On the season 4 premiere of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are
headed to Tempe, Arizona to rescue Rocky Point Cantina. Rocky Point Cantina is a death-metal bar run by two brothers who have apparently drained their parents' retirement fund to keep the bar open. Bar Rescue decided to
change the name to Havana Cabana Bar and Grill during the makeover.There has been a bit of drama since Bar Rescue came to makeover Rocky Point Cantina, so lets take a look at some reviews and updates of the bar since Bar Rescue came to town:
Reviews - There have been no reviews for Rocky Point Cantina since Bar Rescue came for the makeover.
Other Updates:
- The Rocky Point Cantina Facebook and Twitter pages stopped posting updates in June 2013.
- A facebook post on the Bar Rescue Facebook Page in May stated: "Just an fyi but the guy at Rocky Point cantina in Tempe Arizona is already posting negative things about what the show "did" to them." A post from Rocky Point Anthony said, "Sorry to anyone and everyone that came to see what bar rescue did to us they did not rescue anything they hurt it and that hole show is a fake and i will have the best you tube video and news reporters to make a stand that they never do this to another bar again!"
- A July 16th City Of Tempe meeting reviewed the Rocky Point Cantina, and there are 59 pages worth of info if you are interested in what was reviewed. They took a look at the previous visits to the bar by police, the live entertainment permits (outdoor ones denied), complaints by nearby businesses and residents, etc.
- A July 23rd meeting from Tempe also focused on Rocky Point Cantina/Havana Cabana, and said a live entertainment permit was refused at a previous meeting. Also said that the exterior modification done by Bar Rescue was done without authorization.
- In August, a metal band Kamelot moved their show in September at Rocky Point Cantina to another venue due to Rocky Point closing.
- A recent article in the Phoenix News Times blamed Bar Rescue for a name change of the bar, which exposed invalid permits for the Rocky Point Cantina, and lead to the closing of the bar. The people commenting seemed to not care and say it was deserved.
Conclusion:
It sounds like the Bar Rescue visit for Rocky Point Cantina ended up hurting the bar more than helping it. While the makeover done may have been nice, the proper permits were not obtained by the show, and the attention of the show resulted in the city of Tempe finding out about other permits for the bar that were not valid. The result of all of this caused the Rocky Point Cantina to close and made them cancel all upcoming metal concerts that were scheduled for the bar. The bar may have been doomed either way, but it will be interesting to see what information comes out after the episode airs.
Update from the end of the show: Six weeks after Bar Rescue left, staff reported that Havana Cabana brought in up to $6,000 a night. Steve continues to train Scott as general manager and Fran and Mary are finally enjoying their retirement. Anthony asked for his job back, but Scott refused.
To see how all of the bars from Bar Rescue are doing, go to the Bar Rescue Update page, and also Like us on Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter to stay up to date with all things involving Bar Rescue.
