating the fact
that we don't have a full functioning well. Keep going.
Sour mix.
The tongs.
Okay. Thank you so much.
Mia: The rule of thumb is any cocktail
that has citrus gets shaken.
Anything that does not have citrus
is usually built in a mixing glass and stirred.
Um, but I'm just gonna put this one aside and I'm gonna
demonstrate the one that we're going to do tonight
using proper ingredients for a classic amaretto sour.
We are going to start with three quarters of an ounce
of Twisted Alchemy fresh lemon juice.
One, two, three.
Then we are just going to balance the acidity
with some simple syrup.
One, two, three.
And then finishing off with two ounces of amaretto.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
Ice your glass.
You ice your mixing glass.
Cap it, flip it and shake.
[ice rattling]
Pour over fresh ice...
and garnish with a marinated cherry.
And this is our version
of a classic amaretto sour.
Using fresh juices, using quality products,
it's going to up the perceived value of your cocktails,
but your bartenders are gonna be able to bang 'em out.
Tonight is going to be our stress test.
We got some work to do before we open the doors.
- Okay. - Alright, let's kick it.
Gentlemen, welcome back into your kitchen.
So the first thing I wanna do is the calamari.
Last night I saw you flouring.
Over the garbage can, flour's going everywhere.
It's going on you, it's going on the floor.
Let's go back to the basics, let's do a little twist on it.
Brad: You guys ready to learn? - Yes, sir.
Alright, here's what we're gonna do first.
Chef, go ahead and grab those calamari steaks.
Brad: So go ahead and throw them in the fryer.
These are steak calamari, you can cut 'em down
into the size you want. We're gonna do nice, thick pieces.
Soak 'em in buttermilk, and then we bread them
in flour and seasoned breadcrumbs.
We're gonna bread them ahead of time, so they're ready to go.
Super simple, quick, delicious.
Chef, you wanna pull those up for me? Those are ready.
Alright. And, gentlemen, this is a little bit of flaky sea salt.
You season right out of the fryer, right,
for that nice, hot calamari stick to grab on to that salt.
This is just parsley, cut fresh,
and we're gonna do, we're gonna do a little twist to it.
Some smoked paprika.
So it's not your average calamari fries.
So super simple.
And then a little more, right on top.
And then we have a Chile de arbol,
and I also have a citrus aioli.
Then we're gonna do lemon cheeks, not wedges.
Make it like you eat with your eyes first.
And this is definitely a dish you eat with your eyes.
Brad: But it's gonna be delicious, clean and easy.
Gentlemen, start your engines.
[upbeat music]
The flavors just blend together.
Bomb to the sky. Beautiful, bro.
It's beautiful. Just in there, yeah.
So we have our work cut out for us tonight.
I wanna see absolutely zero cross-contamination.
And this is just one training session, but I'm gonna
keep working with you guys, make sure we're ready.
Joel: Thank you, sir.
[upbeat music]
So, Mark, what are you gonna do
versus what is Os gonna do tonight?
'Cause tonight you're both active.
I'll watch the whole operation, as I see someone
falling under that needs help, I'll jump in.
Are you gonna be watching the kitchen?
I-- I guess they're gonna, I... Os will start there.
So one of you guys needs to manage the front of the house.
And the other one needs to manage the back of the house.
Jon: You with me? - Okay.
Alright, let's get in our positions.
Alright.
Welcome to Cielo Lounge, come on in.
[upbeat music]
Mark: Thanks for coming.
[indistinct chatter]
Mia: There you go. There you go.
Front bar is open and all the tables.
Mark: Hey, hi, good to see you.
Hello, you guys, welcome.
Kim: How are you? My name is Kim.
Looks like you have, uh, two tickets.
- Can I get you guys a drink? - Little overpour there.
Now you add ice, shake it and strain it over that.
Okay.
[instrumental music]
- First two drinks. Mia: First two drinks.
I guess you guys are next.
Hey, cool.
- This is no good. Joel: This one right here?
Brad: Yeah, that's been sitting there way too long.
We can't serve that now.
Brad: Os, how long in that first ticket? When was that rung in?
Os: 7:50. - 7:50?
These people are gonna walk out
if we do not get that going.
- Calamari fries. - Okay?
Chef, where's the calamari sticks?
Okay.
Mia: This is ridiculous.
Mario is working on drinks three and four.
I got a bartender behind a bar who moves in slow animation.
