On Location with Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue:” J.A. Murphy’s in Fells Point, Maryland.

As “Bar Rescue’s” culinary producer, I’m fortunate to have a unique perspective on the behind-the-scenes process of making the television show AND the bar a success. I work very closely with Jon Taffer and our experts to resuscitate the bar and food programs, including menu development, design, and installation of equipment. Now in our second season, I’m thrilled to continue as part of Jon’s elite team and eager to share the exclusive inside scoop with you!

“People are eating mouse s#@t!”- Chef Brian Duffy during kitchen walkthrough

J.A. Murphy’s is located in the heart of historic Fells Point MD, a fun and thriving area on the water with loads of foot traffic. In 2009, college frat buddies Keith Murphy and Joel Gallant carried out an impulse to partner in opening a bar— after pulling a drunken all- nighter.
Despite having no experience, J.A. Murphy’s was oddly successful at first, raking in $12,000 weekly sales. The ironic achievement was attributed to Murphy’s manager Marka, who facilitated the constant flow of regulars and profitable margins. To add to the drama, partner Joel butts heads with everyone and his abrasive attitude forced manager Marka to quit. In retaliation, the smart-cookie launched her own competitive bar right around the corner. This overture is a sore spot with Joel, to be sure.
With fewer customers, mounting business costs, and money lost on cheap shots, J.A. Murphy’s is now losing $5,000 each week and Keith and Joel are deep in debt.

Only two months away from closing Murphy’s doors for good, Keith and Joel have made a call for help to Jon Taffer, host and executive producer of “Bar Rescue” and NCB Media Group President.

J.A. Murphy’s was the most dilapidated, vile bar we ever encountered–-—raw chicken being mishandled, severe water damage, sewage, and toxic mold are just the highlights! Honestly, it’s a miracle this space was not condemned.
Facing a filthy bar and an inexperienced staff, Jon calls in reinforcements. He brings in award-winning flair mixologist Chris Cardone and chef Brian Duffy to overhaul the grody kitchen and create an approachable menu.
Chef Duffy goes through the kitchen and finds way more neglect than he bargained for: a ton of grease under the range hood, a dead rat behind a water heater, and rodent droppings in food containers. Jon brings Keith and Joel in and takes them to task for allowing these unsanitary conditions.
Meanwhile, Chris Cardone evaluates the cleanliness of the bar and discovers dead maggots residing under the bar mats. He reams the staff for being lazy on shifts and not doing general cleanup.

Chris then takes the bartenders to the keg cooler. He finds the fridge temperature is a good 20-degrees above what it should be! Upon cutting open one of the tap lines, Chris discovers grimy sentiment settling at the bottom of the disgustingly warm beer. This place is gross at every turn.
Jon, Chris, and Duffy decide that J.A Murphy’s is so incredibly filthy, they can’t even conduct training until the staff does a deep clean. They show the staff how to sanitize and where, setting them up for a big day of training and then the RELAUNCH!
I can’t give away much more than that, but tune into Spike TV this summer to see the drama of turning around a failing bar business… in 72 hours and how Jon Taffer’s rescue panned out. Be sure to check out nightclub.com for exclusive coverage of each episode.

On Location with Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue:” Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring, MD

As “Bar Rescue’s” culinary producer, I’m fortunate to have a unique perspective on the behind-the-scenes process of making the television show AND the bar a success. I work very closely with Jon Taffer and our experts to resuscitate the bar and food programs, including menu development, design, and installation of equipment. Now in our second season, I’m thrilled to continue as part of Jon’s elite team and eager to share the exclusive inside scoop with you!

“You’re not surviving, you’re sinking!” – Jon Taffer to Piratz Tavern owner Tracy.

After a long career in corporate communications, Tracy Rebelo went out on a limb and opened Piratz Tavern in Silver Spring, Maryland. After hosting a successful pirate-themed Halloween party in 2007, she wanted to bring the pirate-fantasy concept to every day life. But from the beginning, Piratz only attracted a select customer base of Renaissance Fair performers and Saturday afternoon children’s parties.

Tracy’s troubles first surfaced when she foolishly hired the performers as her staff. Once the pirate-gang took over, they made their own rules, having the time of their lives—with a yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum! The tight-knit crew treats the workplace as their own Private Idaho and Tracy has been the enabler…and financier.

Her next digression was to entrust her husband, Juciano, to run the kitchen… though he lacks a cooking pedigree. Tracy is a caring, credible woman with a big heart, but often makes all-important business decisions based on emotion. As a result, Piratz is just a few months from going under. Tracy is drowning in $900,000 in debt; forced to sell her house and move her, her husband, and 17-year-old daughter into her parents’ basement.

