In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Sactown Sports Bar and Grill in Old Town, Sacramento.
Sactown Sports Bar and Grill is owned by Chris Eaton, a retired police officer.
He always wanted to own a sports bar, so bought this one in 2016.
The bar is located in a tourist hot spot so Sactown boomed in the beginning.
Things slowed down and reality hit Chris as he had no prior experience in running a bar.
He has focused on the wrong things having almost 800 signed jerseys in his bar.
However, he doesn’t know how to pour a drink for his customers.
The staff are disheartened and have lost respect for Chris with some drinking at work.
Ricardo is the new chef who was meant to turn things around but Chris is not allowing him make changes.
Sactown loses $8000 a month and Chris is currently in $450,000 in debt.
Jon is in awe of the old history of Sactown.
A woman named Mary died in the basement of Sactown from a flooding.
Jon recons the bar with a world famous recording artist T-pain.
He fills him in on Chris’s situation.
Jon has him, T-pain and 40 people enter the bar, hoping they can stay incognito, so they can test the service.
They see the space is quite big and think the bar has history which should be celebrated.
They both order wings, New York strip steaks and French dip.
They ask the server to suggest some cocktails for them and they have 2 specialty cocktails.
A meal is sent back to the kitchen and Ricardo smashes the dish against the wall.
He is upset his kitchen manager can’t make a simple grilled cheese sandwich.
Upstairs, Jon and his companion receive their drinks and they are too strong.
The steak is raw in the middle and as they eat, other patrons tell them not to bother with the food.
The wings are undercooked and rubbery.
Jon requests Ricardo come to the table and offers the meal to him to taste but he refuses.
Chris is called and he was completely unaware Jon was in the bar.
Jon tells him the feedback from himself and T-pain and points out Sacramento isn’t a sports town.
Jon points out all the bad food the customers are struggling with and asks Chris if they should pay for their meals.
Jon leaves with T-pain after calling Chris out in front of the whole bar.
The next day, Jon meets with Chris and the rest of the staff.
He has him tell the rest of the staff the state of the finances and how they can only stay open for 2 more months.
Jon reveals the Partender report of the prior 3 days.
They lost $3180 over a weekend, this would amount to $13700 a month and $165,000 in a year.
The staff are split about the sports bar theme saying it is not a bad idea but not for this area.
Jon points out majority of the tourists are women and a sports bar is not the type of place they would want to go.
Chris is not convinced sports isn’t big in Sacramento.
Jon pulls reports on the leading sports radio in Sacramento that is ranked no 21 for listeners.
Jon tells Chris he needs to market to tourists not the few locals that are interested in sports.
Chris insists on a sports bar and Jon says he has no reason to be there if the bar is to remain a sports bar.
Jon has the staff and Chris take down all the sports memorabilia as they would need to redo the walls as part of the renovations.
Expert mixologist Tommy Palmer comes in to train the staff.
He has them test their pouring skills in order to correct their overpouring in the Partender report.
All of them fail to hit the mark and they are to focus on consistency going forward.
Expert Chef Tiffany Derry comes in to train the staff on faster chicken recipes.
It is time for the stress test and T-pain is back with Amber his wife and other patrons.
Chris serves them and tries to make their drink orders but fumbles.
They get their drinks in 9 mins which is just a little late.
Ricardo has to run food to the bar area and it puts the kitchen a little behind.
The bartenders need help but Chris is nowhere to be found.
T-pain’s table has been waiting 22 mins for their food but they get it eventually.
Overall, they liked their drinks and food.
The stress test revealed a lot but it was not a disaster.
Chris calls his staff together and reassures them and says he is proud of them.
Tommy trains them the next day on some new drinks with haunted themes.
Tiffany trains the staff on a simple high-end meal using toasted bone marrow.
But that’s not all, once the meal is done customers can use the bone marrow as a luuge for luuge shots.
It is a strategy to upsell drinks to patrons.
Jon’s team work all night and the bar has been renovated.
The bar has been renamed Brannan Manor after one of the founding fathers of Sacramento town.
The inside of the bar has been modernised and made warmer with its historic roots brought to the front.
There are six new HarbourTouch terminals and hubs that allow customers to charge their phones.
They have been given a lifetime subscription to Partender and TVT.
The relaunch gets underway and Chris is helpful behind the bar and engaging with customers.
The customers love the new drinks and food.
Ricardo is doing great in the kitchen having more freedom and meeting orders.
What Happened Next at SacTown Sports Bar & Grill / Brannan Manor?
Sometime later, tourists love the new concept of the bar.
Sales have increased.
Chris has stayed positive and has kept his sports memorabilia away from the bar.
They have kept the name of Brannan Manor.
Brannan Manor is open.
Reviews after the show are mixed and there are negative reviews on the food and long wait for food and drinks.
Many also complain about the loud club music being played during the day.
This post was last updated in March 2022.
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