Jon: I'm not sure he has the capability of moving
any faster. There's not one table that has a drink.
Mia: I think we need to work on pacing.
[bell dings]
[machine whirring]
Which one is the, the beef and which one is the chicken?
- Down here, the fryer. - Uh...
Oh, one chicken, I think it was that, but now I don't know.
Come on. Boss, I need to solve this problem.
What's happening is all these tickets are coming in
and they just can't get it out.
Joel: This is dead. This is dead, too.
Brad: Joel's trying as hard as he can.
Joel: This is dead. - Os is here to help.
It's actually making it completely worse.
Look, this can't be sitting in here, this whole meal.
Tell me, tell me what to do.
He has no idea how to run all these tickets.
He has no idea what's going on. It's chaos.
This is not fair, bro.
[ice rattling]
Kim: What are you making? - Amaretto salad.
Amara... Yes, that's the simple syrup.
- Oh, that's... - Yup, okay.
So what's going on? So you're making drinks until--
Until they get caught up, yeah, 'cause he's gonna get...
Okay, I'm glad to see you back here doing that.
Yeah.
- How are we doing? Talk to me. - Ticket times are pretty bad.
So we got a lot of tickets up there still.
What's our ticket time running, do we know, chef?
- Fifty minutes. - Fifty?
- 50. - 50.
Os, would you go to a restaurant
where you waited 50 minutes for a ticket?
- Not if I was hungry. - Nope, you sure wouldn't, so...
- Yeah. - Come on, guys.
We gotta get this food out.
Let's see what I got here.
[instrumental music]
Oh, uh, maybe I had enough, but I guess not.
Jon: Mark, Mario can't get any of the pours correctly,
he can't get any drinks sold out, he's working with one hand,
but it's only one hand at half speed.
- Yeah. - I mean, this is a nightmare.
- What are you doing? - Uh, the-- the Diet Pepsi--
Don't concentrate on the soft drinks.
Concentrate on the cocktails.
Can I get some runners for food, please?
Brad: That food's dying.
Joel: Come on!
Complete chaos.
Can I get some runners for food, please?
Brad: That food's dying.
Os: Thank you.
Mario. He is calling for you.
- How are these? - I mean, they're...
They taste good, but they're cold.
They're cold.
So you need to throw how many more down?
Okay, let's get 'em in.
We're getting complaints that the food is cold.
It's been sitting in the window and it's been sitting here.
I didn't expect much, and that's what I got, not much.
Jon: This is a complete chaotic disaster.
In every single case,
with every single employee, we're failing.
- Okay. - Mark, let's close this down.
We've seen everything we need to see.
Fact of the matter is, guys,
our food is running 45-minute ticket times.
It's coming out cold, right?
I'd like you, Mark, and you guys to go stand behind the bar,
tell everybody we're closing, apologize and invite them back.
Os: I don't know if you guys heard that,
but we're gonna be closing up for the night.
- We gotta shut it down. - We gotta...
We have a lot of things that we're gonna be working on.
What he's trying to say is management blew it.
They didn't train their employes,
they didn't set the place up, they didn't manage it correctly.
As an end result, the kitchen is a disaster.
They can't put out food in under 45 minutes.
Half of your drinks took 20 minutes to get to you guys.
Nothing happened when it should have the way it should have,
and that's on management.
So apologize, for Christ's sakes.
They came here, and you let them down. Own it.
- Say, "I'm sorry." Say it! - I will--
We're truly sorry.
I mean, we, we did terrible tonight for you.
I hope you'll give us another chance on Friday.
You'll see a big difference, I promise.
Mark: We are hoping to keep it under control
by everybody having their section.
And there's not a lot of tables in here
so we thought we can handle it.
All the employees, I think, did their best,
kept their composure,
we just weren't able to handle what hit us.
You know, Mia, we've done a lot of these together.
Mm-hmm.
And there were times in the past where I've said,
"This is the worst bartender I've ever seen."
- Yep. - But tonight...
this truly was the worst bartender I have ever seen.
Jon, I have never witnessed someone move so slowly.
So we got a real problem behind the bar.
We gotta come up with a simple bar program.
Dare I say idiot-proof.
- That they can deliver. - Yeah.
Chef, what do you see for the menu?
For a Latin menu, I see what everybody loves.
Tacos. Simple. It's delicious, it's easy to clean.
