If you’re talking about Steampunk Saloon, that was actually AFTER Jon Taffer turned Headhunters into a steampunk themed bar that sucked and collapsed.
The dudes who did Steampunk Saloon decided to try doing it even after there was already tangible evidence nobody wanted a steampunk themed bar.
Yeah, this was from an episode where he turned the punk/metal bar headhunters, on red river into a steampunk themed bar called metal and lace, and now it’s just been empty for several years.
If you don’t remember headhunters, it’s that empty building next to hobokin pie
Metal and Lace isn’t even the only failed Steampunk bar in Austin. Steampunk Saloon also shuttered within a year and a half of opening. The market refuses satisfaction.
Jon Taffer: this zeppelin’s viewing basket has railings three inches too short!!! You’re going to get shut down!!! The monocle of this bartender has a jagged edge! You’re going to get shut down!!
Voice Over: A monocle is a type of lens used to correct or enhance visual perception in only one eye.
I've seen the episode of the show and obviously I've no idea how much of it is staged or exaggerated, but I did hear that he just, would not put staff on payroll after the show and so a lot of them quit. Dunno how accurate that is, but at least within the show Jon clearly hated the guy
There’s even a spot in the episode where they’re having an argument and one of the owners paints a dick on the wall and then gets talked down and the dick gets painted over but if you pay attention to the background the dick is already painted over for most of the argument
Also sometimes they got free shit for the kitchen and stuff I could see someone calculating they could take the hit for however long they’re contractually obligated to not go back to the way things were
Another bar in town used the show to get Spike to pay for some remodeling, playing up tensions for tv, and immediately ditched his rebranding, and stayed open for a long time after.
All right that's fair, ours was a much different experience the show repoed all of the sound and lighting gear they installed for it and it was such a ludicrously overblown concept it failed in 8 weeks
I’ll never get over Taffer turning a locally beloved metal venue into a stereotypical neon lights nightclub and then the place closing down within a year. Dude is DOGSHIT at his job and advertises terrible drinks while he’s at it
I love how in this episode the bar they were trying to save was like, a shitty crust punk dive bar. Jon taffer wouldn't last a fucking minute at a nausea set I'm just saying
the only positive thing I’ll say about that bar is in like 2010 I saw Nardwaur play a set with Andrew WK there where they alternated playing songs by Nardwaur’s band The Evaporators and Andrew WK songs.
A few people have replied to this in a way that makes me unsure if they think this is something I believe that needs to be refuted, or like they’re trying to argue with the picture like Jon Taffer will hear them
Bar Rescue is like kitchen nightmares if every episode was Amy's baking company and they got a shitty mob boss who's only knowledge of how bars operate come from the ones he launders money through to fix the restaurants.
Yeah, Jon Taffer. Guy has 40 years in the bar business, mostly from the management/owning side, and is also credited with creating the NFL Sunday Ticket programming package.
Yeah I mean I suspect he didn’t actually do it anyways but the impressive accomplishment would prob be getting all of the broadcast-rights-holders and other ppl who need to sign off on this happening to agree.
Otoh those things still have hella blackouts so maybe nobody but the nfl agreed to shit?
I talked to a few former employees of the bar that this happened at and they all really hated the owner, and part of me wonders on some level if this was done on purpose to punish the dude, which would make at least as much sense as Taffer thinking it was a good idea
oh yeah the owner of that bar was a psychopath. i also watched the (reunion? i think) episode where he got the former employees to show up at his apt to get money he owed them and it was a disaster. fuck that guy fr
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Reporting live in Austin, TX.
-xaq
The dudes who did Steampunk Saloon decided to try doing it even after there was already tangible evidence nobody wanted a steampunk themed bar.
If you don’t remember headhunters, it’s that empty building next to hobokin pie
For everyone else its the opposite
Voice Over: A monocle is a type of lens used to correct or enhance visual perception in only one eye.
I’ve met people who worked there and none of them seem to have liked being there
And I have over one hundred dollars so I know what I'm talking about
He caused lol here in DC by opening a bar and stocking it with the most basic basic stuff. It was zzzzzzzz.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon_Taffer
'holy shit... this man is a genius'
Otoh those things still have hella blackouts so maybe nobody but the nfl agreed to shit?