In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer has asked Spike Mendelsohn to visit The Airliner Bar and Grill in East Alton, Illinois.
Airliner Bar is owned by Sherry.
Her and her late husband Richard have owned the bar since 1988.
It was a success mainly because of Richard’s personality.
Sadly, Richard passed away.
Sherry had to step up and asked her daughter Ashley to support her at the bar.
The staff are not happy with Ashley, as she has no management skills.
The place has fallen apart without any guidance.
They are now losing $5,000 a month.
Spike is leading the rescue with expert chef Anthony Lamas and expert mixologist Daniel Ponsky.
They see that the bar is dated.
Spike breaks down the situation of the bar and the staff, who have been there for up to 30 years.
They see the bartenders refuse to make two common drinks for customers.
They will only make simple drinks.
The customers also order food from a large menu .
The drinks are made and served but do not taste right.
The food that they receive has no flavor.
They see that the fryer is so dirty and coated in grease that there is a small fire in the back.
Spike goes in to meet the owners and Ashley refuses to answer immediately, feeling ambushed.
He takes her around to show her all the problems.
She says they have a cleaning schedule and it was cleaned recently, which is not the case.
The staff say that the grill has caught fire before.
Spike finds wilted and moldy vegetables.
There is also mold in the ice machine.
With this information, he shows the customers the evidence and tells them to stop drinking.
After Spike exposes everything, the staff all stay back to clean.
The first thing on Spike’s agenda the next day is to inspect the bar for cleanliness.
He meets with the staff and immediately notices that someone is missing.
It is the cook who had been there since the 90s.
He left the night before and refused to come back to work.
Once the staff are asked what the problems are, they point to Ashley’s lack of direction, which she does not take well.
Sherry tries to defend her daughter while she walks away.
The staff say they have said nothing new and some refuse to speak against Ashley.
Sherry has to talk Ashley into understanding that they must take ownership of the things that are not working.
The experts are introduced and training begins.
Daniel trains them on making a basic margarita.
Ashley is made to go through the steps one-on-one.
There is a new cook called Brett.
Anthony trains him and staff on cooking wings in their open kitchen.
They are shown how to make it entertaining for the guests.
For the stress test, all eyes are on Ashley to see if she really has what it takes to manage the bar.
Customers are let in and orders come through fast.
They started off okay but tickets started to build up as they were moving too slowly.
The bartenders start making mistakes with the pressure piling up on them.
Food is made and ready but left on the counter as no one is expediting or running the food.
Tickets have missing information.
The food and drinks are ready but no one knows where they are going.
Ashley is flailing and it is obvious she does not know what she is doing.
They soon run out of glasses and have to collect and wash dirty glasses.
When Ashley is asked what is going wrong, she blames the film crew and does not take ownership.
They shut down the stress test.
The next day, the training continues with one of the bartenders having a blind pour test, which she failed.
They are trained on making two new signature cocktails.
Spike sits with Sherry to learn more about Richard.
Sherry paints a picture that Ashley was a part of his legacy.
She feels some guilt running the bar after her father died.
The renovations continue and the following night the staff and community are all gathered for the unveiling.
The exterior has not been changed.
Neither has the name, to preserve the legacy.
The interior has been given a much needed update.
It is now a modern bar space with pops of color and an airliner themed decor.
They have three workstations with Skytabs, new fryers and other kitchen equipment.
There is a deep cleaned kitchen, a new HVAC system and a new beer tap system.
Their menu has also been stripped down from 75 items to a basic few items that they can then add on to as needed.
Sherry said Richard would have loved all that they had done to the place.
Members from the community and regulars come in and love the ambiance of the new space.
Orders come through and it quickly shows that Ashley is stepping up.
She is helping to expedite both food and drinks.
Drinks and food are great.
Sherry says that the smiles from everyone is the best reward.
What Happened Next at The Airliner Bar and Grill?
Six weeks later, the community loves the new bar decor.
Revenue has increased by 10% due to the new menu.
Sherry and Ashley have split duties in managing the business.
The Airliner Bar and Grill is open.
Reviews are mostly positive.
The food is highly reviewed.
There are a few complaints about service.
Click for more Bar Rescues
Previous episode - Bar 8 / Legacy Bar
Next episode - Calendar's Pizzeria
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