And then just follow that Latin theme
for the rest of the menu.
- Through the whole menu. - Alright.
- That makes sense to me, guys. - Yeah.
So I'll buy the coffee.
Let's go finish these menus up, okay?
- Okay. Sounds good. - Let's do it.
[instrumental music]
Last night's stress test was beyond a total disaster.
Hi, guys.
Going into training today,
we want to focus on simplicity,
efficiency, and execution of fast service.
So where's Mario?
Mario had a previous medical appointment
that he couldn't get out of today.
Okay. Completely understandable.
Not a problem. But we are not giving up on you guys.
So let's get started.
A half an ounce of twisted alchemy lime juice,
two ounces of silver tequila.
Guiding the ice, and topping with ginger beer
garnishing with a dehydrated twisted alchemy lime.
And in 20 seconds, you have your tequila mule.
It's refreshing. Definitely.
We are going to continue to train.
I'm definitely going to use some extra time
to work with Mario, so that you're all really confident
by the time doors open for relaunch.
[upbeat music]
Jon: Obviously the stress test last night was a failure.
Today we need to talk about what is it going to take
for them to step up as partners
and take control of this bar?
- Crazy night, right? - It was tough.
It's the first step towards a new beginning, isn't it?
That's what, that's what we're hoping, yeah.
Mm. You guys are really good friends, aren't you?
- We are. Yeah. - Mm.
Are you as close today as you were when you opened the place?
Closer. Yeah. Yeah.
So this journey of success and failure
has sort of pulled you both together?
- Absolutely. - And the struggles as such.
Jon: I'm going to suggest that the failure that
you both have experienced these past months,
neither of you stepped up for the other guy.
You could have said, "Let me help with operations.
Let me get in here and try to learn this and do this."
You didn't go there.
When he's sinking, you got to go there
and help him. You with me?
- I understand. - That's what friends do.
And when he's sinking, you got to go there and help him.
- Absolutely. - And when we're losing money,
you guys got to get together and help each other.
What can you do going forward
to help make a difference today from yesterday?
We've gotten some amazing training.
I want to take that and help
use that to make us better and help Mark.
Great. What helps you most?
I've been pretty much the front of the house
since day one. So...
Jon: Do you think your orientation
is more front of the house
and his more the back of the house?
That's really, I guess, my most valuable right now.
Jon: Are you comfortable with that?
Yeah, definitely.
I'm not saying cook the food yourself,
but have a management responsibility
over the quality of the food.
And the speed of the food, the training of the food
and say, "I'll own that, Mark."
Yeah.
That takes a lot of heat off you.
Of course.
What did you learn this week, Mark?
- I learn about myself. - Yeah.
That what I do on a nightly basis
is make sure everybody has what they need.
But I'm not watching what they're doing.
Are they giving drinks away?
You know, are they overpouring?
Yeah. Like your standards.
And they gotta meet those standards.
You gotta keep your revenues coming.
You gotta manage the pours and the profits.
- And you have to verify that. - Exactly.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
That's a powerful lesson for you, isn't it?
Yeah. Yeah, it is.
So you both have your objectives.
- Yeah. - And boy,
do you do need each other, right?
- Mm-hmm. - That we have.
- I gotta go to work, guys. - Thank you so much.
I've always been willing
and I've always wanted to help anywhere that I can help.
Being that the bar industry is something
that was brand new to me,
and I always felt like I was kind of flying blind.
But with the training that we've had
I don't feel that I'm flying blind anymore.
I have a vision,
and now I've been provided the tools
to make that vision become a reality.
[upbeat music]
[crowd cheering]
Jon: Hey, everybody. What a week, huh?
- Sure was. - How you feeling, Mark?
- Overwhelmed. Yeah. Jon: I bet.
Do you feel like some weight coming off your shoulders?
Yes, I do. We're not finished yet, though,
so I'm still a little...
Jon: There's a lot of work to be done.
Mark: Yeah. - Yeah.
Jon: So this is a fresh beginning, isn't it?
- Yes, sir. - Wait till you see the name.
Jon: And the concept that we've created for you.
Alright guys, you ready?
Alright, here we go.
One, two, three.
[crowd cheering]
Oh, my God.
Alright, here we go.
One, two, three.
[crowd cheering]
Oh, my God.
Jon: You gotta be kidding me.
What's the first three letters?
- Mark. - That's right.
Jon: What are the other two letters?
Oh, my God.
