The Grant Bar in California is Rescued by ‘Bar Rescue’

Tonight on Paramount’s Bar Rescue, the crew and host Jon Taffer travel to Tracy, California to rescue The Grant Bar where the owner needs Taffer’s help in order to keep his establishment afloat.

The episode is titled “Taken For Granted,” and the synopsis reads “Jon heads to Northern California to rescue The Grant Bar for a know-it-all owner who blames everyone but himself for the failures of his bar.”

The owner, DJ, bought the bar five years ago and was losing $5,000 a month at the time the episode filmed. According to Taffer, he was $180,000 in debt and was lucky if he had enough money to make it about six months before closing down. Taffer also said DJ had a ten-year-old daughter to whom he wanted to pass the bar at some point.

The Bar Served Raw Chicken to a Guest in the Episode Teaser

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In the teaser for tonight’s episode, there was a piece of raw chicken served to a guest. Taffer first questions the situation in the kitchen when he notices that they don’t have any cooking equipment but a small deep fryer and oven. They then watched the cook touch all kinds of raw meat without ever washing his hands in between.

When they see the raw chicken getting ready to be served to a guest, they hop out of the SUV and quickly spring into action to make sure that the guest doesn’t eat the food.

Earlier in the reconnaissance part of the episode, Taffer noticed that the bartenders at The Grant Bar were over pouring each of their drinks, meaning that they were all coming out too strong. It also meant that DJ was losing money on each cocktail being sold, but the owner was nowhere to be found during this part of the teaser.

“So we’re looking at a decent bar, with a decent location, with a decent outside, with a decent floorplan, that doesn’t look so terrible when we look at it here,” Taffer said. “Why the hell is it failing? When everything else is decent, that means the leadership’s not.”

They also noticed that there were not very many women in the bar, which usually doesn’t bode well for the business.

He then sent in one of his female partners to sit at the bar and see how she was treated. After she can’t get a drink menu, she asks if they could make her a Manhattan, to which the bartender replies they don’t have sweet vermouth. Taffer then asks “Is this the anti-girl bar?”

Reviews are More Positive Since the Remodel

During the remodel, Taffer suggested renaming The Grant Bar to “Leia’s,” and that has since been put into place. The signage outside the bar now reads “Leia’s Restaurant. Lounge. Nightclub.” Prior to the renovation, reviews on Yelp were mostly negative for The Grant Bar while reviews on Google were much better.

One reviewer mentioned they were in awe about the changes that were made. They wrote, “I have bartended at various spots and its a tough crowd to please. Congrats you nailed it. The crew are flowing like a well oiled machine the staff is on point and the people are happy. Its about time we get a spark of life in this sleepy suberb. Thank you John and the staff of Leia’s for accepting change and creating a better experience for your guests.”

Now, on Facebook, Leia’s holds a 4.1 out of 5-star rating based on the opinion of 120 people.

The most recent review mentions that they have great bartenders and food.

Right now, Leia’s is closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they are hosting a virtual watch party for their episode of Bar Rescue. 

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