In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Epic Lounge in Downey, California.
Epic Lounge is owned by David Devis.
He bought the bar in 2019 after years of being a music promoter.
David bought the bar for $2.7million.
It was a successful gamble until the novelty wore off.
After this it was hard to bring people back.
The staff find him unorganized and he calls on his friend Judy to help out often.
She is not paid and no one listens to her.
Phil Wills is standing in for Jon in this rescue.
He surveys the place with expert chef Vic Vegas and expert mixologist Rebecca Dowda .
He introduces David and Judy and their young staff.
The staff do not know what they are doing.
The bar is big and dirty.
The experts go in as spies to find out more about the food and drinks.
They ask for a cocktail list and there isn’t one available.
They order food from the menu and go to the counter to order drinks.
The young staff do not know the recipes.
David is in the kitchen trying to stab a frozen chilli in a pot to thaw out.
The food comes out and tastes uncooked.
There is dust on the fans.
Phil comes in and no one greets him so he has to call out.
He meets Judy and David.
David has the excuse of being too busy to check on the customers or the food being sent out.
Phil critiques the bar set-up, the staff not having recipes and the cleanliness of the bar.
Phil leaves and they spend the night cleaning up the bar and the dusty fans.
The next morning Phil comes in and sees the staff.
He acknowledges the amount of effort they put into cleaning the bar.
Phil calls out David for not paying Judy.
He learns about the tension between David and Judy.
David takes advantage of Judy being available.
She is better at managing but the inconsistency is bad for the staff.
Phil shows them their Partender report.
It shows they are losing $166,000 a year from over-pouring and free drinks.
Phil introduces the experts to the staff.
Vic trains the staff on food that can be made in under 3 minutes.
They make Buffalo Chicken bites that are spicy and would make customers drink more.
Rebecca has the staff all make a Whiskey Sour.
They make them incorrectly with inconsistent pours.
She trains them on making an Epic Ranch Water.
It is soon time for the stress test.
Phil gives the staff a rundown on what will happen.
He explains to David he has to keep an eye on all his staff and support them.
Customers are let in and they start ordering immediately at the bar.
The bartenders start slowly making drinks one at a time and making mistakes.
The tickets going to the kitchen are the full menu with the items circled.
They soon run out of ice.
David is confused, not knowing where things are and is doing too much.
One bartender gets injured by unbroken sharp ice at the bar and is pulled from the bar.
Two more bartenders get cut so Phil has to end the stress test.
Phil meets with the experts to figure out their way forward.
The next day, Rebecca trains the staff on making a tropical punch cocktail in a pouch.
Phil sits with David and Judy to work on them being cohesive.
David is apologetic, finally seeing he is using Judy.
He agrees to pay Judy to manage full-time.
Phil meets with Jon’s team to discuss the plans for renovation.
They spend two days renovating and they are ready for the relaunch.
The bar is unveiled with a slightly altered name of Epic Live.
It has a new exterior and new signs.
Inside, it has a modern decor and back lights with pops of colour.
They have new barware from barproducts.com and new Skytab POS systems.
There is a lifetime subscription to Partender, a new ice machine from Manitowoc and a first aid kit just in case.
They set up and soon let in the waiting customers.
On relaunch, the staff are ready.
The bartenders are happy to make cocktails without fear of ice cutting them.
In the kitchen, they have proper tickets and are making food quickly.
The customers love the ambience, the food, the drinks and the music.
What Happened Next at Epic Lounge
Six weeks later, customers love the renovations.
They are inquiring more about booking the space for events.
Judy is still working part-time but is getting paid for her work.
Epic Lounge / Epic Live is open.
Reviews are mostly positive.
There are a few complaints about events.
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