Bar Rescue - The Shot Exchange (The Tailgate) Update

On tonight's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Santa Clarita, California to try to rescue The Tailgate bar. The bar is owned by a dysfunctional family, which is causing most of the problems at the bar.  The dad aka Pops is an in your face type of guy who co-owns the bar with his son Matt and daughter Diane.  Some of the problems Jon encounters at the bar besides the family are the exterior, tacky dollar bills on the walls, money being counted on a cutting board, a kitchen fire, and raw chicken contamination in the kitchen.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, The Tailgate was renamed The Shot Exchange, and has a menu featuring 50 shots.  Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for The Shot Exchange since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar:



Reviews:

• "Things I liked -6 bucks for a beast of a shot...-place is nicely redone -shots were tasty -beer selection on tap was nice -bartender chick was super cool....Things I didn't care for -clientele is ghetto fab -Dj fucking sucked..he is playing bossy by whoever the hell sings that song...And other awful shit... Let people just use the jukebox"
• "The remodel is very nice and airy (a big change from Tailgate's cave feel), the budget did not seem to extend to the bathrooms but they were clean....Everything tasted home made and I was very satisfied for $9....The service was good but in fairness there were only 2 other guys in the place so no challenge.  It is nice to have another option up here in Saugus for craft beer/ good bar food, beyond Wolf Creek.  I definitely will be back."
• "I used to be a bartender here so my review might not mean a whole lot to everyone but there are a few misconceptions that should be cleared up. We were remodeled by bar rescue on spike and the new decor is beyond amazing. Our demographic has changed from the occasional fights to girls and couples at night and sports fans and locals thru the day"
• "4 stars up from a 2 before the makeover. Interior is cool and comfortable but it is one LOUD ASS Place.  Maybe 8 people in the bar and you can't hear yourself think. Drinks were good and the bartender was friendly."
• "New name, new decor, same place with SAME HORRIBLE DJ!!!  So really, this complaint is about the DJ!  What DJ on this earth #1 when you request a song or 2 tells you he doesn't have it and #2, plays the same song 5 times in one night!!"

*Reviews from Yelp

Other News and Links:
 

• Here are 3 preview videos on the Spike TV website for Bar Rescue, including the most dramatic small grease fire you will ever see.  There are slow responses to extinguish the fire, and the editing shows the biggest flame possible.  When they are actually using the fire extinguisher, you see the flames are very small, followed by big flames being shown, then back to the actual small flame.  Some flour might have done the trick.



First Attempt at extinguishing fire



Fire shown in between

• Here is The Shot Exchange Facebook page and the website with a menu that has the food and the 50 shots available.  They are pretty much normal shots that most bartenders should be able to make.  Also, here are the beers that are available at the bar.  
• Here are the Facebook pages of some of the employees, Diane (Co-Owner), Carmen (bartender and Mike's wife), Christina (bartender), and Zuzana (bartender)
• According to a local article, Co-Owner Diane wrote Bar Rescue FIVE times to try to get the bar onto the show, and I guess succeeded.  Diane's sister also wrote on the bar's Facebook page "I'm so proud of my sister and how hard she worked just to get the tailgate on Bar Rescue and transform it into the classy bar it is today ( Shot Exchange). It is a huge difference. Beautiful environment and good people to converse with!"  So apparently she tried hard to get onto the show.
• That article also stated they were getting the wrong crowd in there and it was being run down.  She was quoted as saying, "It was originally a sports bar, but all these new ones opened up and we’re just a hole in the wall so we had to lower our prices. We (started) getting a really young, gang banger crowd.”
• Finally the article says, "Shot Exchange now acts as a nightclub geared toward the local college crowd. Most nights have themes and instead of rap music, DJs play top 40s. Miller said the older crowd, their “regulars,” don’t like the change, but business is picking up because the younger crowd enjoys the dance floor and larger appearance because of the large windows that were installed."

Conclusion:

It looks like tonight Jon will change the concept of The Tailgate as a sports bar into a bar called The Shot Exchange geared toward a younger crowd.  The Shot Exchange has 50 shots on its menu and they are each $6.25.  So far, it seems like the reviews are mixed and people like the makeover and the more open feel of the bar, while some people have complaints about the DJ and how loud it is in the bar.  Only time will tell if the bar can get rid of the "gang banger" crowd and attract a different younger crowd by playing "Top 40" music.

UPDATE - The Shot Exchange was sold in March 2015 - Info on the sale.


*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.