In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Brickhouse Bar and Grill in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Brickhouse Bar and Grill is owned by Jon Nichols, who is an active soldier and is divorced with a child.
He concluded his third tour of Afghanistan in 2014.
Jon bought the bar with his life savings hoping it would be easy money.
It had a reputation as a biker bar previously and he has not been able to rebrand because of low funds.
He is in a relationship with a bartender, flirts with his female customers as well as drinking a lot.
The staff are forced to work with bad equipment that impacts the service they render.
The bar is in $300,000 debt and has just three months left before they close as he is to deploy soon.
Jon recons the bar with expert mixologist Phil Wills and expert chef Ryan Scott.
They like the exterior of the bar but it is still bland.
Jon reads the letter the owner wrote asking for help to his experts.
It details how active he is in the military conducting over fifty medivac rescues.
He feels the success of the bar is not only for himself but his career with the military.
They see Jon Nichols drinking at the bar and offering free shots to some female patrons.
There are four bartenders, a server and a cook.
The kitchen is dirty and there is a drip of grease from the grill hood.
At the bar a bartender has her fingers in the drinks she is making.
Jon has some local, young, active, army tank commanders to spy on the bar.
They sit at the bar and for every drink they ask for the bartenders cannot make it and they end up ordering a beer.
The experts watch the bartenders toss a lot of foam away, losing them money.
They see a bartender using a hand drier to melt ice off a condenser in the keg space, which is making the bad condenser worse.
Jon N orders another round for the female patrons he is with but he is cut off.
Rita his girlfriend gets jealous and takes some shots before leaving to cool down.
A drunk Jon N is stopped from going to console her and he goes back to hangout with the patrons.
Jon has seen enough and accosts him as he is downing another shot.
They go to talk on the side and Jon calls him out on his behaviour and the contrast of his military career.
Jon gets him to admit he is ashamed and asks him to prove he is worth saving.
The next day, Jon has a meeting with the staff and he gets Jon N to admit to his staff he is in debt and close to shutting down.
The staff say they are failing because systems and processes are not in place.
Jon addresses the tension between Jon N and Rita and she tears up remembering the degradation.
Jon N is not active at the bar and he is charged to step up.
Jon introduces his experts and they give their feedback on the sanitary state of the place.
Jon N is to be cross trained at the bar and the kitchen.
Phil trains the staff on vodka and whiskey cocktails to cater to both men and women.
In the kitchen, Ryan trains them on a quick meal of Philly cheese egg rolls.
For the stress test, pressure is on Jon N and the staff.
The orders roll in and bartender Nicholl is proactive from the start in managing.
Other bartenders are mixing poorly so the drinks have to be dumped.
The kitchen is having problems with the tickets and food is being taken to other tables.
It is noticed Rita has not collected any money for all the work she has done.
Money is also being lost on the food.
It is chaotic with the ticketing, Rita is doing poorly, Liam is slow, and Jon N is confused while the wait times are high.
Jon N is missing but later found hiding in the back and is made to shut the bar down.
Jon and the experts meet with the staff and confront them with the disaster of the night before.
Jon sits with Jon N and Rita and they try to redefine their relationship promising to respect each other at the least.
Nicholl is brought into the meeting and future plans are set.
Rita will fill in for Jon N as owner while Nicholl will be the general manger.
The staff are once again trained on making a new whiskey cocktail and a vodka cocktail.
In the kitchen, Ryan trains the staff on a corn fritter and dip meal.
The bar is torn apart, renovated and the staff are gathered on a late afternoon to reveal the new bar.
The bar has been renamed to Garrison Tavern, with a new sign that is brightly lit up.
The name is gotten from a military garrison, a home to troops.
Inside the bar has been made warmer with a central theme.
The colours and decor contrast and it is an improvement from the haphazard look previously.
There are more seats, a new draft beer system from Bar System, two workstations and three Two Touch POS systems.
BarProducts.com provided all the bar tools and there is a lifetime subscription to Partender for inventory.
The staff are excited and happy with the changes.
The bar is set up and ready for the relaunch and Jon N lets customers in.
On relaunch, the bar gets off to a good start producing good drinks that the customers love.
Ross is doing great in the kitchen and loving the new systems.
The customers love the atmosphere, the food and the drinks.
Jon leaves the bar with a gift.
What Happened Next at Brickhouse Bar and Grill / Garrison Tavern?
Six weeks later, it is revealed food sales are up 30%.
Nicholl is still a manager.
Jon N and Nita still work together.
Jon N is still waiting to be deployed.
Brickhouse Bar and Grill / Garrison Tavern closed in August 2017.
Click for more Bar Rescues
Previous episode - The Tradewinds
Next episode - Fort One Bar and Lounge
This post was last updated in March 2022.
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