BoondoxXx BBQ / Pit and Barrel - Bar Rescue Update - Open or Closed?

In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits BoondoxXx BBQ and Juke Joint in Nashville, Tennessee.

BoondoxXx BBQ and Juke Joint is owned by Chris Ferrell.

He borrowed $100,000 from his parents in order to open the bar.

Chris is prone to outbursts and constantly gets angry with the staff.

A number of members of staff have left the bar due to his outbursts.

Those that still work there aren’t happy with the way that he treats them.

Chris only has two weeks before he would be forced to close the bar and made the call to Bar Rescue.

Jon arrives at the bar with his experts, expert mixologist Trevor Frye and expert barbecue chef Kevin Bludso.

They could barely see the bar as there is nothing to stand out.

The bar is located close to the Broadway, where all of the bars are lit up and colourful to draw in customers.

Jon has sent in 80 locals as his spies to test the service at the bar.

The bartenders are surprised by the sudden influx of customers.

It doesn’t take long before they are overwhelmed with orders.

The tables are neglected and the customers are bored.

They complain about a lack of music so Chris puts on some country music.

However, this music isn’t the tastes of many of the patrons and they aren’t happy with his choice of music.

Customers are left waiting for drinks.

The reactions to the drinks are mixed with some drinks being labelled as disappointing.

The food also takes a long time and is poor quality.

Many customers have decided to leave as they were left waiting for both food and drinks.

Chris is frustrated by the situation and shouts and swears in his back office at manager Stacey.

He is shouting so loud that customers can hear him in the bar.

Jon has seen enough and comes into the bar with his experts.

He calls Chris out on a very greasy chicken wing dish and the state of the bathrooms.

Chris is forced to clean the kitchen, which is does whilst cursing about Jon.

In the kitchen the fridge isn’t working correctly and the food isn’t at the correct temperature.

Everything has to be thrown away as it would be dangerous to serve this to customers.

In the bar Jon finds mold in the beer coolers and rat droppings on the floor under the bar.

There are also fruit flies in the liquor bottles.

The next day, Jon returns and the staff are still hard at work cleaning the bar.

He calls a staff meeting and gets into an argument with Chris about his treatment of his staff.

Chris is in denial about his behaviour towards the staff so Jon brings in two former members of staff.

They reveal more about the outbursts that Chris has and his behaviour at the bar.

Staff also reveal more incidents and poor behaviour and Chris walks out of the bar.

Despite his absence, Jon carries on with the rescue of the bar.

The training of the staff begins.

Trevor gets to work with the bar staff, teaching them the basics of pouring.

This will solve their problem of overpouring and stop them losing money this way.

Chris returns to the bar whilst the staff are being trained on cocktails.

He apologises for his behaviour but they don’t believe he is genuine as it has happened too many times before.

For the stress test, Jon has invited 100 customers in to test the bar.

The bartenders are slow and are still overpouring so customers are left waiting.

The kitchen isn’t doing well either, the orders are left waiting for runners and have to be refired.

This causes a long delay on food as it has to be recooked for customers.

There is no organisation, processes and very little communication.

Jon has invited a country band to perform for the evening but Chris doesn’t like them.

He is critical of the band in front of staff and customers.

The customers are enjoying the band and ignore his criticism.

During the feedback, Kevin calls Chris out on his constant habit of blaming the employees.

It descends into an argument between the two that is broken up by Jon.

Jon tells everyone to go home for the night.

The next day, Jon sits with Chris and his parents come to the bar to talk to him about the bar.

Trevor trains the staff on more cocktails including a Studio B and the Million Dollar Quartet.

The drinks that have been created are ones that will pair well with barbecue food.

Kevin trains them on a pork sandwich that is tasty and quick to cook.

Chris seems to be less agitated than usual and the staff can sense a change in him.

The bar is renovated over the next thirty six hours.

The bar has been renamed and is now called Pit and Barrel.

There is a new sign for the bar so that it can easily be seen from afar.

There is also outdoor seating to draw attention to the bar from passers-by.

There are new bar stools, a new bar top, three new POS systems, shelving and a new sound system.

The staff get to work preparing for the relaunch.

On relaunch, the customers are surprised and pleased by the changes to the bar.

The bartenders are able to cope with the orders as they are more organised.

Food leaves the kitchen quickly and the customers are loving the taste of the new food.

Chris is like a different man and the staff are pleased with the change in him.

What Happened Next at BoondoxXx BBQ and Juke Joint / Pit and Barrel?

Six weeks later, sales have increased over 29%.

Chris has paid back $5,000 of the $105,000 he owed his parents.

Chris has not lost his temper at the staff.

Two months after the rescue, Chris shot and killed country singer and friend Wayne Mills at the bar.

The pair had got into an argument over Wayne smoking in the bar.

He claimed that he shot him in self defence after Wayne threatened him with a broken beer bottle.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison for second degree murder in 2015.

BoondoxXx BBQ and Juke Joint / Pit and Barrel closed in November 2013, following the murder.

The building was demolished in 2016.

Click for more Bar Rescues

Previous episode - Fairways Golf and Grill / Brew U

Next episode - Longshots Sports Bar / Badlands Country Nightclub

This post was last updated in February 2022.