Rockin’ Rhonda’s / Rhonda’s A Neighbourhood Bar - Bar Rescue Update - Open or Closed?

In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Rockin’ Rhonda’s in Sanford, Florida.

Rockin’ Rhonda’s is owned by Rhonda, a former stockbroker and karaoke singer.

She took over the struggling Karaoke bar in 2011.

Rhonda grew the brand of the business and the customers loved it so much they gave the establishment the name.

They were making as much as $32,000 in a month doing karaoke seven nights a week.

In 2015, a hurricane passed through and affected the business both physically and economically.

She was denied her insurance claim for damages because her building is old.

She checked out mentally and left her untrained staff to run the business.

Meanwhile, she engaged in bad business decisions like giving out free shots and cutting corners on the food service.

The bar is now in a state of serious disrepair and she is in $100,000 of debt.

The bar is in a good location that can easily generate revenue.

Jon has had to cancel the recon because of the structural issues of the bar.

The beer coolers are falling through the floor and his team are worried it would take weeks to fix the bar.

Jon goes directly to the bar and Rhonda breaks into tears when she sees him.

Jon is sympathetic and they both walk around the bar noting all the problems.

The bar floor is slanting as the flooding from the hurricane caused a lot of wood weakness.

Jon thinks there are problems with the bar floor, bar top, coolers, freezers, workstations and kitchen equipment.

Jon is worried she is not alright and sits with her to find out her story.

He also quizzes her on her financials and there is a lot she is unaware of.

Jon decides to have his team assess the floor to see if it can be salvaged.

It is more work than they have ever done.

They think it will take all of their filming days to fix so they have to start immediately to meet the relaunch date.

Rhonda is relieved and happily sends customers and staff home.

The team see that the floor is completely rotten, the water line is leaking and the electricals are outdated.

Jon finds a remote location to have a staff meeting to find out what is wrong with the bar.

They say there are no systems and they have no consistency or bar training.

The staff also consume alcohol on the job.

There is a Partender report and they lost $5300 in a week, leading to an estimated over $100,000 in a year.

Rhonda says she is overwhelmed with the tasks she has to do but she is also failing her staff who she has to take care of.

Jack who has been working for Rhonda since she got the bar is her very good friend.

He says she is not the same person she was when she first opened the bar.

Jon brings in his experts, Derrick Turner for the bar and Jason Santos for the kitchen.

At the bar, Derrick trains them on the basics of making cocktails with an aim to improving the poor accuracy.

In the kitchen, Jason trains Rhonda and Freddy who helps them barbecue outdoors.

He takes them through making a barbecue chicken flat bread, made from fresh ingredients.

That night, they have a stress test and Rhonda is not allowed to cry or get upset.

The bar is soon opened to customers and the orders come through.

Freddy is getting confused in the kitchen and the bar is slow with making the drinks.

Soon the bar is almost completely served but the tables have no drinks.

Rhonda is overwhelmed and in the kitchen.

Freddy burns some of the meals and this gets them behind on orders.

Rhonda is bad at service and cannot locate her tables.

She starts to cry as she enters the kitchen but pulls it together to help with making the flatbreads.

There are too many burned pizzas and Rhonda wants to leave as she cannot remember the recipe.

The bar service gets better but Jon shuts it down as he has seen enough of the problems.

The next day, Jon meets his team and they have finished the floor and are ready for the interior works.

Derrick trains the staff on a Bacardi cocktail and tells them to focus more on speed.

Jason trains the kitchen staff on making a chicken pan dish.

Jon sits with Rhonda and lets her know it is her generosity that made him want to help her.

She aims to keep helping the community with her turnaround.

The relaunch is on schedule and the staff are waiting outside on a rainy evening.

The bar name has been renamed to Rhonda’s A Neighbourhood Bar with a bright eye catching exterior.

Inside, it looks like a brand new bar with level floors, colours and bright lights but still homey-looking.

There is an Orange Door Entertainment system that Rhonda is excited about.

Logos Promote did the feature wallpaper and pool table lights.

They built a new floor and installed new plumbing and wiring.

Behind the bar, there is a new Manitowoc Ice Machine and three Harbour Touch POS systems.

There is a new Turbo Chef, a new draft beer system and turbo taps.

They also have a lifetime subscription to Partender for Inventory.

They are soon ready to open for the relaunch to customers.

The Mayor is in attendance and he cuts the ribbon for the bar to reopen.

On relaunch, the orders start rolling in and the bartenders are doing great with pour counts and serving customers on time.

In the kitchen, Freddy is doing great with little supervision and is no longer burning the pizzas.

The regulars are happy with the changes and the service.

The bar thanks Jon giving him a round of applause.

Rhonda takes the stage to sing a song about Jon saving her bar.

What Happened Next at Rockin’ Rhonda’s / Rhonda’s A Neighbourhood Bar?

Six weeks later it is revealed sales are up 50%.

Jack is now a manager.

Rhonda is back on stage.

Rhonda’s A Neighbourhood Bar is open.

Reviews are mostly positive with compliments to the drinks and staff and there is the odd complaint of service.

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This post was last updated in March 2022.