On Location with “Bar Rescue:” Champs in Burbank, CA
By: JoAnn Cianciulli—Culinary Producer for the series
Hello and Welcome to my Blog! I’m proud to be the culinary producer of Bar Rescue, the new makeover series for Spike TV. As such, my job entails being in charge of all food and beverage elements—a major part of the show, to be sure!! Moreover, I’m fortunate to have a unique perspective into the behind-the-scenes process of making both the television show AND the bar a success. I work very closely with the show’s host Jon Taffer and president of the Nightclub & Bar Media Group. This man is a master of using science to bring people together to gather over food and drink and create successful hospitality properties. We work together to improve the bar and food programs; including menu development, design, pricing, and installation of necessary equipment. I’m thrilled to be part of Jon’s team and eager to share my insider info with you.
“Everyone in this bar over pours, and if they say they don’t— they’re lying.” – Rachel, bartender
Champs Sports Pub is an institution in Burbank, CA, in business for over 25 years. This should be the place to be for any sports event or game on tv, but instead of being full every night of the week, Champs is limping along, barely, according to owner Joe, keeping its doors open.
When you walk in, passed the rundown stale décor of hodgepodge sports memorabilia and dusty stuffed deer heads, it feels like a time capsule for 1975. The once-popular Champs has become a place known for ridiculously strong drinks, careless bartending, and greasy grub. It’s usually empty – only loyal regulars and ‘old folks’ frequent the place.
Their laissez-faire attitude and sloppy operation is costing the bar big time. Helen, Joe’s wife, laments, “In the beginning we were doing $60,000 a month, now we’re doing $20,000. We’ve had to borrow $100,000 this year.” Enter Jon Taffer (who pushes Joe and Helen to realize, “If you’re losing that kind of money, it’s walking out the back door!” Taffer explains his process: “When the bartenders ‘over-pour’ those super-strong drinks, they’re actually ‘stealing’ from the owners.
Jon brings in experts, bar and beverage guru, and BarMagic of Las Vegas founder Tobin Ellis to revamp the bar program and Brian Hill, a chef who knows how to run a busy food truck, to reinvent the menu. Truth be told, the bar is a mess – the beer coolers are disorganized, the bar top is sticky, glasses smell like onions and sour milk. And the oven-less kitchen is its own nightmare; it’s tiny, the size of a small food truck, and the cooks try to stack their supplies on top of kegs in the walkin’ refrigerator.
The “Rescue” process of shooting this show is downright painful to watch at times, as business owners often resist change and want to stick with old bad habits. Part of Jon’s method involves him taking full control of the facility so he can fix it and telling the owners exactly what they’re doing wrong.
Our strategy was to update Champs into a fun, easy-going neighborhood bar, where folks can watch Lakers games, eat from a stadium-inspired menu, and enjoy hand-crafted cocktails.
I can’t give away much more than that, but tune into Spike TV this summer to see how the rescue panned out, and check out nightclub.com for exclusive coverage of each episode.
