In 2004 best friends and New Jersey natives, Jamie and John teamed up with the goal to open a bar 40 minutes north of Miami in sunny Hollywood, Florida. After all the hard work, owning the bar started to become fun and money was flowing. Then Jamie was hit by a storm he couldn’t weather; he lost a son. Unable to handle the greif, Jamie began lashing out at everyone around him including his best friends and partner, John.
The lack in communication has resulted in a staff free-for-all, a rundown bar and a dwindling customer base. It’s clear they have accepted that they are not going to be busy and are setting themselves up for failure by not being prepared. In addition to the lack of work ethic bartenders are giving away product and there are rats running around the kitchen.
In order to bring the bar back to life Taffer brings in experts Chef Nick Liberato who runs his own beachside bistro and Florida native and master mixologist Kyle Mercado. They immediately get to work training the staff in proper techniques. Kyle works with the bartenders training them on how to correctly make a zombie; balancing the spirit and juice for a full flavored cocktail while Chef Nick begins working with the cook on how to properly shuck and present oysters.
Once the staff is trained the next 36 hours consist of Taffer and his team completely revamping Toucans. He turns Toucans into Bonnie & Read’s, a pirate themed bar that has roots in Florida history. Six weeks after the re-launch the bartenders continue to hone their craft, the kitchen is clean and organized and Jamie and John are now working together restoring their friendship and business.
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