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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 8:48 am 
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Spoiler: The owner says the process was a nightmare, the remodel job was cheap, and the new menu "bombed."

I'm shocked (SHOCKED!) that reality TV isn't so real...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

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Wrigleyville bar makeover airs on 'Bar Rescue' this weekend; owner calls experience a nightmare

It’s not often that Cubs fans and reality TV aficionados can find a show to watch together, but that may be the case with a Chicago-based episode of "Bar Rescue" airing this Sunday.

But before you tune in, know that the Wrigleyville bar owner featured on the bar-makeover show is less than happy with the results.

“You can’t build a bar in five days. I don’t care if you’re Jesus Christ,” said The Dugout owner Eddie Cressy of his experience with the television show, which airs on Spike.

“It was a complete nightmare, what he put me through,” added Cressy about show host Jon Taffer.

Taffer declined to comment through a Spike spokesperson.

The Dugout, stumbling distance between the Addison Red Line stop and Wrigley Field, is the star of the episode premiering 9 p.m. Sunday. It’s the latest in the series in which Taffer and his team allegedly rescue bars across the country by overhauling everything from the decor to the menu to even the name.

A sneak-peek clip of the episode shows a fruit fly infestation and an employee using bare hands to handle a hot dog, presumably to be served to a customer, as examples that prompted the show to get involved.

"Bar Rescue" executed the makeover last fall, just weeks before I visited The Dugout for the Tribune's guide to every bar in Wrigleyville. By then, the space had already been renamed Press Box and decorated with faux ivy and giant typewriter keys, with a menu highlighting Coors Light and a hot dog.

Now, the basement bar has already changed its name back to The Dugout. Press Box, however, remains; Cressy moved the concept upstairs, into a closed pizzeria in the building. (He didn't want to invest in changing the sign again, he said.)

But if you were hoping for a watch party at either bar, you will be disappointed to learn that both are currently closed.

“I had to redo all the things that Jon did wrong,” said Cressy. For one, "he did a quick paint job that looked good on camera, but (he) used really cheap paint that flakes off,” the bar owner said.

“They took up all my time in a 10-game home stand. It made no sense," said Cressy of the show.

Cressy has also added an interior staircase and new finishes made from reclaimed lumber.

And forget the show's menu makeover. Cressy said he’s dropped the new ham sandwich, which he said “bombed,” and is bringing back the bar's signature loaded tots with bacon, pulled pork, sour cream, onions, chives, tomatoes, jalapenos and cayenne pepper.

Cressy said he hopes to reopen The Dugout downstairs and Press Box upstairs March 9.

"Bar Rescue" has two other episodes set in Chicago expected to air in August. The show will not yet reveal which bars they feature in those episodes.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 9:03 am 
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This clown asked for my help and then questioned me through the entire process. He is completely ignorant when it comes to bar science. SHUT IT DOWN!

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:07 am 
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Not sure why anyone would use this bar rescue guy. He tried this shit with the owner of Hopleaf early last year:

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/2/29/11130440/hopleaf-bar-rescue-tv-show-rejection

While Hopleaf has declined a bit over the years, they just went through a major expansion and were always busy. This just seems like a bad scam.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:09 am 
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Crystal Lake Hoffy wrote:
Not sure why anyone would use this bar rescue guy. He tried this shit with the owner of Hopleaf early last year:

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/2/29/11130440/hopleaf-bar-rescue-tv-show-rejection

While Hopleaf has declined a bit over the years, they just went through a major expansion and were always busy. This just seems like a bad scam.



Michael and Louise Roper are bar science deniers.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:42 am 
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I think all Cubs fans should be sentenced to hard labor.


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:43 am 
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Jon Taffer wrote:
This clown asked for my help and then questioned me through the entire process. He is completely ignorant when it comes to bar science. SHUT IT DOWN!


Was there a lack of butt funnel?

