In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer sends Jason Santos to visit Pete’s Cutting Board Reuben Tavern and Grill in Chesterfield, Michigan.
Pete’s Cutting Board is owned by Pete Daka.
After 25 years in the restaurant business, he bought the bar.
He later brought his children Simon, John and Madison into the business.
There is a lot of tension as he is not the best manager and his staff are untrained.
After Pete’s father’s recent death, he started drinking more.
He began ignoring his duties, leaving the bar in disrepair.
They are now deep in debt and in desperate need of help.
Jason is in the recon trailer with expert mixologist Diana Small and expert chef Jennifer Murphy.
They see the name of the bar as a mouthful to say and the bar itself is neglected.
They also watch Pete start his drinking while the bar staff do many things incorrectly.
John and Simon are in the kitchen, cooking in an unsanitary environment.
Two radio personalities are in the bar as spies and they are recommended cocktails.
When the drinks arrive after being made incorrectly.
They hate the taste but go ahead to order Reubens as it's in their name.
The food is made incorrectly and they can taste that the ham is off.
Pete is seen giving away free shots to customers.
Jason goes in to meet with Pete and calls him out on his behavior during the night.
He calls him out on his drinking and giving away free drinks.
Jason is shown the iced beers in coolers, which is very bad for beer.
Pete does not seem to care about the state of the bar or the fact he is robbing his staff of tips by giving away drinks.
When Jason leaves, Pete’s children are unhappy with their father and he quickly sobers up.
The next day, the staff and the children are at the bar along with Pete.
The good news is that Pete did not have a drink since Jason left the night before.
The staff say the biggest problem is Pete giving away drinks.
People come to the bar for the free drinks so there is no space for real paying customers.
Jason gives them the Partender report and it reveals that they lost $1100 in one weekend on free drinks.
They owe $193,000 and the lost $84,000 in free drinks could have cleared half the debt.
Jason tells Pete he himself has never had a drink in his own restaurant.
He says that Pete should not treat his business as his playground.
Pete agrees to change his attitude and the experts are introduced.
Jennifer asks Pete to make a Reuben sandwich, which is okay but cold in the middle.
Jennifer shows them how to make a Reuben with a twist to stand out from the competition.
Diana decides to go back to the basics of bartending with the staff.
She has a bartender make a Baybreeze and it is too heavy on the cranberry.
Diana shows them how to make it correctly with a small deviation.
They get ready for a stress test where Pete is expected to be present and working.
Pete lets customers into the bar for the stress test.
The place is quickly packed and a bartender attempts to make 2 drinks at once.
She makes mistakes and is advised to master making one first before making two.
Food is made correctly but there are no runners, leaving the food cold and needing rewarming.
They see the drink ordering process, which involves wet, soggy napkins.
The bartenders work out of one well, piling on each other.
The kitchen staff get frustrated at having to refire food.
Pete is focused on the wrong things.
The stress test is shut down after too many customers are left without food or drink.
It was obvious they would not be able to catch up.
The next day, Jennifer trains the staff on making a simple roast beef sandwich.
Diana trains them on making and mastering one drink at a time.
Jason meets with Pete at another location as work is being done at his own bar.
Pete is unclear about his role and Jason points out he is going into himself and hiding.
They connect on Pete’s loss of his father and he is driven to find inspiration from that.
Sometime later, the renovations are complete.
The staff and community are gathered for the unveiling.
They have a new sign along with a new name.
The bar is now called Pete’s Butcher Block Bar.
Inside has been elevated just as the sign and name have been.
The theme of bistro and bar carries through with upscale lighting and furnishing.
Pete is overwhelmed by a photo of his father and the children also tear up at this.
They have an underbar charging system, Skytab POS system with tablets and a subscription to Partender.
There are new bar tools from barproducts.com, a new ice well, a 3-sink system, new kitchen hoods and much more.
They let in customers and Pete is reminded they are all to pay for their own drinks.
The staff get to work, and Jason is impressed everyone is working hard.
This includes Pete, who has his children in awe.
What Happened Next at Pete's Cutting Board Reuben Tavern and Grill?
Six weeks later, business had picked up significantly.
Pete has stopped drinking at the bar.
He helped his sons open a restaurant down the street from the bar.
They didn't keep the new name.
Pete shortened the name slightly to Pete's Cutting Board and Reuben Tavern.
Reviews are mostly positive.
They praise the service and staff.
There are a few complaints about food.
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Previous episode - Top Shelf Sports Bar and Grille / Blue Line Tavern
Next episode - Daq Shack
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