Bar Rescue is deep into its ninth season, and Jon Taffer and his team are offering as much help as they can to bars struggling to make it through the pandemic. And while most of the bars Jon and his team have provided assistants to have been grateful and successful after their week with Jon, there are some that Jon should have left the second he walked in.
These owners were unwilling to change, didn't care about their employees, or just wanted their fifteen minutes of fame on the show. Some bars are meant to be just another statistic.
Country Nights - S6, Ep 21
Dalia and her crew of party girls were one of the wildest staff ever to grace the show. Their constant fighting and drinking should have been a red flag that this bar would not be able to overcome their issues.
Even after she promises to clean up her act, owner Dalia returns to her old ways when Jon's back is turned. Regardless, Jon completed the rescue, and the bar is still open but has changed its name from the one Jon gave it, reaffirming that Dalia wasn't ready for change.
Mollie Malone's - S4, Ep 30
In one of the worst episodes of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and his experts that their work cut out for them as they tried to rescue this Irish bar. Like a previous rescue, O'Face Bar, Jon found the staff fighting each other and management unwilling to step in. Jon refused to rescue O'Face, but something about Mollie Malone's made him stay. According to Reality TV Revisited, the bar is still open but has experienced negative reviews. The service has declined, meaning the owners haven't implemented Jon's tips, and it was a waste of his time.
Piratz Tavern - S2, Ep 1
It was clear what would happen to the bar in the season 2 premiere when the owner was visibly uncomfortable with any change Jon made. Bar owner Tracy wanted to continue her fantasy land pirate bar just as she had it. Any viewer could see that she would change the bar back as soon as Jon left, wasting his resources. Tracy's influence trickled down to her employees, and they completely ignored the experts. At the end of the episode, the six-week update revealed Tracy had closed the bar after changing it back to Piratz Tavern.
Second Base - S4, EP 11
This baseball bikini bar was no stranger to Bar Rescue, as Jon and his experts had already turned the bar around once. Once Jon was back at the bar, it was clear his improvements were ignored. Owner Terry made it clear that he didn't want to do what Jon said, which should have driven Jon out.
Even though he didn't renovate the bar, Jon did retrain the staff in hopes the owner would get on board. This owner proved unwilling to change and revealed he wanted to be on the show for free promotion and an upgrade.
Headhunters - S3, Ep 2
A list of bars Taffer and his crew should have walked out on wouldn't be complete without Headhunters. This Austin bar was one of Bar Rescue's most disgusting and bug-infested ever on the show, which should have been enough reason to decline the rescue. Taffer didn't walk out because the staff was willing to learn and improve the bar. Despite his claims to change his ways, the owner Steve proved to be too much of a nuisance. Anyone could have guessed that Steve would go back to his old management style after the show, which he did. The bar has since closed.
Gipsy - S3, Ep 15
Gipsy was the first gay bar on Paradise Road with a historic reputation, which may be why Jon stuck it out with this rescue. Owner Paul was more worried about how good a time he was having rather than his paying customers. Paul saw Jon's changes and pulled out in one of the most dramatic moves ever pulled by an owner.
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This reaffirmed that Paul was never going to stick to Jon's plan and would be the downfall of the bar.
Bottoms Up - S7 Ep 11
Even though the staff and owners have to follow the Bar Rescue rules, the team at Bottoms Up would push Jon to his limits. The owner had several other successful locations meaning this one was just a bar she didn't feel like fixing herself. Jon went into a hostile situation and did what he could with the site. Regardless of how the rescue went, the owner had nothing to lose as she would make a profit selling the location or make a profit from the improvements. This bar had the potential to save itself.
Mary's Outpost Bar - S3, Ep 39
Mary's Outpost Bar was a lawsuit waiting to happen, and it was surprising that the showrunners agreed to film in such an establishment. Besides the owner harassing female patrons, he chose to take customers into the back room and pressure them to take their tops off. At this point, Jon should have pulled his spies and left the bar to its own demise. Eventually, the owners came to their senses and stopped the harassment, but they slipped back to the old name but had steady reviews.
Ace's Sports Hangar - S8, Ep 10
At first glance, this episode had deserving owners, but it was clear the owners were not keen on being in the show after airing. In a slew of social media posts shared by Reality TV Updates, both owners expressed they were unhappy with the experience, as they had three more successful bars. Ultimately Taffer's resources and help were wasted on this location since they weren't wanted in the first place. Will and Candace eventually sold the bar before the episode aired.
The Dugout - S5 Ep 16
There may never be another bar that tests Jon Taffer's temper like Ed and The Dugout. For starters, Ed didn't want the bar and didn't care if the bar was saved or not. Jon should have walked out the minute Ed said he never wanted to own a bar, as it was clear Ed would never take the changes seriously. But again, the staff kept this bar on the show. The bar was a waste on Ed, and Jon didn't show the results to the staff because they quit before the reopening. The fantastic concept was in a prime location only to be squandered by a bad owner.