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:47 am 
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these shows are so goddamn obnoxious. of course they're not real. nothing would ever work if people were really like this or businesses were always like this.


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 10:57 am 
Jon Taffer wrote:
This clown asked for my help and then questioned me through the entire process. He is completely ignorant when it comes to bar science. SHUT IT DOWN!

Did you tell them to put in a jukebox?


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 3:50 pm 
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"Bar Rescue" has two other episodes set in Chicago expected to air in August. The show will not yet reveal which bars they feature in those episodes.


They filmed at a the Casual Tap, a neighborhood bar on Montrose west of Austin. I don't think they reopened since the filming a few months ago, though they did promote that the show was coming there to do an episode while it was going on. I can't imagine the owners are just leaving the bar dormant until the episode airs, but I don't see it listed on the market anywhere. Very strange.

At one point we had 3 separate Facebook pages for our restaurants, none of which you would really consider a bar. Each page got the same message from a Bar Rescue producer, something to the effect of "Hey, we were in your place the other night and we think that you'd be interested...." I think they just blanket different geographic areas with this approach and look for any takers.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 3:53 pm 
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Jon Taffer wrote:
Crystal Lake Hoffy wrote:
Not sure why anyone would use this bar rescue guy. He tried this shit with the owner of Hopleaf early last year:

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/2/29/11130440/hopleaf-bar-rescue-tv-show-rejection

While Hopleaf has declined a bit over the years, they just went through a major expansion and were always busy. This just seems like a bad scam.



Michael and Louise Roper are bar science deniers.


Louise's name is Molnar. I don't think she likes being called Mrs. Roper. :lol:

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 3:56 pm 
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I literally saw this Taffer fuck for the first time this week... He's completely insane. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten stabbed.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 4:47 pm 
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Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:
Jon Taffer wrote:
Crystal Lake Hoffy wrote:
Not sure why anyone would use this bar rescue guy. He tried this shit with the owner of Hopleaf early last year:

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/2/29/11130440/hopleaf-bar-rescue-tv-show-rejection

While Hopleaf has declined a bit over the years, they just went through a major expansion and were always busy. This just seems like a bad scam.



Michael and Louise Roper are bar science deniers.


Louise's name is Molnar. I don't think she likes being called Mrs. Roper. :lol:


JORR, have you seen the stories that Michael has been sharing on Facebook around the bar's history? If not, let me know and I'll copy them up here somewhere. Its a pretty amazing read.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 4:56 pm 
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1) make sure the tv's are somewhere close to eye level.

2) make sure theres at least 1 pretty girl working there. at minumum.

3) you can overcharge for food, but dont overcharge for drinks.

5) make sure your bar stools have back rests.

6) play music if there is no important games on tv. dont wait for someone to pay $1 to listen to a fuckin song.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 5:28 pm 
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Crystal Lake Hoffy wrote:
Joe Orr Road Rod wrote:
Jon Taffer wrote:
Crystal Lake Hoffy wrote:
Not sure why anyone would use this bar rescue guy. He tried this shit with the owner of Hopleaf early last year:

http://chicago.eater.com/2016/2/29/11130440/hopleaf-bar-rescue-tv-show-rejection

While Hopleaf has declined a bit over the years, they just went through a major expansion and were always busy. This just seems like a bad scam.



Michael and Louise Roper are bar science deniers.


Louise's name is Molnar. I don't think she likes being called Mrs. Roper. :lol:


JORR, have you seen the stories that Michael has been sharing on Facebook around the bar's history? If not, let me know and I'll copy them up here somewhere. Its a pretty amazing read.



Yeah, post a link if you can.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:50 am 
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There was a bar on Ridge in Roger's Park that had been around forever. It was the kind of place where you could find generations of the same family drinking in at the same time. It was occasionally packed but never empty. Even on weekdays you could find a retiree having a few beers and looking for a friend. It was a place that could make an owner a steady salary but not rich (running stuff out of there was where the real money was produced)

A well intentioned young neighborhood guy bought the place and wanted it to be more than it was. He expanded with a party room, he changed the menu of alcohol, he tried to serve food but he also increased the prices. He attracted new customers from outside the neighborhood and made it a younger type of bar. However, this alienated the steady base. After the fickle tastes of youth moved business elsewhere and he no longer had his regulars, he busted out on a business that had been there for in excess of 60 years.

