In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon visits Playoffs Sports Lounge in Desert Hot Springs, California.
Playoffs Sports Lounge is owned by Eric Pontius.
He is a marine veteran, who bought the bar in 2003 along with his then-wife Ann-Sofie.
Eric got the bar so he could get a catering license and his wife ran operations.
Once their marriage failed Eric’s passion for the business reduced.
It has been suffering ever since.
A staff member who has worked there 15 years says she had only 15 minutes of training.
Eric is in thousands of dollars of debt.
The bar is only weeks from closing permanently.
Jon surveys the bar with expert mixologist Nick Ortega and expert chef Vic Vegas.
Jon shows them the owner and explains his back story.
He explains that Eric is running the business with his ex-wife.
The interior does not look inviting.
The bartenders are struggling to make drinks out of only one well.
Eric has his new fiancee and her son work behind the bar.
The whole family takes a drink but Jon is not worried.
Ann-Sofie runs to the kitchen to make some food.
The family is all busy except for Eric.
Jon has asked 2 radio personalities to do the recon.
They order drinks and food at the bar.
The cash register is very dated and they have no POS system.
The staff use sticky notes to keep track of the orders.
The bartenders make the spies' drinks incorrectly.
They hate the drink as it is too strong.
The bartenders are overpouring.
The kitchen fries several things in fish oil and it taints the taste of the food.
The spies hate both the food and drinks.
Jon goes in to confront Eric and Ann-Sofie and tells them about the mistakes.
Eric is $200,000 in debt.
Jon shows them ice with black mold and a contaminated soda gun.
Eric says he had no idea he was supposed to clean certain things.
Jon makes the couple and staff clean the bar before the next day.
The next morning, Jon comes in to meet the staff waiting and asks them questions about Eric.
They complain about leadership but the couple get along well.
Eric and the others join in.
He explains he had several setbacks including the pandemic.
Eric tells them that the business has just a few months left.
Jon lets them know their poor choices.
He thinks Eric’s choice not to learn about the business is a problem.
Jon introduces his experts to the staff and explains their Partender report.
They lost almost half of the alcohol due to overpouring.
They get started with the training and assign Kevin as the cook.
Ann-Sofie was only filling in the kitchen.
Nick tests the bartenders on their pour counts and they all fail.
He then trains them to make a Desertrita.
Vic trains them on making boneless chicken wings.
For the stress test, Jon has 2 buckets to score points.
There is a birdie, which is good and a bogey, which is bad.
Customers are let in and the bartenders make a cocktail wrong.
They have their first bogey but also have a first birdie with a perfect drink.
Ann-Sofie tries to support the bar which needs help.
The kitchen has 6 tickets on sticky notes that are out of order.
The kitchen is struggling and customers have been waiting 20 minutes for drinks.
16 balls go into the bogey bucket because of customers waiting.
The food runner has to guess where the food is to go.
It is soon a disaster and Jon ends the night.
He meets with his experts to discuss what is suitable for the bar and the clientele in the area.
The next day, Nick gives the staff feedback.
He trains them on making simpler drinks including the Stray Dog.
Jon meets with Ann-Sofie and Eric.
He wants to find out if Eric is ready to step up for himself and his staff.
Eric acknowledges his staff stepped up on the stress test.
Jon advises him that his customer base loves them.
The owners he should act more like owners and let the staff do their work.
Jon’s team worked on the renovations to the bar.
At relaunch, the bar is unveiled.
The name is still the same but the sign has been changed.
Inside the bar has added character making it look more like a sports bar.
There are now TVs behind the bar.
An Orange door entertainment system has been set up in a small stage area.
There is a Lumen Ice machine from Manitowoc and bar equipment from Barproducts.com.
They have a Skytab POS system and a lifetime subscription to Partender.
There is a new audio-visual system and new heat lamps in the kitchen.
They set up and soon let in the waiting customers.
On relaunch, the orders come through and the POS system is working.
Eric is supporting the staff learning the new system with tickets.
The bartenders are so much better at making several drinks at once.
The kitchen is in a good rhythm, making good food quickly.
What Happened Next at Playoffs Sports Lounge
Six weeks later, sales are up 25%.
The drink menu has been a success with new non-alcoholic options.
Ann-Sofie is working well with Eric and taking on more responsibilities.
Playoffs Sports Lounge is open.
Reviews are mostly postive.
There is praise for the food and drinks.
Click for more Bar Rescues
Previous episode - La Perla Sports Cantina / La Perla Sports Club
Next episode - Epic Lounge / Epic Live
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