In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer has asked Danny Trejo to visit Calendar’s Pizzeria and Sports Bar in Macclenny, Florida.
Calendar's Pizzeria is owned by Terri.
She opened the bar in 2005 and it was an initial success, becoming popular in Macclenny.
But soon, her management style started to show as the staff rebelled and the business suffered.
Terri turned to her daughter for help but she is still resistant to her advice for change.
Danny is in the surveillance truck with expert mixologist Nick Ortega and expert chef Jennifer Murphy.
They see the exterior and it looks nothing like a sports bar.
The name of the bar brings a stationary store to mind.
Inside, there are no TVs and there are decorative gnomes, even though it is a sports bar.
They find out Terri is in debt and is losing $8,000 a month.
They see all the staff on the footage.
The cook is making French fries in a pizza oven.
The bar serves all of its drinks in plastic cups.
The spies are well known food bloggers, which Danny says helped him grow his business.
One orders the special drink and the other orders a classic Negroni.
The sandwiches are named after the days of the week.
It is confusing as no one knows what is in them.
The Negroni stumps all the bartenders.
They have to Google it and finally tell the customer that they cannot make it.
They decide to order margaritas but they arrive and are lumpy.
The food comes and the salad comes with a packaged sauce that the customer has to add on their own.
Danny has seen enough, as the owner is nowhere near the customers.
When he walks in, he goes to the bloggers to get their direct feedback.
Danny talks with Terri while the experts go to the bar and the kitchen to tell them all they have seen.
Danny points out Terri can save more money by using glasses than by buying plastic cups.
The next day, Terri is reflecting, saying that she was embarrassed by the encounter with Danny.
Jennifer says she has said the exact same things as Danny but her advice was ignored.
Danny walks in and meets with the staff, along with his experts.
The experts highlight all they saw the night before.
They put the blame on Terri, who is the one who did not put in the right systems.
The staff all give their insights into why they think the bar is failing.
Jennifer says the staff frequently do not come into work and are not punished for this.
Terri has to overextend herself due to the missing staff, causing herself stress.
The staff are to do training and Nick has them try to make a Negroni to assess their skill level.
Somehow, they use the proper tools and glassware.
Nick demonstrates the proper way to make a Negroni.
Jennifer takes the staff through making a panini sandwich as they have been gifted a panini press.
Before the stress test, Danny consults with Jon to help get his thoughts together.
He is hoping Terri will step up and greet customers and let her daughter run the staff and operations.
Customers are let in, and right off the bat, it starts falling apart.
The bartenders only make one drink at a time.
In the kitchen, the cook makes pizza as Jennifer watches.
There is no system for the tickets or communication between the staff.
Danny hangs out with customers and their drinks come incomplete.
Their food is delayed and takes a long while to leave the kitchen.
The cook is overwhelmed by the number of orders.
She wants to walk out as she is very behind in the ticket queue.
Danny has seen enough and shuts down the stress test.
The next day, they start training by making a twisted version of a Hugo.
It will be their signature drink.
In the kitchen, Holly is back.
They start training on making a pizza that takes minutes to make.
Danny sits with Terri and Jennifer.
Terri is aware the bar needs new systems.
She is willing to relinquish the bar management to Jennifer.
Jennifer is equally ready to step up.
Danny meets with Jon’s renovation team to work on a new theme.
A few days later, Terri and all the staff are gathered to see the new bar.
Danny unveils to them a new bar called Terri’s, named after the owner.
The signage is clear as an Italian kitchen and bar.
People will know that it is not a stationary store.
They are then let in, and the interior is now more put together.
There is a subtle mix of Italian and nightlife themes.
Behind the bar, they have new glassware and bar tools.
There are two terminals for Skytabs, new menus and a new chef’s jacket for Holly.
They are all in shock and close to tears.
Danny says one thing that was missing before was pride but he sees it in them now.
They quickly set up and let customers into the bar.
Jennifer quickly steps up, organizing the bartenders.
She is pushing them to make more than one drink, which they can do to get ahead.
The kitchen is also doing great and is cooking food faster.
They are sending it out quickly to positive feedback.
Jennifer is confidently directing staff and Terri is not in her way.
What Happened Next at Calendar's Pizzeria?
Six weeks later, sales are up slightly over the previous year.
The new kitchen equipment has helped them expand their menu.
Terri is still at the bar every day but lets Jennifer take the lead.
Calendar's Pizzeria is open.
They don't appear to have kept the new name.
Reviews are mostly positive.
The pizza receives many compliments.
There are some complaints about service.
They have added new items to the menu including a pickle pizza.
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