Rescuing this bar was like no other we had worked with. Piratz is not dinner theater; this is an underground community defending their lifestyle choice with vigor. The safe-haven only caters to the regular swashbuckling crowd, whose philosophy is to escape from the ordinary, not embrace it. The pirate staff has open distain for “regular” people and mock any outsider who is not clad in pirate attire. Trouble is, this kitschy concept doesn’t draw the masses, while proudly alienating them at the same time.

With the bar barely staying afloat, Tracy reaches out to Jon Taffer for help, host and executive producer of “Bar Rescue” and NCB Media Group President. Jon’s first order of business is to disband the costumed sub-culture of outcasts. He asks Tracy a tough, heartfelt question: “Do you want to play pirate, or do you want to send your daughter to college?” Jon reveals his plan: to completely rebrand Piratz into a corporate hotspot where downtown business people can network over lunch and happy hour.

The bustling downtown area boasts about 240,000 people during the day, a combination of locals and workers who toil at “Discovery Communications”, the “National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration”, and other office towers. The population sinks to about 70,000 people once those offices clear out. Taffer points out, “The obvious solution is to cater to those professionals during lunch, happy hour, and the early evening, before they head for home.”

Jon gathers the staff and tells them, “Fixing bars is easy, fixing people is hard. This bar is a business, not a playground.” Jon makes it clear that the employees will need to shape up or ship out.

To help save Piratz from Davy Jones’s locker, Jon brings in experts: Diageo master mixologist Elayne Duke to revive the drowning bar program, and executive chef Josh Capon to assess the kitchen. At the bar, Elayne discovers it’s ill-equipped and almost every drink is the same variation: sugary-sweet mixer, juice concentrate, and about 4 ounces! of rum; all poured in an oversized pint glass.

Chef Capon jokes that the menu more closely resembles an encyclopedia – over 18 pages long with 150 dishes described in “pirate-speak”. The back-of-the-house problems are enflamed by hot-tempered husband, Juciano. His lack of kitchen chops is magnified by a belligerent attitude and lack of respect for chef Capon, who’s genuinely invested to help.

I can’t give away much more than that, but tune into Spike TV all summer to see the drama of turning around a failing bar business… in 72 hours and how Jon Taffer’s rescue panned out. Be sure to check out nightclub.com for exclusive coverage of each episode.

On Location with “Bar Rescue:” Canyon Inn in Yorba Linda, Calif.

Hello and welcome back to the exclusive blog of Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue!”
As the series’ culinary producer, I’m fortunate to have a unique perspective on the behind-the-scenes process of making the television show AND the bar a success. I work very closely with Jon Taffer and our experts 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 the inside scoop with you.

“The daytime regulars and nighttime college crowd want two different things.
How can I please them both?” – Paul, owner, Canyon Inn

The only bar in the city of Yorba Linda who has a liquor license safely grandfathered-in, Canyon Inn has seen generations of Orange County customers. But because of it’s Dive Bar meets Strip Mall meets Sports Pub meets Battle of the Bands setting, the Canyon Inn is a confused little spot with an identity crisis, who’s bar tabs and clientele are at an all-time low.

Sidled between pizza and tattoo parlors, even from the outside, the bar has seen better days—the flowerbed has become a giant ashtray, band stickers adorn the shabby front door, and the neon sign is half lit. The inside is even more dilapidated—the tile floor has sections missing, old chewing gum is stuck under tables, and the bar top itself is falling apart. To be sure, this shabby place is dusty and dark!

Owner Paul Ambrus was a bouncer here in the mid-1990s. When the owners retired in 2004, Paul got first crack at taking over the keys. Since then, Paul says business is down 30% and he knows something needs to change. Because Canyon Inn is the only bar with a grandfather clause and able to serve alcohol, the local clientele runs the gamut. The array of customers varies dramatically throughout the day, shifting with the changing light, as the sun moves from east to west. From daytime faithful regulars, to the evening’s younger college crowd, the Canyon Inn’s demeanor is in constant flux.

Enter Jon Taffer (the head of consulting firm Taffer Dynamics and president of the Nightclub & Bar Media Group), who encourages Paul to realize, “A successful bar needs to hook all crowds every day!”
Taffer explains his strategy: in order to do this, we must create different environments specifically for the older daytime crowd with lunch specials and happy hour cocktails. But once the clock strikes 9, we feature an after dark party atmosphere for the younger collegiate drinker, with a menu featuring hip fun drinks as well as late-night eats utilizing the same in-house inventory.

A key element in achieving this dichotomy is through menu engineering and design, something Patrick Henry Creative Promotions is a master of. Menus are an effective tool in influencing guest purchases and increasing revenue. The design team at Patrick Henry uniquely hand-craft every menu for the series to reflect concept and image. Love these guys!

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.

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.