Now, he got desperate, messed with the side business at the place and almost got himself kneecapped, but that is a story for another day.

The moral of the story is that more often than not, a bar is just a bar. There are a few, and it is very few, who make a killing in that business. If you work your shop, you can usually make yourself a living but it is really shitty work. People who go into the business as a vanity project are almost guaranteed to lose their money.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:53 am 
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Surpirsed TAFFER didnt go into WILD HARE. Easiest rescue ever,.... Turn the music DOWN!

now, cut me a check and im gone? lol

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:59 am 
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good dolphin wrote:
There was a bar on Ridge in Roger's Park that had been around forever. It was the kind of place where you could find generations of the same family drinking in at the same time. It was occasionally packed but never empty. Even on weekdays you could find a retiree having a few beers and looking for a friend. It was a place that could make an owner a steady salary but not rich (running stuff out of there was where the real money was produced)

A well intentioned young neighborhood guy bought the place and wanted it to be more than it was. He expanded with a party room, he changed the menu of alcohol, he tried to serve food but he also increased the prices. He attracted new customers from outside the neighborhood and made it a younger type of bar. However, this alienated the steady base. After the fickle tastes of youth moved business elsewhere and he no longer had his regulars, he busted out on a business that had been there for in excess of 60 years.

Now, he got desperate, messed with the side business at the place and almost got himself kneecapped, but that is a story for another day.

The moral of the story is that more often than not, a bar is just a bar. There are a few, and it is very few, who make a killing in that business. If you work your shop, you can usually make yourself a living but it is really shitty work. People who go into the business as a vanity project are almost guaranteed to lose their money.


Rule number one: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:11 am 
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Chus wrote:
good dolphin wrote:
There was a bar on Ridge in Roger's Park that had been around forever. It was the kind of place where you could find generations of the same family drinking in at the same time. It was occasionally packed but never empty. Even on weekdays you could find a retiree having a few beers and looking for a friend. It was a place that could make an owner a steady salary but not rich (running stuff out of there was where the real money was produced)

A well intentioned young neighborhood guy bought the place and wanted it to be more than it was. He expanded with a party room, he changed the menu of alcohol, he tried to serve food but he also increased the prices. He attracted new customers from outside the neighborhood and made it a younger type of bar. However, this alienated the steady base. After the fickle tastes of youth moved business elsewhere and he no longer had his regulars, he busted out on a business that had been there for in excess of 60 years.

Now, he got desperate, messed with the side business at the place and almost got himself kneecapped, but that is a story for another day.

The moral of the story is that more often than not, a bar is just a bar. There are a few, and it is very few, who make a killing in that business. If you work your shop, you can usually make yourself a living but it is really shitty work. People who go into the business as a vanity project are almost guaranteed to lose their money.


Rule number one: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.


I think a lot of people who get into the bar business are delusional. They think they will create some kind of Studio 54. Most place were created for the owner to be the bartender with his family living in the apartment above. Bigfan was correct when he said to never invest in a bar that doesn't own the property.

My brother invested some small amount of money in a movie that is in production. He is not part of the industry, just knew a friend of a friend who was looking for money. He sent me some of the unfinished scenes the other day very proud of his involvement. He asked me what I thought. I wasn't trying to bust his balls when I told him it looked like something I'd only watch late night on HBO waiting for a scene to jack to.

Now, some lawyers have hit it big by investing without knowing anything about the business. My guess is there are a lot more embarrassed to reveal they put their money in a black hole.

