Nevada Brew Works - Bar Rescue Update - Open or Closed?

In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Nevada Brew Works in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Nevada Brew Works is owned by Jason Taylor.

Jason is an electrical engineer who started construction on the bar in January 2020.

His father-in-law Ken was made Brew master and he also invested $50,000 into the bar.

The global situation halted their plans of a grand opening.

Nine months after the construction they opened in September 2020.

To save money Jason worked behind the bar and no staff got training before starting.

The beer they produced was a hit and they started a cocktail programme to boost sales but that was not a hit.

They ran out of cash along the way and borrowed from a bank which has their home as collateral.

Jason and his wife have a child with medical needs and they have a second child on the way.

Jon consults with his experts expert mixologist Rob Floyd, and expert pizza chef Tony Gemignani.

Tony will be going in as the spy to sample their offerings and give feedback to Jon.

The customers use a QR code on the tables to access the menu.

Tony orders a pizza and told it will take ten to fifteen minutes so he orders a beer for the wait.

Rob along with Jon sees the bartenders at work but cannot tell if its good or not.

He decides to join Tony inside and orders a cocktail the server recommends and chicken wings.

Jon sees tickets piled up at the kitchen but the cook is cooking one order at a time.

The cocktail is too sweet and the cocktail programme is a strange contrast from the laidback pizza and beer.

The pizza order has still not been started after quite a while.

Jon goes in to meet Jason and Ken to ask why they have not taken note of the long wait times.

Jon sits with the experts and it has been thirty minutes and no pizza/

Jon notes Jason needs to learn to cook so he can help his cook when he is overwhelmed with orders.

The pizza finally arrives and Jason admits they learned to cook pizza on Youtube.

When it eventually arrives the pizza is not great.

Jon and the experts leave taking all the on the ground feedback.

The next day Jon meets with the staff and introduces his experts for feedback on the night before.

Kevin is first to say he was not trained and he used three-day old sauce to make the pizza which Jason is aware of.

Rob and Tony had problems with their speed of service.

They then assess the work areas.

No sauce is made from scratch, the cheese is poor quality, while the flour is the best ingredient they have.

The bar also is not functional enough for the bartenders to be efficient.

Jon also has a problem with their branding as a small brewery.

Rob trains the bar staff on making a margarita and Rob uses a stop watch to time them.

Tony trains the cook and Jason on making a pizza from scratch with fresh ingredients.

They will be having a stress test with limited number of people and the staff are nervous.

Orders are taken on the floor but the server piles them on and then slams the kitchen.

Jon hates to see it and goes it to tell Jason so he can handle it.

Jason corrects the server and he takes it but the damage has been done.

The drink orders are served quickly but the food takes too long.

The kitchen struggles to keep up and attempts making multiple orders at once.

They manage this and the quality is still good.

The bar is shut down and feedback is given.

Jason is commended for his performance while Dani is exposed as a slow bartender.

They clean up and go home to restart training the next day.

Rob trains the staff on making a Sangria and Dani demonstrates making it.

Jon takes the family to UNLV for the Senior VP of Beer in Southern Glazers to taste their beers and give feedback.

He is complimentary of the beers and says he can distribute the beers.

They are grateful for another avenue for income.

Jon sends Jason and Ken to the Shark Reef to feed sharks as a day off.

The bar is renovated over thirty-six hours.

The staff are gathered at night to the bar for the unveiling.

The exterior has been revamped with external branding and a big sign with call-to-actions.

Inside has been brightened with pops of colours to make it more fun.

They have a new canning station in the back and a pizza slicing station.

There is a contactless pickup station in the bar, a Pathspot machine and a Bluezone system.

There is an Orange Door entertainment system and Atmosphere TV.

All of the beers are branded and there is a third workstation set up with three Harbour touch POS systems.

The staff love all the changes and set up quickly to open for the relaunch.

On relaunch, customers are let in and the bar starts well but are slow.

Jason is interacting with guests to give his team more time to find their groove.

The kitchen is barely within the ten-minute ticket times but are getting faster.

Customers are loving the food and drinks and all the staff are happy.

What Happened Next at Nevada Brew Works?

Nevada Brew Works is open.

Reviews are mostly positive after filming with praise for the beer selection and food with the odd complaint about service.

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Next episode - Badlands Saloon

Previous episode - La Casona Bar and Grill

This post was last updated in March 2022.