In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Mary’s Outpost in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Mary’s Outpost is owned by Bill Klingbeil and Joe Reina.
They are good friends who bought the bar in 2009.
Bill’s personality drew people to the bar making them $4000 a month.
He also attracted his wife Kimmie, who he married and made General Manager.
Kimmie is not happy with Bill and his friendship with Pinkie.
Pinkie is a bartender at the bar, who undermines her authority.
Bill and Pinkie have after hour parties in the backroom with bar patrons.
This drives away the new customers.
This has led to the deterioration of the bar.
They are in debt and are close to closing for good.
Jon recons the bar with expert mixologist Lisamarie Joyce and expert chef Tiffany Derry.
They see the outdoors is bland and lonely.
The front door has a sign saying not an entrance.
The community is mostly married and the seedy reputation is not helping them.
Jon fills the experts in on the owners.
They see Bill flirt with women in front of his wife.
Elena is a volunteer and works hard at the bar.
Lisamarie and a friend Lauren are going to be the spies for the bar service.
They go in and order some beers, they are served by Rachel and the beers are warm.
They offer the menu and then tell them all they do not have any.
They settle on burger and fries.
Bill has Pinkie and Joe share free drinks with Lisamarie and her friend.
The burger arrives and Lisamarie is forced to spit it out.
Lisamarie asks about the back office.
Bill invites them in and he flirts with them heavily.
Pinkie joins them and Bill orders them to take their tops off.
Jon has had enough and storms into the bar and office to put an end to it all.
The spies and Jon lay into Bill letting him know how sleazy he is.
While Jon and the spies leave, Bill follows them asking for a fight but they already left.
The next day, Jon meets with the staff.
They tell him the extent of Bill’s sleaziness.
They talk about the number of girls that have been taken into the back office.
Kimmie is made to confront Bill on how his actions have affected her.
Bill apologies and promises he will change.
Jon introduces his experts and they inspect the bar.
There is no modern POS system and a bad draft beer system.
Under the bar is dirty and mouldy.
The kitchen has lots of gunk and a hair straightener is plugged in.
There is expired Nachos cheese, nothing is clean and it is too small to function.
Jon and the experts put them to work to clean the bar and kitchen.
Elena is identified as a cook.
Tiffany starts training them on making roasted chicken and roasted beef sandwiches.
Lisamarie trains the staff on making cocktails fast and they all move too slowly.
For stress test Jon is bringing in lots of females and it is on Bill to keep to his promise.
The bar is swamped and Lisa has her whistle to inform them of all their errors.
She has them dump the drinks when made incorrectly.
Bill is being helpful and taking care of all his customers.
Kimmie is a standout doing the best but there seems to be tension between her and Pinkie.
Pinkie makes mistakes and misplaces orders.
Joe in the kitchen is struggling and Tiffany has to help him.
The bar is shutdown and the staff have a meeting.
The feedback is that there is a lack of communication and processes.
Kimmie is asked to come clean on how she feels about Pinkie.
She says that she wants her gone.
Bill steps up and fires Pinkie.
Jon sits down with Kimmie and Bill the next day to make sure they are on the same page.
Bill concedes to giving her the authority to manage the bar properly.
Her first act is to hire a server to replace Pinkie.
Lisamarie trains the staff on a creamy coffee cocktail and an apple dessert cocktail.
This is friendly to the married population and in theme with the road theme.
Tiffany trains the staff on making a chilli sauce.
Jon then sits with Bill and Joe to show them they gave away almost $10,000 of drinks.
They need to understand that their habits are harming the business.
The bar is renovated over thirty-six hours.
The staff are gathered with a shaved Joe to unveil the new bar.
The bar has been renamed and is now Thirsty’s Roadside Bar.
It will be themed as an attraction for people on road-trips.
The exterior is colourful and brighter with the front door prominently displayed.
The inside has been brightened and warmed up with murals from 360 Wraps.
There are two workstations now.
They have a POS system from Harbour Touch and an extra one in the kitchen.
There is a new refrigerator and draft beer system.
Brandi has been hired as a new server and Kimmie is more confident in her position.
Customers are let in for the relaunch.
On relaunch the bar starts making drinks, Bruce is happy and the drinks are great.
Brandi is a great addition.
Bill is helping in the back and the food ticket times are just five minutes.
Customers love the food and the drinks.
What Happened Next at Mary's Outpost / Thirsty’s Roadside Bar?
Two months later, Bill has stepped back to let Kimmie run the bar fully.
Bill is respectful to female customers.
Food revenues have doubled.
Their lunch times have become very popular.
They haven't kept the new name and have returned to Mary's Outpost.
Mary's Outpost is open.
Reviews are very mixed after the rescue.
There are some compaints about the smoke and inconsistent drinks and praise for the friendly atmosphere.
Some women speak of unwanted advances by the owner...
Click for more Bar Rescues
Previous episode - Oasis Hookah Bar
Next episode - The End Zone Sports Bar and Grill / Houston Sports Hub
This post was last updated in March 2024.
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