In this Bar Rescue episode, Jon Taffer has asked Phil Willis to visit Jon’s Goodtime Bar and Grill in Inkster, Michigan.
Jon’s Goodtime Bar and Grill was owned by Derrick, along with his friends Eric and Andre.
They opened the bar in 2020.
Derrick was the operations manager, running the day-to-day of the bar.
He was put in charge despite being a salesman and having no experience in the industry.
They all agreed to rent out the kitchen to an outside caterer.
The staff complained that it was like working for two businesses, as the businesses were separate.
Derrick was overworked, the other two were not present and offered no help.
They are over $400,000 in debt and close to shutting down for good.
Phil is in the surveillance truck with barbecue expert Kevin Bludso and expert mixologist Tassia Lacerda.
They listen as Derrick breaks down the history of the bar along with the ownership situation.
Anthony is the chef who has rented out the space in the kitchen.
The spies are popular athletes from the Detroit Lions, who enter with Derrick.
They order a basic Moscow Mule but there is no ginger beer for the drink.
When they then ordered food, they were told they were out of some of the ingredients.
Derrick is right in front of the spies but does not acknowledge them.
In the kitchen, they see fries being made in a foaming grill.
The drinks served were so poor that they could hardly drink them.
The food comes and they are reluctant to taste it based on how poor it looks.
The experts see fly traps above the customers and exposed electrical outlets.
Phil enters the bar and meets with the spies to get their feedback directly.
Phil calls the owners and introduces them to the spies.
They are well known Detroit Lions players and no one recognized or approached them.
Phil takes the owners to the kitchen and confronts Anthony on the state of the fryers and the kitchen.
Phil notices a smell and follows it to the walk-in, where there is food going bad.
He pulled out food that was all going bad.
He tells the owners that the state of the kitchen was a reflection of them and their customers have noticed.
Phil tasks them with cleaning up the kitchen.
The next day, the three owners have all come together to clean and Phil is happy with what he has seen.
Phil then spoke with Derrick and he explains that he used to run the kitchen.
He says he lost his mother at around the same time his son got cancer and has since recovered.
Phil was touched and understanding and they join the rest of the staff.
Phil meets all the owners and the staff.
There is a bar manager and Phil questions her on why she let the bar fall apart.
The owners reveal how close they are to closing.
Phil tells the other two owners that they need to step up to help Derrick.
He has the most riding on it and he has also lost a lot.
This makes Derrick emotional and he tears up.
When the owners agreed to work something out, Phil brings in and introduces the experts.
Kevin admits he wasn't supposed to be there, as he was due to bury his father after the show.
He has showed up after he heard Derrick’s story.
The training begins and Tassia trains the staff on being engaging and making a new drink called the Orange Dream.
Next, the staff are trained with Kevin on barbecuing ribs, from rubbing a dry rub on some raw ribs.
The cooked version is taken to the kitchen and Kevin is surprised at the clean state of the kitchen.
For the stress test, Phil meets with the three owners so they can clearly divide up operations.
Derrick lets in all the waiting customers and orders come in fast.
The kitchen is quickly overwhelmed with tickets.
At the bar, some bartenders are still rusty on the proper way to use the shaker.
They quickly see where all the inconsistencies are at the bar and in the kitchen, where food is left waiting.
Phil has to tell one owner to just focus on running food.
Food finally goes out to a table of four, but they haven't got their drinks.
Soon, the kitchen has no tickets, which is odd as they expected orders.
Everything is breaking down as service is too inconsistent so Phil shuts down the stress test.
The next day, Tassia takes them through making a new signature cocktail with a really enticing smoke show.
All three owners are taken to Kevin, who has a present of a brand new smoker.
With this smoker they can prep meat days ahead.
The owners are excited to taste the final product and make the same for their customers.
Phil sits with the owners to see what they have agreed on regarding sharing the load of operations.
They took Phil's advice to strike a better deal with the caterer in the kitchen.
The previous caterer was pocketing all the money he made but some of it should come back to the bar.
A few days later, all the staff and owners are gathered outside the bar.
The bar is unveiled along with a new name of Brothers Smokehouse Bar and BBQ.
They all love it and are enthusiastic about getting inside.
From dark and dank, the place is now upscale and warm.
There are pictures of the three owners all over to symbolize their long-standing friendship.
They have new POS systems from Skytab, new ice machines, soda guns and bar tools.
They have a subscription to Partender, new electricals and premium wood for the new smoker.
Anthony has been given a Chef's jacket with the bar’s name on it.
The staff loved all the surprises.
On relaunch, the owners let in all the waiting customers.
The staff are ready for the orders and the new workstations are great.
The bartenders are making drinks well and sending them out quickly.
The kitchen is also doing great, fulfilling orders to the delight of customers.
What Happened Next at Jon’s Goodtime Bar and Grill?
Six weeks later, sales increased significantly after the launch.
Eric and Andre have stepped up to support Derrick.
The BBQ concept has been a big hit.
Derrick stayed in touch with Kevin Bludso afterwards for guidance on their menu.
They have kept the new name,
Jon’s Goodtime Bar and Grill / Brothers Smokehouse Bar and BBQ is open.
Reviews are mostly positive.
Most of the reviews praise the food.
Some diners have reported issues with their food, mostly that is was cold.
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