Molly Malone's / Way Point Saloon - Bar Rescue Update - Open or Closed?

In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Molly Malone's in Ramona, California.

Molly Malone's is owned by Bob Isaacson, a long-time bartender who bought the bar in 2006.

He bought the bar with $350,000 that was given to him by his parents.

They ended the first year with a loss and are currently losing $6,000 a month.

Bob has struggled transitioning from bartender to owner and hired his girlfriend Rayne to manage the bar.

The stress of the business is putting a strain on their relationship and the staff are lashing out as well.

Jon recons the bar with expert mixologist Mia Mastroianni and expert chef Gavan Murphy.

They look over the exterior and see that the bar and the bar entrance are hidden.

Jon fills them in on the situation at the bar as they are now in $680,000 debt.

The bar is in disrepair and nothing about the decor says that it is an Irish bar.

They have a service station in an inconvenient place for the stafff.

Danielle, Paul and Tara are bartenders and they are all playing pool and sitting around on the other side of the bar.

Chris is the cook and they see he is doing a good job and they think that the burgers look good.

There is no drinks menu and they have a mix of vodkas that they illegally call a signature vodka but it is without proper labelling.

The customers hate the cocktail they are served.

They ordered burgers and Jalapeno poppers and the experts question the profitability of the dishes.

The bar staff are abusive to each other in front of the customers.

Rayne is working while Bob is relaxed making drinks for him and his friends whilst overpouring the liquor.

Two bartenders get into a fight and Bob does nothing to stop it.

Jon has seen enough and goes into the bar and stands there for a while before being noticed.

Tara and Danielle explain why they are fighting and Jon reprimands Bob from not keeping an eye on the bar to know who the instigator was.

Bob is tasked with asking one of the two to go home and he is uncomfortable about this before sending Tara home for the night.

Jon comes back the next day and sits with the staff.

Danielle and Tara are still bickering and Bob is silent about the issue.

Bob is confused and did not know how to make the decision on who to send home.

He admits that he sent Tara home because Danielle is Rayne’s best friend and he didn’t want to upset her.

Rayne gave up her life for Bob as she left school to help him and has been with him for seven years.

She says if things do not turn around she is going to leave.

Bob is apologetic but that just infuriates her.

Jon brings in his experts and introduces them to the staff.

Gavan trains Chris on making a burger without weights and adjusts the jalapeno popper recipe to have less bacon to cut costs.

Mia trains the bartenders on a variant of the Purple rain cocktail so it is better balanced.

Jon comes in to remind the bartenders that their mistakes cost the bar time and money.

Jon has put jars of cash for each of the bartenders and for every drink dumped money will be removed.

Danielle and Tara are made to work from the same well together so they can find a way to get along.

Bob will be working with the bar while Rayne will be working on the floor.

The stress test starts and the bartenders are nervous with many mistakes made.

Danielle is the worst performer and has the most money removed from her jar.

The kitchen is slow and is running at twenty minutes behind.

Drinks for the tables are getting to thirty minutes wait times and Rayne is getting frustrated.

Bob does not know what to do to help and is flustered when all the bartenders run out of glasses.

Soon things turn around, Bob is trying and Rayne can see the effort that he is making.

Danielle and Tara are getting along but their bartending skills are poor.

The stress test is ended.

The bar did not do well at all during the stress test.

Tara lost $35 from her jar, Paula lost $45 and Danielle lost $65 from all the mistakes they made.

The kitchen did better in performance but was just a little slow in service.

Jon meets with Bob and Rayne the next day before the training starts.

Bob says he is going to be more supportive of Rayne going forward.

Jon meets with staff and talks about his theme for the bar which is Roadhouse and coaches.

Training commences with Mia training them on some new cocktails made in a mason jar with a whiskey base and geared towards women.

In the kitchen, Gavan trains on some quick recipes that will cut cooking time but dishes they can charge a premium price for.

The bar is renovated and the staff are gathered in the afternoon for the reveal.

They are gathered along with a clean shaved Bob, who had proposed to Rayne that morning.

They reveal that the bar has been renamed and is now called Way Point Saloon.

The exterior has a western theme with vibrant colours in order to stand out.

The interior has the same colour scheme, it is warm and inviting witth a modernised saloon style setup.

There are three 2touch POS terminals, a new Turbo Tap system and a plaque on the bar top to commemorate a significant date for the couple.

The bar is opened for the relaunch and Bob’s parents are there and love the new bar.

On relaunch, the customers also love the new look to the bar, the cocktails and the food.

The bartenders are doing better than they were on stress test making multiple drinks with no mistakes while the kitchen is doing better times.

Bob is being helpful and supporting where he can.

What Happened Next at Molly Malone's / Way Point Saloon?

Six weeks later, it is revealed food sales are up 40% and drinks sales are up 25%.

Tara and Danielle are keeping the peace.

Rayne and Bob have set the date for their wedding.

Molly Malone's / Way Point Saloon is open.

Reviews of the bar are positive with compliments to the bar staff and food but a few minor complaints on lack of service.

They also own the restaurant next door called Up the Hill Grill and they supply the bar food.

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This post was last updated in February 2022.