Park 77 / The Lister - Bar Rescue Update - Open or Closed?

In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Park 77 in Parkers Head, San Francisco.

Park 77 is owned by Tano Basso who worked as an electrician.

He had family in the bar and restaurant business so he bought the bar in 2011.

His older brother Wayne helped with funding.

He also got his nephews Tommy and Angelo to invest in for 25% of the business each.

The bar is close to a state university, so it was very successful at first.

Tano left the day-to-day running to the inexperienced nephews.

They now treat the bar like a frat house.

Angelo started drinking and allowed an adult movie to be shot in the bar.

Tano wants to get rid of Angelo and Tommy is on his side but Wayne supports Angelo and this has caused a divide.

The bar is in $188,000 in debt.

Jon recons the bar with expert mixologist Russell Davis.

The see the exterior is neglected as they have a large front lawn and it is unkempt and uninviting.

Jon gives his companion the lowdown on the staff and the dynamics of the owners.

Jon hears from Russell, who is a local that a porno was shot in the bar during business hours and this drove customers away.

Jon was able to find the video in less than thirty seconds online and Angelo was in the background in the clearly recognisable bar.

The couch used in the video is still in the bar.

There are no women in the bar so Jon sends in two women as spies to check on the service at the bar.

They order a Mai Tai but it is made incorrectly and they hate it.

Angelo sees the ladies and gives them free shots while joining them in front of his brother and Tano.

The girls then move to sit on the couch with their drinks.

Jon is uncomfortable with this and goes into the bar.

He confronts Angelo and shows the girls the porn video shot on the couch.

Angelo says he has no problem with it.

Angelo puts his face on the couch and it disgusts everyone.

Jon questions why Tano has not let him go as he is the bringing down the business.

He wants to leave after Angelo calls for shots again and Tano and Tommy go outside to beg him to come back.

Jon says they should find a way to control Angelo before the next day.

They shut down the bar, start cleaning and tell Angelo he needs to behave himself.

The next day, Angelo vaguely remembers Jon and fell asleep in the bar.

Jon shows Wayne a video of Angelo drinking and behaving inappropriately in the bar.

Wayne and Tano are shocked to hear about the porn video shot in the bar.

Jon reveals the Partender report for the last three days and they lost $7500 in a weekend.

This would amount to almost $60,000 a year.

Wayne has to make a decision since he is the one that signed for the loan.

Angelo says he is going to turn it around.

Jon insists if he does not perform and gets fired his 25% should be taken away from him.

Jon introduces Russell to the staff and he starts by training them on making a Mai Tai properly.

For the stress test Angelo is the manager for the night so they can see if he can step up.

Customers are let in and the bar is swamped.

The bartenders make errors and drinks are dumped.

Angelo is flustered behind the bar and neglects the floor.

The bartenders are so busy they have not collected any money for the drinks.

There are guests on the patio but it is looking sad.

Customers who have waited too long for drinks start leaving.

Tommy, Tano and Wayne are upset money is not being collected but are reminded not to step in.

Soon they run out of glasses as there is no one on the floor collecting up the used glasses.

It is a disaster.

The bar is shut down and Angelo is clearly not a good manager.

Jon meets with the family the next day, they have decided to demote Angelo and they will look for a qualified manager.

Tommy will manage the bar in the interim while Angelo will be assistant manager.

Russell trains them on making some amaro cocktails.

Jon is redesigning the bar for the younger demographic of the community and to attract women.

The bar is renovated over thirty-six hours and the staff are gathered at sunset to unveil a new bar.

The name has been renamed to The Lister.

The bar is named after the first president of the San Francisco State University.

The outdoors has been made modern and eye catching.

Inside it has been brightened up with a dancefloor.

The courtyard has games and heaters making it more inviting.

There are several spoof photos of Lister in several notable positions.

The dancefloor has three butt funnels that force interaction and an orange door entertainment system.

There are three Revention POS systems, a lifetime subscription to Partender, and a mirrored back bar.

The staff set up and customers are invited in for the relaunch.

On relaunch, customers are happy with the bartenders making good drinks.

The customers are everywhere, from the dancefloor to the courtyard.

They are enjoying the ambience and the energy is high.

Jon is happy the right demographic have been attracted in and they like the bar.

Angelo is faster and more organised, making great drinks and he shows potential of being a good manager.

What Happened Next at Park 77 / The Lister?

Six weeks later it is revealed they generated $73,589.

Sales have increased by 20%.

Tommy is performing well and is a great manager.

Angelo is still supporting him as assistant manager.

They revisited in 2016 and they had taken down the posters that Jon put up.

The couch was back in the bar and they had put a ping pong table in the middle of the dance floor.

Park 77 / The Lister closed in March/April 2021.

Yelp reviews were mixed with complaints of overly drunk patrons, lack of food and a run down bar.

Google reviews were more positive with compliments to the bartenders

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Previous episode - Mandala Lounge / 38th Floor Bar

Next episode - The Bullpen Bar

This post was last updated in February 2022.