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PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:31 am 
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I have a friend who wants to start a bar/bistro with his son in law and he's talking about this cook and this hospitality person and all these projects.I finally had to tell him that unless his son in law wants to sink a crap ton of money in this you guys are never going to make it fly without working in it yourself full time. Can't be a hobby. Can't hire out everything. I'm not sure he will listen but I couldn't just sit there anymore and listen to grandiose plans that would simply not work. Especially in this area. I can't tell you how many decent places have gone under because they just can't support themselves and pay for full time employees.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:09 pm 
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The show is entertaining for the most part, imo


Last nights sucked.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:11 pm 
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Killer V wrote:
Spoiler: The owner says the process was a nightmare, the remodel job was cheap, and the new menu "bombed."

I'm shocked (SHOCKED!) that reality TV isn't so real...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/dining/ct ... story.html

Quote:
Wrigleyville bar makeover airs on 'Bar Rescue' this weekend; owner calls experience a nightmare

It’s not often that Cubs fans and reality TV aficionados can find a show to watch together, but that may be the case with a Chicago-based episode of "Bar Rescue" airing this Sunday.

But before you tune in, know that the Wrigleyville bar owner featured on the bar-makeover show is less than happy with the results.

“You can’t build a bar in five days. I don’t care if you’re Jesus Christ,” said The Dugout owner Eddie Cressy of his experience with the television show, which airs on Spike.

“It was a complete nightmare, what he put me through,” added Cressy about show host Jon Taffer.

Taffer declined to comment through a Spike spokesperson.

The Dugout, stumbling distance between the Addison Red Line stop and Wrigley Field, is the star of the episode premiering 9 p.m. Sunday. It’s the latest in the series in which Taffer and his team allegedly rescue bars across the country by overhauling everything from the decor to the menu to even the name.

A sneak-peek clip of the episode shows a fruit fly infestation and an employee using bare hands to handle a hot dog, presumably to be served to a customer, as examples that prompted the show to get involved.

"Bar Rescue" executed the makeover last fall, just weeks before I visited The Dugout for the Tribune's guide to every bar in Wrigleyville. By then, the space had already been renamed Press Box and decorated with faux ivy and giant typewriter keys, with a menu highlighting Coors Light and a hot dog.

Now, the basement bar has already changed its name back to The Dugout. Press Box, however, remains; Cressy moved the concept upstairs, into a closed pizzeria in the building. (He didn't want to invest in changing the sign again, he said.)

But if you were hoping for a watch party at either bar, you will be disappointed to learn that both are currently closed.

“I had to redo all the things that Jon did wrong,” said Cressy. For one, "he did a quick paint job that looked good on camera, but (he) used really cheap paint that flakes off,” the bar owner said.

“They took up all my time in a 10-game home stand. It made no sense," said Cressy of the show.

Cressy has also added an interior staircase and new finishes made from reclaimed lumber.

And forget the show's menu makeover. Cressy said he’s dropped the new ham sandwich, which he said “bombed,” and is bringing back the bar's signature loaded tots with bacon, pulled pork, sour cream, onions, chives, tomatoes, jalapenos and cayenne pepper.

Cressy said he hopes to reopen The Dugout downstairs and Press Box upstairs March 9.

"Bar Rescue" has two other episodes set in Chicago expected to air in August. The show will not yet reveal which bars they feature in those episodes.

There's nothing that really speaks to it being fake there. I mean the cheap paint is something different.

Everything in the article played out on the show.

There have been super fake blown up ones but not this one.


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 5:14 pm 
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The Bar he fixed in Country Club Hills is still going strong last time I checked


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PostPosted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 2:27 pm 
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the bar they "rescued" in Antioch has been closed since Dec 31, 2015. My band played there a few times and I know the manager (Tara) and the one owner they portrayed as a drunk (Rob). Show as complete fiction. Doesn't mean Taffer's renovations were bad, nor does it mean the owner knew what he was doing, but there was very little real about the episode. But yeah...it was entertaining.

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