Bar Rescue - Big Mike's Sports Bar & Grill Update

On tonight's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Denham Springs, LA to try to rescue Big Mike's Sports Bar & Grill.  This episode is a bit different as Bar Rescue isn't there due to the bar failing, but the show is there to help rebuild Big Mike's after a devastating flood.  An August 2016 storm dumped about three times as much rain on Louisiana than Hurricane Katrina and one of the hardest hit places was Denham Springs.  This left thousands of homes and businesses underwater and with considerable damage including Big Mike's.  An employee of Big Mike's reached out to Bar Rescue and Jon Taffer decided to make a special trip to help save the bar.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, Jon Taffer decided to keep the name of Big Mike's Sports Bar & Grill. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Big Mike's Sports Bar & Grill since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar (All reviews are post-Bar Rescue):



Positive Reviews:

• "Came many times before the Aug. 2016 flood, always awesome. Came today, had boudin egg rolls for apps, cheeseburger for entree. Awesome, again."
• "Came in for lunch today.... service was very good.... I ordered the filet with a baked potato.... they put sour cream on my potato when I asked them not too..... they was quick to fix the issue..... the steak was ok... cooked perfect but just lacked the flavor I was looking for... I will be back to try the Denham Dip though..."
• "Their food is really good, great variety, delicious appetizers(get the fried pickles) reasonably priced! Great atmosphere, great for family or few friends getting together."
• "Great casual place. Great food, friendly staff. New addition is awesome."
• "1st time back since before the flood/Bar Rescue. Place looks great! Love the new Pool Hall/Bar too. The food was great, as always. Our server, Maddie did a great job, & is a real sweetheart! Congrats to Mike & Jocelyn! "

Negative Reviews:

• "Poor wait staff. Second time I have been there, eating alone and they care more about the tables with 2 or more. It's not because they were busy at the time, maybe 4 tables occupied. Is it too much to ask to get a refill? Obviously yes"
• "If I wanted to wait an additional 30 min for my to go order, I would've dined in"

*Reviews from Yelp, Facebook

Other News and Links:

• The Bar Rescue makeover happened in October 2016 about two months after the flood.
• Here are two preview videos of the episode from the Spike TV website - Video 1, Video 2
• Here is the Big Mike's Facebook Page and website.
• An article around the time of the makeover said bartender Emily put the story on the Bar Rescue website, which drew the shows attention.  The employees from Spirits on Bourbon (Season 3) brought it to Jon's attention and he decided to help. The article said the makeover took five days and the show put about $750,000 into the renovation. 
• Another local article said this is the largest bar that Jon Taffer has rescued with it being about 10,840 square feet. Also the show didn't want to change the sign or the logo because the bar was successful and the menus stayed the same with the exception of a few items added.
• Business is up 30 percent over the last year and the bar is having its best year ever. (Link)
• The episode description states, "Jon rebuilds a Baton Rouge bar destroyed in a hurricane."  A lot of locals pointed out that it was a flood and not a hurricane.
• There is a lot of local enthusiasm for the upcoming episode on Facebook.  A Facebook post by Big Mike's earlier this week has been shared over 300 times. 

Conclusion:

The reviews of Big Mike's Sports Bar & Grill are mostly positive since Bar Rescue did the renovations.  This episode was more of a rescue from a natural disaster than a rescue for a failing bar, so the episode was a little different.  It seems like the community is glad that Big Mike's is back and that Bar Rescue came and helped out by fixing the bar after the floods.  Bar Rescue kept the name and kept the bar the way it was for the most part, but they also helped expand Big Mike's.  The bar is currently having its best year and business is up 30 percent from the previous year.


*To see how all of the bars from Bar Rescue are doing, go to the Bar Rescue Updates page, and also Like us on Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter to stay up to date with all things involving Bar Rescue.