Through eight seasons, two networks, and over 250 episodes worth of history, hospitality consultant Jon Taffer has enjoyed a successful career as a reality TV personality via the series Bar Rescue. As the 2024 TV schedule has been the home of the currently airing ninth season on the Paramount Network, that milestone is something that even Taffer himself probably hadn’t seen coming. That's even more interesting when taking into account that the man has such an eye for what doesn’t work in a restaurant. And, as he shared with CinemaBlend, he's honed it to the point where he has three very specific tips for what to look out for when dining out that pretty much anyone can do.
What Are Jon Taffer’s Three Tips For Evaluating A Restaurant?
On behalf of the Paramount Network’s recent airing of Bar Rescue's 250th episode, Jon Taffer spoke with CinemaBlend to commemorate the occasion. And, as I spoke with the man who’s at the heart of one of the best reality TV series, he had the sort of exciting stories you’d expect from someone in such an intense, customer-facing industry.
With that in mind, I had to ask Mr. Taffer what his hard and fast rules were when it came to clocking an establishment that’s not up to snuff. If there are three words that I’d boil the tips he shared with me down to, they’d be “atmosphere, organization, and cleanliness.” But, of course, you can see what the man had to say for yourself, as his explanation for what to look for at a restaurant went as follows:
Well, typically I say three steps in, you should know it. Three steps in. You can sell it. You can do the music, you can look at the tabletop, see if they're organized. Look at the back bar, see if they're organized. Look at the uniforms on the staff. Are they wearing a uniform? Do they clean? Do they look good? And it's those three steps in, you can assess a real lot. Was the front door clean? Was the front clean? Was the parking lot clean? All these things can be assessed long before you sit down.
I don’t know how I’ve missed this detail in the numerous episodes of Bar Rescue I’ve watched, but I totally overlooked the fact that Jon Taffer goes from meeting the owners and scoping out their business to a grand re-opening of his design within four days. So, between his own experience consulting in hospitality as well as the tight timeline on hand, Taffer has to know how to diagnose and address a business’ problems rather quickly.
While sharing his wisdom on how consumers can do so for themselves, the media personality also shared another tip that avid viewers are going to want to keep in mind. And this final note is not only deceptively easy, it’s also the most important.
One Final Important Pet Peeve Jon Taffer Has When It Comes To Dining Out
As I mentioned above, "cleanliness" is one of those key factors Jon had singled out in our conversation. But, even if you get past a clean parking lot, pristine door, and all of the other signs provided above, our Bar Rescue maven has one last pet peeve that he checks out. Here now is what could possibly be Jon Taffer’s most vital make-or-break point:
But one of the pet peeves that I have when you sit down is next time you go to a restaurant, pick up the salt and pepper shaker. If they're greasy on the outside, it means they weren't washed the night before. And if they're not washed or salt and pepper shakers, then they're not sanitizing and washing other things in a kitchen and restaurant as well. Salt and pepper shakers should be emptied, cleaned out, cleaned on the outside and refilled. … And when it's wrong, you'll know it ... you'll feel the greasing on the glass.
Through anecdotes and details that the long-running series’ creator and host shared with me, it's now clear to me how his series is different from the majority of reality series out there. At one point in our conversation, he even shared with me stories about how, in the early days of the show’s run on what was once branded as the Spike Network, his differences with management caused him to walk off set numerous times.
Admittedly, that’s the Jon Taffer audiences would more than likely expect to be present 24/7. And who could blame them, as some of BR's horror stories invoke Chip and Joanna Gaines' remarks about getting out of some renos by the skin of their teeth. But that’s not the case, as Taffer also shared stories about how initially standoffish restaurant owners would eventually bring him in for a post-breakthrough hug.
Bar Rescue may be a reality series, but its existence isn’t merely to serve those looking for drama. Rather, it’s to show just how hard it is to operate an establishment like the ones featured on the Paramount Network’s long running hit. Similar to how Survivor fans see Jeff Probst as a vital piece of his show's infrastructure, it's hard to even think of a Bar Rescue without Mr. Taffer.
Revealing the good and the bad of the hospitality experience helps businesses up their game, and that also comes from the continued education of the consumer. Even Jon Taffer would agree that if there was anyone who has more power than he does to lift up or bury a bar, it’d be the people that walk through the door on a regular basis.
New episodes of Bar Rescue, which is currently in its ninth season of business, can be streamed through the use of a Paramount+ subscription. Older seasons are also available on that platform, as well as through a streaming channel dedicated to the program, through PlutoTV. Trust me, this is one of those shows that’s hard not to stop binging once you’ve settled into a groove.
