Club Platinum - Bar Rescue Update - Open or Closed?

In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Club Platinum Gentlemen’s Club in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Club Platinum is owned by Rita Capavila.

She took it over from her husband Mike, who opened the club as a Jazz Club in 1972.

It was a popular location till the jazz movement died and then it became an adult club.

The true nature of their bar was something that they kept secret from friends.

Mike died in 1994 and soccer mom Rita had to take over the business and raise three young children.

She became a mother hen and focussed on taking care of the dancers.

They were once making $300,000 a month but the business is now suffering.

She discovered that a previous manager was robbing the business.

After this she had her best friend, Lynn, supervise the business but she is not focused on her job.

Lynn still performs on stage often, neglecting her managerial duties at the bar.

Rita has a hospitality trained daughter but has refused to hire her or anyone else more suited to the job.

The club is in disrepair, the decor is dated, the equipment is broken and employees are unhappy.

The club is losing $22,000 a month and she has put in over $400,000 of her own money into the business.

Jon recons the bar with expert mixologist Lisamarie Joyce.

They see the error in the banner outside as it reads Gentleman instead of Gentlemen.

The area the club is located has more hotels than in most of America.

There is also 48,000 cars passing the highway daily so there is a lot of business to be tapped.

Inside the bar they see the decor but the atmosphere is dull and boring.

They see Rita sitting at the bar and Lynn, the supervisor, is topless and dancing.

They see bartenders David and Michelle and Church who is the DJ.

The dancers are unenthusiastic and have to hold their purses while they work.

Jon brings in Renee, an expert in adult entertainment, and some men to spy on the club and its services.

In the bar, Renee sees the walls are covered in so much bodily fluid.

The men order shots and Lynn hits on one of them.

Jon and Lisamarie notice the poor mixing at the bar and the untidiness of the bar top.

The bartenders offer the men some beer rather than selling them more shots.

Renee tries to get the bar’s attention asking for girls to dance but they are all sitting down with their phones.

A girl dances on stage but she doesn’t connect with the audience and Rita sits without intervening.

Rita then picks a fight with Michelle and while it escalates Jon goes in to stop them from doing so in front of their guests.

Michelle quits and walks out.

Jon questions why Rita is picking on Michelle when the dancers are not doing much and sitting down.

Rita says its because they are independent contractors so she cannot control them.

Renee, who is called over, disagrees and says they need to work to keep their contract.

They also point out the dancers holding their bags doesn’t send a good sign to the customers.

Generally, they are not behaving professional while in front of house.

Jon leaves and meets daughter Alissa the next day.

Alissa agrees to help Jon in turning around her mother’s business.

She admits that she has also faced opposition as her mother doesn’t want her in adult business.

Jon meets with the staff and has Rita tell them the situation of the business and why she is keeping it open.

She says it is because of the rare gaming and topless license they have.

Lynn is given feedback on her managerial tactics as she dresses like a stripper and isn’t taken seriously.

Jon brings in Alissa but Rita tells why she doesn’t want her daughter in the business.

Jon brings in Gillian Schmitz, a dance expert, to train the dancers on engaging with customers while dancing.

She advices them to smile more and reduce dead time in-between dances.

Lisamarie trains the staff on making a female centric martini and the basics of mixing.

For the stress test, Alissa is managing for the night and she is left to lead a staff meeting.

The stress test starts and they have the added assessment of not just the bar and service but the entertainment element as well.

Dave starts slow and keeps customers waiting for over 10 mins.

He is nervous and Jon has to advise him to make more drinks at once.

Lynn is waitressing that night and makes a lot of mistakes displeasing customers.

Jon and his team notice the transaction process is too cumbersome, running back and forth from the register.

The lighting on the stage is also too poor for the customers to enjoy the show.

The girls are not motivated to dance or smile because no one is tipping.

Morgan threatens to walk out till Jon talks her into doing just one dance before he changes the bar for the better.

They agree to shut down the bar as things are not getting any better but Alissa was the star of the night.

The next day, they continue training in an offsite location while the bar renovations have started.

Lisamarie trains the staff on making a cocktail called the seductress and a vodka drink.

Gillian trains the dancers on a choreographed routine for their new cabaret set up.

The dancers have issues and Morgan is as problematic as the night before but she is convinced to come back.

Jon sits with Rita and Alissa.

He tries to make Rita see Alissa as an asset to the business.

Alissa says she enjoys her job and contributing so Rita eventually acknowledges.

On relaunch night a new outdoor banner is revealed, the graphics are classier and cleaner.

The error has been corrected on the banner.

The inside the club is no longer grey and colour has been brought in making it warmer.

There is new lighting and a dressing room with lockers.

There are marble finishes by Artworks Commercial Graphics.

There is an Orange Door Entertainment System and three Harbour Touch POS systems.

They have a lifetime subscription to Partender for inventory and TVT for training.

On relaunch, they open the bar and customers are happy with the ambience.

They also enjoy the drinks and the coordinated dances on stage.

The bartenders are doing great and there are more smiles.

Alissa did great convincing Rita she is a great addition to the team .

Jon leaves to applause from the patrons.

What Happened Next at Club Platinum?

Six weeks later it is revealed, sales are up 30%.

A dancer was fired but Rita hired more dancers.

Alissa still runs the day-to-day and trains new staff so Rita can stay home more.

Club Platinum is open.

Reviews are mostly positive with praise for the dancers and low priced drinks.

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Next episode - Cap'n Odie's Lounge

This post was last updated in March 2022.