In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer visits Los Cocos in Port St Lucie, Florida.
Los Cocos is owned by brothers Karl, Eddy and Evens.
In 2021, they came together to open the bar.
They made it Caribbean hemed due to their roots.
Eddie is the only retiree and is the General Manager.
The other brothers come in after their day jobs.
They meddle with the operations but have no clear role.
The brothers all have no bar or restaurant experience.
The staff are not happy with Eddie’s direction.
There is tension between the brothers and they can't agree they should stay open or close the doors.
Jon has sent Ashish Alfred, a bar and restaurant owner to lead the rescue.
He is there with expert mixologist Derrick Turner and expert chef Anthony Lamas.
They see no sign outside the space so no one can identify it.
Ashish gives them the low down on the ownership situation.
There are tickets in the bar they are not sure if they are current or have been handled.
Karl is a doctor and Evens is a realtor.
Mark is Evens's son and he works there as bar manager.
Renie is Evens's wife and she works behind the bar.
Kristen is a server and Edna is the chef.
Edna speaks more French than English.
The kitchen is in a state with mould and fungus everywhere.
Two spies are sent in and they can see the bar is dirty.
The menu they have been given is stained.
They still order and the bartender hides behind to make the drink using questionable punch.
The cocktails are too sweet and food has been left sitting on a table, not taken out.
The experts have had enough and enter the bar.
Ashish shuts down the bar, speaking French to the cook.
He has to shout to get his point across to the owners about the poor state of cleanliness of the kitchen.
At the bar, they question the punch and how they could serve it to people.
They are shown the mould on the curtains that could get into food.
The kitchen containers are also not standard.
They also find mould in the soda gun.
They are tasked with deep cleaning the whole bar and kitchen.
They do that all night, throwing away food and the containers.
The brothers complain they have never been so embarrassed and Ashish comes in.
The staff are gathered and are confused about who their boss is between the three brothers.
The brothers say they could not afford to pay someone with experience.
Eddie has excuses and complains about how no one gives him credit for what works.
He says that everyone blames him when things go wrong.
Ashish gives them brutal reviews.
He thinks that Eddie has no right to be a GM and he has to prove himself.
The experts are introduced to the staff and owners.
Mark is brought behind the bar to remake a cocktail from the night before.
Derrick corrects him on his technique and then trains them all on how to make it properly.
In the Kitchen Anthony takes them through making grilled chicken on the grill with a side of beans and rice.
It is time for the stress test and Eddie tries to motivate the staff.
Eddie promises to step up and run the team.
He lets the customers in and orders come through quickly.
A customer is tasked with timing his order.
The bartenders make mistakes and make one drink at a time.
Everyone is working hard but Eddie has to be reminded what to do.
Eddie makes a faux pas arguing with a customer who found hair in her food.
Ashish has to step in.
It is soon chaos with food going to the wrong tables and things are falling apart at the bar.
Eddie isn’t doing well either and is in the wrong place.
The brothers are made to shut the bar down.
Ashish gives feedback to Jon on video call.
He is advised to let Eddie go as a GM.
Ashish is worried about the family dynamic.
Jon gives him advice on how to handle it.
Derrick trains the staff on making cocktails from Caribbean rum served in a coconut.
Ashish sits two of the brothers and they are tasked with breaking the news to Eddie.
Eddie is brought in and he defends himself.
Ashish tells them all 3 brothers should take turns running the front of the house.
They will need to hire a proper GM as a long term solution.
In the end, they all agree with this strategy.
Jon’s team work for days and the staff and community are all gathered to the reopening.
Ashish unveils the bar, it has been renamed and is now called Three Tides.
It is named for the three brothers.
They get emotional as Tide was a nickname their father called one of the brothers.
The interior of the bar is more upscale with clear Caribbean themes.
They re-did the stage area and added two new workstations.
There are new bar products and four POS systems from Skytab.
They also have a kitchen screen and a new working bell at the bar.
The brothers, together, let in the waiting customers.
On relaunch, orders come in quickly.
The kitchen makes use of the new bell and no longer have to shout.
The bartenders are comfortable, making the new cocktails quickly.
The kitchen is also making food correctly.
The brothers are courteous, keeping the customers happy.
What Happened Next at Los Cocos / Three Tides?
Six weeks later, business is going up with the new drinks.
Eddie is allowing Mark and Rene to manage the bar.
The brothers are closer and are speaking every day.
Los Cocos / Three Tides is open.
They kept the name and go by Three Tides Caribbean Restaurant & Bar online.
Reviews are mostly positive.
Customers have reacted well to the changes made with improved reviews.
Click for more Bar Rescues
Previous episode - One11 Boca Raton / Boca Luna Luxe Lounge
Next episode - VFW Post 1689
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