In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits La Perla Sports Cantina in Glendale, Arizona.
La Perla Sports Cantina is owned by Mark, a software engineer.
He wanted to own something to tie him to Glendale.
Mark bought the name of the Mexican restaurant in 2019 when it closed.
He moved the business to a new location.
His lack of experience and his partying with customers is running the business down.
The staff complain that nothing works and they frequently run out of items.
The business is losing $20,000 a month and Mark is in debt.
Jon has asked entertainment mogul Dustin Dai to stand in for him.
He will visit the bar along with expert chef Chris Oh and expert mixologist Nick Ortega.
They survey the bar and Dustin introduces Mark, the owner.
He is $750,000 in debt and has put in $1,000,000 in the business.
It is a sports bar but there is hardly anything that identifies it is a sports bar.
It is also promoted as a club on social media but is underwhelming inside.
Patty is the manager, Kylie is the bartender and Shauna is a bartender and server.
They see the cook Chayito use 10 day old guacamole to make a dish.
Two local radio hosts enter the bar as spies.
They order a frozen margarita but it is not ready.
The bartender can not make a spicy margarita.
Kylie makes a regular margarita and the spy likes it but wanted a frozen margarita.
Mark is present and orders drinks for him and his friends more than once.
The spies order food and the cook improperly makes the dish using the same gloves after handling meat.
The experts are forced to step in as Mark is oblivious of what is going on.
Dustin pulls Mark aside and Mark defends himself.
He says that his drinking is a normal night at the bar.
Dustin makes him calculate how much drinks he is giving away.
Next, he shows him all the problems in the kitchen.
Mark defends himself and Patty saying that she is his family.
They claim they have bands and DJs come in.
Mark asks for more free shots while he is being berated, which confuses Dustin.
Mark gives out more free drinks when Dustin leaves for the night.
The next day, Dustin asks the staff what they think about Mark.
They think he is great but is careless with his drinks.
Dustin has a Partender report showing their drink losses.
They lose about $235,000 a year from Mark giving out drinks.
Mark argues that he brings in customers.
The employees are the ones suffering as they do not get tips from the free service.
Mark does not agree he is the problem despite Dustin pointing it out to him.
Dustin makes him agree after a threat of walking out.
He has the staff promise to hold him accountable.
Dustin introduces the experts to the staff and owner.
Nick trains the bartenders on making a spicy margarita and a signature cocktail called the La Perla.
In the kitchen, Chris trains them on cooking in a hygienic manner.
They are making a hamburger quesadilla.
It is soon time for the stress test and the eager customers are let in.
They start ordering quickly with tickets coming into the kitchen but the bar starts slow.
The kitchen is confused with incomplete table orders.
There is nowhere to put the completed tickets.
Drinks are made incorrectly and dumped quite quickly.
Mark complains he is looking after the kitchen.
Dustin points out he has Patty and they should decide where to focus.
They both clash in the kitchen and Mark looks lost.
The bar is backed up and the bartenders are confused.
Customers are left without food or drinks.
The bar is making one drink at a time and the kitchen is flooded.
Mark insists on making excuses when shutting down the stress test.
He says that he owes his customers a good excuse.
Dustin is frustrated and calls Jon for advice.
They agree they need to elevate the bar, while keeping the legacy.
The next day, the bartenders are trained on using their frozen machines by making a pina colada.
Dustin sits with Mark to find out if he learned anything from the stress test.
Mark highlights their personal differences.
He now understands he has to have passion to focus on the business.
Dustin says he saw a glimmer of passion in his eyes.
He promises to give him the processes he needs to make running the bar easier.
Jon’s team worked to renovate the bar.
They have slightly changed the name and have added better lights to make it more visible.
The bar is now called La Perla Sports Club.
Inside it has been upgraded to look like a sports bar with blue colours.
They have new glassware from barproducts.com and a lifetime subscription to Partender.
There are Skytab terminals and tablets and a Manitowoc ice machine.
There is a new DJ booth and a new menu has been created.
Customers are soon let in and the staff are eager to serve them.
The bartenders are confident and are making multiple drinks at once.
The kitchen is working quickly with a proper runner.
Mark and Patty are directing people to do their job.
Customers are served very quickly with no complaints.
What Happened Next at La Perla Sports Cantina?
Six weeks later, sales are up considerably compared to the previous year.
Customers like the changes as it is more inviting.
Mark is more involved in the operations and less into socializing.
They appear to go by both names online.
La Perla Sports Cantina / La Perla Sports Club is open
Reviews are more positive after the episode was filmed.
The drinks and service are praised.
There are some complaints about the music not being varied.
Click for more Bar Rescues
Previous episode - Finesse Lounge / 47 Social
Next episode - Playoffs Sports Lounge
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