In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits High 5 Grill in Tucson, Arizona.
High 5 Grill is owned by Cathy Whaley.
Cathy bought the bar as she always wanted to have a business.
She was talked into buying it by her ex boyfriend.
She soon realized it was a lot of work and there was much she did not know about.
Cathy has let so many things drop and the bar is outdated.
The business is failing and she is losing $8000 a month.
She is now $350,000 in debt and living on credit cards.
Jon is in the command center with expert mixologist Mia Mastroianni and expert chef Jennifer Murphy.
Jon fills them in on how Cathy got the bar.
The interior of the bar is in a state.
There is a shower curtain separating the kitchen from the bar.
The kitchen is also in a poor state with bugs on the floor.
The state of the place shocks all of them.
Their cooler is not working, it is too warm at 85 degrees but they are still using it.
Jon sends in his spies but plans to go in before they eat anything.
The spies order beer but the bartender says the beer cooler has been down for a month.
Instead they order cocktails.
She makes mistakes as she makes the cocktail and they do not enjoy the drinks.
They order food and the cook uses a meat thermometer on the patty which makes no sense.
The oil they are using to cook the fries is not clean.
Jon and his experts go into the kitchen to confront the chef.
He says he would not eat what he serves.
Cathy is called in and she is shown all that is wrong in the kitchen.
Another cockroach makes an appearance.
He dresses them down for the state of the kitchen and the storage.
Jon stops all of the customers from eating their meals due to the health hazards.
The next day, Cathy and staff have cleaned the bar and kitchen.
They feel bad about the state of the bar.
Jon comes in and decides to talk to Cathy alone first.
Cathy has a chance to tell her own story.
She tells him that it has been 5 years since she opened the bar.
Her ex partner promised that he would run the bar.
The relationship lasted only 9 months and he left her with all of the responsibility.
Jon promises to help her to turn the bar around.
He introduces the experts to her and the rest of the staff.
The staff are asked why they are underperforming.
They put the blame on the lack of working tools and systems.
Jon will give them with all they need to change to be able to work better.
Mia asks the bartender to remake the white russian she made for the spies the night before.
Mia assesses her cocktail mixing skills.
She made many mistakes which MiIa corrects.
She then trains them on making the drink properly.
In the kitchen, Jennifer asks the cook to make a burger for her.
She highlights all the mistakes he is making and he corrects them.
Jennifer introduces a green chilli burger from fresh ingredients.
They prepare for the stress test.
All of the customers are let in and the staff are overwhelmed with orders.
The kitchen descends into chaos with burger patties falling on the floor.
The bartenders make mistakes and the orders are piled up for drinks.
The cook is having problems with food safety.
Jennifer has to remind him often so he falls behind on orders.
Only one bartender is doing excellently.
Finally, food leaves the kitchen to the cheers of the customers.
The happiness is short-lived as the burgers are undercooked.
They have to be sent back to be refired.
The kitchen is overwhelmed and unable to recover.
Jon decides to close down service for the night.
He has seen all of their weaknesses during the service.
The next day, Mia is pleased with the staff.
They did better than she expected.
She is confident they can handle a more complicated cocktail program.
She trains them on one of the signature cocktails that has been crafted for them.
It is a Passionfruit and Tequila.
Jennifer is disappointed with the cook due to the food safety issues from the night before.
She teaches him how to make a steak taco salad.
The cook agrees he needs to work on cleanliness and food safety.
He is optimistic that he can improve.
Jon meets with Cathy to find out if she has family with her.
She has asked her mother to come to the reopening.
He is hoping this will reignite her fire for the business.
Jon’s team works for hours to get the bar ready for the reopening.
The bar’s new name is Cinco Cantina and there is a bright new sign outside.
Inside has been transformed with a cohesive theme.
There are bright colours that match the new name and theme.
They have fridges that are actually working and they are excited about that.
They have Skytabs, a new workstation and a subscription to Partender.
There is new bar products, a new refrigeration unit and a personalised chef's apron for the cook.
The staff quickly set up and customers were let in.
Orders come in and the bartenders happily and confidently make cocktails.
The cook is doing much better.
He is making meals quickly, reducing the service time.
The experts are happy with how things are going.
Cathy is helping, leading and managing her staff.
What Happened Next at High 5 Grille?
High 5 Grille / Cinco Cantina is closed.
They closed in January 2024.
This was two months after filming and before the episode was aired.
Reviews are few during this time.
They appear to be mixed with some criticisms on the food.
The drinks and service are praised.
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Previous episode - The Thirsty Ox / Foxy Ox
Next episode - Arnold's Lounge
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