Bar Rescue - The Hot Rock Bar & Grille (Sandbar Grill) Update

Photo - Spike TV

On tonight's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Coconut Grove, Florida to try to rescue the Sandbar Grill.  The bar is co-owned by Albert and Matt, and Albert is too concerned with his fantasy football team to pay attention to his bar.  The bar was thriving but the local government made some changes in 2010 that impacted the bar.   The bar is supposedly losing $7,000 a month and is two months away from closing.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Sandbar Grill was renamed to The Hot Rock Bar & Grille, which had a Korean BBQ theme.  The bar quickly changed the name back to Sandbar Grill and also put back up some old decorations.  Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Sandbar Grill since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar:



Positive Reviews:

• "The food was very good and seemed a little less expensive than some other swankier looking places not far away. Great service and it seemed to have a local following which is always a good sign."
• "After the awful Bar Rescue remodel, which switched the name and concept to a Korean BBQ joint called HotRocks, Sandbar is back to normal. Some of the best fish tacos in Miami, cold beer and huge TVs -- great place to catch a game!" 
• "After coming here a few times since that show was taped (but has never been aired as of this writing), this place is still pretty much the same Sandbar Grill we've all known and loved...most everything is still the same or has been brought back since the show was filmed...Including the oversized wooden lifeguard seat.  Even the speakers with decades of dust on them are still hanging in the same spot, and sadly, the restrooms which really did need attention, never got any love"
• "Love it. Best bar in cocowalk. Drinks were strong and reasonably priced. Staff was amazing and on point."

Negative Reviews:

• "This place use to be a coconut give staple. Stopped by today after not being here for a couple years. Wow has it dropped off. Drinks, food, service, everything was subpar."
• "The most frustrating part of this so-called renovation: the bathrooms are still among the most disgusting in Coconut Grove!! How can a TV show come in and give it a makeover but leave the broken doors and sticky floors the same? I won't get over this for awhile."
• "I'm not sure whose idea it was to have Jon Taffer come in and rip the soul out of Sandbar, but whoever thought that was a great idea should be excommunicated, if not put to sleep. A resounding Fuck You to Bar Rescue and another epic Fuck You to Jon Taffer" 
• "The Sandbar was once a fun bar where I'd go to hangout, drink & party after kickball. Unfortunately, thanks to #BarRescue, that place full of fun memories is gone. The decor has been replaced with a poor imitation of an upscale bar which is not reflective of the area surrounding it..I wasn't impressed with the renovation or changes to the menu." 

*Reviews from Tripadvisor, Yelp


Other News and Links:

• The Bar Rescue makeover happened in November of 2014.
• Here are 3 preview videos of the episode from the Spike TV website - Video 1 (Intro), Video 2 (Shut it down), Video 3(Recon)
• There are two Sandbar Grill Facebook pages.  Here is one and the other.
• Here is the Sandbar Grill website and menu, and they still have the lava rock on the menu as well as $9.25 cocktails.
• The Sandbar Grill appears to be a franchise as there are multiple locations (Link).
• Here are the Facebook pages of Albert (owner), Matt (owner).
• Albert changed his profile picture to a picture of Jon Taffer next to Shrek, so he obviously isn't a fan of Jon.
• Sandbar Grill is having a watch party for the episode and are advertising it with the hashtag #UnTaffered.
•  Albert posted a comment on Facebook that said, "Show is a scam but karaoke has been going on for years. They didn't touch the bathrooms but that project is coming this summer."
• The Sandbar Grill put took down the Bar Rescue sign and put up a brand new sign with a shark (pictured right) 

  

  Bar Rescue Sign - Left, New Sign - Right

• In a blog post about the bar after the makeover, there were a lot of people commenting about the Bar Rescue makeover being crappy and complaining that they didn't fix the dirty bathrooms. There were also a lot of customer complaints on social media during the makeover.
• On an Eater article right after the makeover, owner Matt was quoted saying, "We're going to change some of the nights, introduce specialty food nights, get rid of some of the cheap gimmicks."  He also said they were going to focus on a lunch crowd and dinner crowd, but that isn't an effort to get rid of the college kids. 
• Albert was sued in 2014 by an employee for failing to pay overtime rates over 40 hours a week.  The lawsuit also says Sandbar Grill had gross sales of greater than $500,000 each year from 2010 to 2013, and were expected to exceed $500,000 in 2014 as well. (Link to lawsuit).
• I tried to figure out how Albert did in his fantasy leagues, but got no response. The update at the end of the show did say he won $3,500 in them.

Conclusion:

After the Bar Rescue makeover, The Hot Rock Bar & Grille quickly changed their name back to the Sandbar Grill.  The owners and customers didn't seem happy with the makeover and have been outspoken about the Bar Rescue changes.  The bar has also brought back a lot of their old decorations that Jon Taffer removed, installed a new sign, and has plans to renovate the bathrooms in the summer.  Sandbar has kept some of the changes and still serves the Bar Rescue cocktails and a menu item with the hot rock.

The reviews of Sandbar Grill since the Bar Rescue makeover are mixed, with people complaining about the Bar Rescue changes, and the filthy bathrooms.  The positive reviews are mostly people who say they have always loved the bar.

It seems like the reviews were not too bad before the makeover and people commented how the place was always packed, so who knows if it was actually in need of a rescue.  They seem to have money available for a new sign and planned bathroom renovations in the summer.  Perhaps they were hoping for a free makeover and it didn't go exactly as they wanted.


*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.