LIV Bar and Restaurant / Halo Nightclub - Bar Rescue Update - Open or Closed?

In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits LIV Bar and Restaurant in Las Vegas, Nevada.

LIV Bar and Restaurant is owned by Michelle.

She opened the bar in 2017 as a filipino bar and restaurant as she wanted to be reminded of her home.

She tried a number of different concepts as she had no experience of running a bar.

It ended up with an identity crisis, unsure whether it is a nightclub, restaurant or bar.

Michelle struggles to manage the staff due to her lack of experience and they often run out of menu items.

Janette goes over the top in order to get tips that she puts down the front of her dress.

The kitchen practices are dangerous but Michelle doesn't have the experience to be able to notice and stop this.

As the bar has declined so have the customers and the customers numbers have dwindled.

They have declined so much that Michelle is now propping up the bar with her savings and childrens savings.

She can now only remain open for less than a month, is in $350,000 of debt and needs Jon's help.

Jon arrives with assistants - Chef Ryan Scott and Mixologist Charity Johnston.

Their first impressions of the building aren't good with a dull exterior and a sign that is hard to read.

Russell's food is bad, he is lost in the kitchen despite only having six tickets and Dane brings back a dish as cold.

For the recon Jon sends in social media influencers Space and Tyme.

They find that the table cloth is filthy and they are sat at their table waiting for service.

They have nothing on tap and no drinks menu so they order standard cocktails.

They go live on social media from the table showing the filthy table and brand the service as terrible.

The drinks are awful and Space gags on a drink.

Everyone is helping in the kitchen and Michelle is stood at the DJ booth on her phone.

They have a POS system but they write tickets.

Janette is handing out free drinks to a table and Michelle has no idea.

Space asks if they do vegetarian options and he is told by Dane that they would cook dishes without the meat for them.

Russell touches the raw chicken with gloves and then touches other parts of the kitchen, cross contaminating everywhere.

Between each order he has to go to the walk in to get ingredients.

Despite ordering a vegetarian dish he uses the same knife and chopping board that he has used for meat without washing anything.

Janette tells him that wings aren't cooked but they are served and Jon rushes in to stop them eating the food.

He calls Michelle over to see the quality of the food and they raise their complaints to Michelle.

Jon enters the kitchen and tells Russell that they have seen him not changing his gloves.

Russell asks for a second chance and Jon tells him that she is out of money.

Jon points out to Michelle how filthy the kitchen is and the old produce in the walk in.

Jon tells the bar staff that they haven't got off with it and that he will deal with them tomorrow.

Michelle gives him another chance but other staff thinks he should be let go.

Jon arrives the next day and Russell is cleaning the kitchen.

Michelle reveals that she has used all of her savings and they are a month from closure.

Jon reveals that there has been an audit on the drinks sales and there is a difference of $330 between what was poured and rung through the till.

Michelle pleads with the staff not to steal and Dane reveals that the customers want Janette to pour their drinks as she uses a lot of liqour.

In return for the generous drinks she is given generous tips.

She initially denies overpouring the drinks to customers before admitting to it after Jon threatens to leave if she isn't honest.

The other bar staff say they don't like her and she apologises to Michelle.

Jon introduces his experts and training begins.

In the kitchen Ryan finds plenty of old product that is rancid and mouldy and in the bar the other bartenders don't want Janette behind the bar.

Ryan reveals that they will be serving easy, biteable food and Charity reveals an updated cocktail.

For the stress test, Jon has asked 12 patrons to come in at a time with 30 seconds per drink with a siren sounding when new patrons enter.

Janette is all over the place behind the bar and she quickly falls behind.

Dane however is making multiple drinks at once and customers move to his side of the bar.

Jon removes her from the bar and TJ is subbed in and the drinks service improves with patrons receiving their drinks in a more timely manner.

Janette hadn't taken any food orders so Michelle asks her to step up and she tries to put food in without a ticket.

She tries to put in random tickets instead of a handwritten tickets and the tickets she puts in have no table numbers on.

Janette yells at Ryan so he yells right back and she still tries to take food after he tells her numerous times not to.

TJ is slower than Dane behind the bar but better than Janette.

A patron is left waiting for food, despite ordering first his food is given to someone else.

The patrons don't think the food was bad but they weren't happy with the service.

After the service he meets with the team to start on the renovation.

Charity is planning simple cocktails with a twist and Michelle also learns how to make the cocktails.

Ryan plans for finger food that can be eaten at a table or at the bar.

Jon meets with Michelle and tells her to manage her staff and step up.

The renovation team are excited as it is one of their biggest projects.

The new name is revealed as Halo Nightclub and the new decor is revealed.

There is a new dance floor, new turbo pumps, lighting, POS system, DJ system and much more.

The bar has been given a huge makeover and it looks like a different place!

There are new uniforms for the bartenders and a new chef jacket for Russell.

For relaunch night, the patrons love the new changes but Dane is slower than on the stress test.

Janette shines as a hostess and Space and Tyme are enjoying the food and drinks.

Dane and TJ full it together and Michelle has stepped up as an owner, talking to customers and helping to make dishes.

Russell is doing well in the kitchen and the patrons love the food.

The nightclub is packed and the patrons are happy, saying it is like being on the strip.

What Happened Next at LIV Bar and Restaurant / Halo Nightclub?

Six weeks later, Michelle has stepped up and is leading her team and the kitchen is cleaner.

They changed the concept to Soul food and this mostly had positive reviews.

Halo Nightclub / LIV Bar closed in May 2019.

They closed just days after the episode aired.

It is rumoured that it was sold to new owners within weeks of the initial makeover in February 2018.

There are few reviews prior to closure but most are positive with the new food and drinks being a hit with customers.

Click for more Bar Rescues

Previous episode - Eliphino / Shattered

Next episode - The China Grove Trading Post / The Tipsy Bull

This post was last updated in March 2022.