The Union (The Midway) in Midvale, Utah is Rescued by Jon Taffer on ‘Bar Rescue’

Tonight’s episode of Paramount’s Bar Rescue features host Jon Taffer travel to Midvale, Utah to rescue The failing Union Bar. The bar was reportedly in a crippling amount of debt before the rescue. The episode airs at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

This season so far, Taffer has rescued the failing Linda Lou’s and SacTown Bar in Sacramento. The two episodes have featured owners who were resistant to change at first but changed their minds when they saw how Taffer could help them.

According to the episode description for “Still Bill,” tonight’s episode, “an owner evokes the wrath of Jon and his staff because of his passive approach towards running his bar.”

Read on to learn more about The Union (now called The Midway) in Midvale, Utah.

The Owner of The Union Bar Owed His In-Laws Over $300,000

‘If I Owed $300,000, I’d Learn to Make a Drink’ ? Bar Rescue S7 Sneak PeekDeep in debt to his in-laws, a clueless owner evokes the wrath of Jon and his own staff due to his passive approach towards running his dream bar. New episodes every Sunday at 10/9c on Paramount Network. Watch full episodes of Bar Rescue: https://paramountnetwork.com/shows/bar-rescue #BarRescue #ParamountNetwork Jon Taffer embarks on a cross-country tour of the worst drinking establishments in America. Bad drinks, wild staffs, and wasted owners conspire against him and his experts as they give failing businesses one last shot at success. Subscribe for More! https://bit.ly/2JLjjeO Follow Paramount Network Website: http://paramountnetwork.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/paramountnetwork/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/paramountnetwork/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/paramountnet2020-03-16T06:30:04.000Z

According to the teaser released early by the Paramount network, the owner of The Union Bar, Bill, was extremely hands-off in the running of the bar. Taffer called in 50 guests during his recon to see how Bill handled the rush.

The episode then showcased Bill hugging his customers and friends rather than jumping behind the bar to help out during a rush. When asked if he could make drinks, he replied that he could make shots.

“I’m very ill-prepared for behind the bar,” Bill stated.

One problem pointed out early on in the episode was the size of the drinks being served. In Utah, a cocktail is only allowed to have 1.5 ounces of liquor per glass, so some of the drinks that were being made in large glasses were very watered down for the customers during Taffer’s surveillance of the bar.

Another issue pointed out by Taffer in his surveillance was the fact that there was no manager present in the kitchen, which led to the staff serving chicken wings that were overcooked and freezer-burnt.

“I have a guy in here who’s a nice guy,” Taffer tells Bill. “But you’re not a nice guy when you take $300,000 from your in-laws and do nothing to pay it back. Are you? If I owed my in-laws $300,000 I would learn how to make a f**king drink.”

Bill tells Taffer that he needed direction, which is why he called Bar Rescue. 

The bar was renamed from The Union to the Midtown Bar during the rescue.

The Union is Currently Closed For Business Due to the Coronavirus Outbreak

The Midtown Bar posted on Facebook on March 17, 2020, that they would be shutting down for the time being until they were allowed to reopen their doors.

“Due to Covid-19 a state mandated closure for all bar and restaurants is in effect. It is with heavy hearts that we will be observing a closure until we are allowed to reopen. Thank you our amazing customers for understanding in these hard times,” the post reads. 

Based on a total of 682 reviews on Google, The Midway has a 4.2-star rating. Some reviews mentioning the changes made by Bar Rescue say they are not impressed, while others mention the changes positively.

More recent reviews mention the events hosted by the bar, which include bingo and painting nights. They also host “cosplay karaoke,” and many of the reviews mention that the owner and staff are friendly.

On Yelp, the bar has a total of 33 reviews for an average of around 3.5 stars. A few reviews mention that the lights inside are bright, which people find strange for a bar. Other than that, they mention the food is good and darts and pool are available for a dollar per game.

Tune in to Bar Rescue tonight at 10 p.m. on the Paramount Network to see Jon Taffer rescue The Union/Midtown Bar.

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