- That is awesome. Mark: I've been called that.
So it's perfect.
Jon: So, you ready? - Yes.
- Yeah. - Alright, go ahead.
Man: Come on. Come on.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh.
Denise: Wow.
Kim: Oh, my goodness, you guys.
Look at the stage.
It's gorgeous.
It's absolutely gorgeous.
Os: I love it. I am absolutely amazed
what Jon was able to do
in, in such a short period of time.
I'm beside myself.
Wow!
I feel like we have an opportunity
at a second life.
Os: Wow, girl.
This is exactly what I was praying for, you know?
Heaven-sent.
- What do you think? - It's gorgeous.
- Amazing. - It's absolutely gorgeous.
This doesn't feel like the same place.
Oh, not at all.
How about your bar?
Now, you have a nice back bar for presentation.
We introduced some colors.
And all of it picks up that Cantina look.
Jon: Doesn't it, Mark? Mark: Yes, it definitely does.
Jon: You, like? - Love the lights.
I got barproducts.com to set you guys up with everything,
so I got you all the tools and supplies you need.
I got SkyTab POS, best in the world.
One terminal and two,
three terminals in the other bar.
Not only did I get you the POS systems,
I got you the tablets.
You do the order right at the table,
just like the screen.
You do the credit card at the table,
everything, so you're not running back and forth.
I also got Partender Inventory in 30 minutes.
- Remember those numbers? - Yeah.
I'd like to forget them.
If our costs are high, tell them
we fix it together. Right, guys?
Everybody's honest here,
and we can get those profits out
that we need to to get you guys out of debt.
Guys, I had Magnum Music Group
design a special custom music program for you.
So you have the right environment
for your demographic and your concept.
I got Benjamin Franklin Plumbing
to do all new plumbing behind the bar.
There's two workstations, so we have
twice the production
and twice the transaction ability.
My team worked all night long here
to get all this done for you guys.
So here's the deal. You see that crowd in front?
- Yeah. - I got 'em here.
Do everything we can to get 'em back tonight.
- Okay, you ready? - Yes.
Alright, let's do it.
[applause]
Flabbergasted. The name of the place is my favorite thing.
It's perfect.
The new, fresh Don Marco's. We're ready.
Hey, everybody.
Both: Welcome to Don Marco's.
[cheering]
Os: Come on in. Mark: Come on in.
Enjoy. Front bar is open in any tables.
Thank you.
Hello. My name is Kim.
Do you guys want to start off with
strawberry Basil margarita?
So the shrimp tacos are all fresh,
and it's like, it's amazing.
Joel: Here we go. Chicken tinga tacos.
Frito nachos, chicken tinga tacos.
Looking good, Joel.
Thank you, sir. Ordered up.
Os: Before, I was flying with my, my eyes closed.
I wanted to help, and I wanted to help more
but without the experience, I just didn't know.
Now I'm empowered. I feel like I have a voice now.
Did you have the chicken tinga taco?
- Oh, yes. - Here you go.
Look at you.
So you're sending out four. Excellent.
Mario. Look at him.
Yeah.
[cheering]
Mario: Well, training with Mia is a fabulous thing.
I wish I had so much more time to be able to spend with her.
One of the things that I modified
was the way I shake.
I think with a little bit of practice,
I'll be able to bang these out a lot quicker.
MARK: Waiting on another strawberry margarita.
- Two straws. Jon: This one feels good.
Mark and Osou are in huge trouble.
Strawberry margaritas.
Neither of them were engaged in a bar.
Look at them now. Mark's in the middle of it.
Osou's in the middle of it.
Joel's pumping out food in the kitchen.
Kim is cranking behind the bar.
Even Mario has stepped up, and he's pumping drinks out.
Mia: It's perfect, Mario. I'm thrilled with you.
Well, guys, what do you think?
- I love it. - How you feeling?
Much less stressed than I was about an hour ago.
Things are running pretty smooth.
My work is done. Now it's all up to you.
- Thank you so much. - Can't thank you enough, Jon.
Really, Jon. Thank you.
This was a very successful opening.
I'm proud of 'em.
[instrumental music]
Narrator: Promotional consideration provided by,
SkyTab POS, Barproducts.com, Twisted Alchemy,
Partender Kyle G's Oyster and Wine Bar
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Port St. Lucie.
Burns Embroidery, Magnum Music Group
One Stone and ESRI.