In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Pro’s Sports Bar in Country Club Hills, Illinois.
Pro’s Sports Bar is owned by Derek Bradley.
After a career on the railroad fulfilled his lifelong dream of owning a bar in 2007.
It took off and was popular to start with.
However, after a year Bradley had a health emergency.
He hired some managers, five in total to run the bar.
Bradley recovered and returned to the bar.
They did not respect his authority and they clash frequently.
The bar is two months away from closing and Bradley is in $1m debt.
Jon recons the bar with expert mixologist Lisamarie Joyce and expert chef Tiffany Derry.
They think that the bar looks like a mechanic’s shed from the outside.
Inside they see there is no energy.
Jon fills them in on the details of the owner and the five managers.
They see the confusion of the managers telling each other what to do.
The issue is that no one is actually doing anything.
Jon sends in Dan and Dave from Bar Stool Sports to spy on the service at the bar.
They sit at the bar, order drinks and comment about how they feel out of place.
The bottles all have pour restrictions and seals.
It is good for inventory but shows that the bar staff are not trusted.
The cocktail special has about eight ounces of alcohol.
It is too much and the spies find it strong and choke on it.
They order food next and the catfish is cooked in the microwave.
The catfish is hard and greasy and the spies cannot eat it.
Nina the bartender is shouting at a rude customer.
The security is slow to respond to the situation.
Jon goes in to meet Bradley.
He tackles him on his misdirected attention and micromanaging of staff.
Jon gets the spies to give feedback to Bradley and they say it was all disgusting.
Mia checks out the bar and they see that the soda gun has insect faeces blocking the spout.
Tiffany checks out the kitchen.
The meats are all freezer burned and mould is on many containers.
They are made to clean the bar and kitchen overnight.
Jon meets with the staff to find out what the problems are.
The manager situation is confusing and they all say Bradley is too controlling.
They are not aware of the debt and how long they have left till they close.
Jon introduces his experts to the staff.
Jon meets with Bradley and two former partners who left.
They complain about how they were demeaned by him until they could not take it anymore.
Mia trains the staff on making a punch drink unlike their boozy mix the night before.
Tiffany trains them on making a catfish full of flavour.
Jon has a manager test during the stress test.
The three senior managers have twenty minutes to work.
Their takings and service will be checked while Bradley will be observing.
The remaining two are too young and don’t have a lot of managerial experience.
The stress test starts and customers are let in, orders fly in for the bar and the kitchen.
The bartenders are slow and the kitchen is looking for runners for the food.
Keisha does well but Laura flounders and is unresponsive.
Bobby is proactive with the food and helps to make multiple drinks.
Nina makes so many mistakes and does not get better as the night progresses.
Bobby wins the competition with five times as much money brought in as the other two.
Nina is given feedback, she was disrespectful and gave out free drinks.
Bradley decides to let her go and she gives attitude as she leaves.
That night as they are cleaning and locking up cook Irma takes a beer and gets rude with Bradley.
The next day in a meeting with Jon it is brought up and Irma is disrespectful again and is fired.
Jon notes the bar needs a great food programme to be able to earn a lot more money.
Sarah, a former manager volunteers to work in the kitchen.
Mia trains the bar on making some new cocktails.
Tiffany trains Sarah and Bradley on making some steak dishes.
The bar is renovated and the staff are gathered at night to unveil a new bar.
The bar has been renamed to BR Steak.
There is a brighter paint job on the exterior and the logo popping so it is visible from afar.
The bar interior has been upgraded to be modern and classy.
There is more seating, contemporary chairs and a dining room setting.
There is an Orange Door Entertainment system in the DJ booth.
There is a new POS systems and a six month subscription of Partender.
They set up the bar and open the doors for the relaunch.
On relaunch, customers are let in and the bartenders are overwhelmed.
They are finding it hard to meet up and it is the same with the kitchen.
Wait time is up to twenty minutes and Bobby swings in to help cover the floor.
Soon they figure it out.
They start serving people faster whilst not compromising on the quality.
The customers love the food and drinks.
What Happened Next at Pro's Sports Bar / BR Steak?
Six weeks later, sales at the bar are up 20%.
Bradley no longer micromanages the staff.
They still only have one manager aad that is Nina.
Irma did not return to the bar.
Pro's Sports Bar / BR Steak is open.
Reviews after the episode are mixed.
There are compliments to the food but some complaints about drinks and service.
Click for more Bar Rescues
Previous episode - Brix Wine Bar / Pacific Coast Wine Bar / Brix Sunset Beach
Next episode - Myerz PourHouse / The Study Lounge
This post was last updated in March 2024.
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