Jon Taffer has traveled the country and devoted his life to saving failing bars on the brink of disaster. Over the past three seasons of Bar Rescue he’s bailed out more than 60 bars! And his line of work can get pretty dirty. Everything from mold and maggots to rats and raccoons, Taffer has seen his fair share of behind the scenes foulness to give a hazmat team a run for their money.
A lot of times owners feel helpless as their financial burdens begin to pile up. They start neglecting their business and it spirals from there. When owners slack on sanitation they risk getting people sick. Cleaning is free and something any owner can easily do every day to improve their business.
Here are the Top 10 filthiest bars Taffer has ever rescued:
10. Stand Up Scottsdale in Scottsdale, Arizona – A poorly vented kitchen put this bar in the number 10 spot on the countdown. Upon walking into the bar a curtain of beef smoke inundated anyone in its path, making it seem as though the place was on fire. Filth and disgust was evident in every aspect of the bar.
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9. Downey’s in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Dominic, the owner, became so overwhelmed by his failing business that he didn’t even notice how atrocious his bar had become. The exterior was battered — paint peeling, panels missing — and the interior was dirty, cluttered and, in some spots, literally falling apart. The kitchen itself was filthy and poorly maintained; the stove literally caved in when Taffer’s crew started to clean it.
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8. The Alibi in Las Vegas, Nevada – There is a bunch of beer sitting in ice and the question arises on how often the ice is burned. People think that ice stops bacteria but it doesn’t. Taffer tells them that when the ice is burned down the sludge that is left behind is bacteria. In addition, all of the appliances were covered in goopy grease creating a fire hazard. Taffer scraped bacteria off of the cutting boards and continued to find one sanitary violation after another.
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7. The Oasis Hookah Bar in Omaha, Nebraska - The entire bar is disgusting, there is garbage surrounding the circular bar, sitting right next to customers. The bathroom is so repulsive that customers walk right out upon entering and do not use it. The trash throughout the bar sounds horrible, however, this is not yet the worst problem; the bar gives off a horrific odor because a dead rat has been sitting behind a couch for weeks.
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6. MT Bottle in Murfreesboro, TN –All their kitchen equipment is behind the bar, which causes clutter, confusion and safety hazards. However, the biggest problem was the bottle drop and the black pond of sludge at the bottom eight feet from the cooler where the food is kept. This was a serious safety hazard for everyone in the building.
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5. KC’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill in Kansas City, Missouri - The owner was so busy swigging his money away and encouraging his staff to over pour that he didn’t even notice that the biggest problem in his bar was the raccoons nesting right above his head. In addition, the flooring behind the bar was a raised platform where tap lines leaked and rotted a hole right through the floor.
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4. Extremes Sports Bar & Grill in Orange County, California – This bar featured a bunch of barely clad bikini bartenders and even though the staff was exposed the filth was well hidden. The bar was raddled with decay, mice, dirt, bacteria and water. During the stress test a drink went over the bar that had rat droppings in it. A bar this dilapidated breeds decay from the floor to the attitudes.
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3. J.A. Murphy’s Tavern in Fells Point, Maryland - There are mouse droppings all over the kitchen and a large dead rat decaying in the corner. The bar was so neglected and dilapidated it turns out after inspection, that the beams holding up the structure were corroded with dry rot and water damage, making the building technically condemned and unsafe for anyone to be in.
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2. Headhunters in Austin, TX - The bar reeked of cat piss upon entering and what was found in the liquor bottles was even worse. The filth, animal feces, mold on the ceiling and roach infestation sent Taffer over the edge and he immediately called to have the venue fumigated. When the hazmat team entered the building to fumigate they found a class five infestation of three giant cockroach colonies throughout the bar.
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1. Fairways Gold & Grill in Murfreesboro, Tennessee – Vents are covered in slime, gunk is being pulled out of the bottom of the fryer and the bacterium in the food has grown so much that it is actually bubbling. The condition of the kitchen was so bad that there were mushrooms growing in the mold infested walk-in cooler. It took a professional mold removal cleaning team a full 24 hours to make sure that the bar was safe for service again. These molds damage vital parts of the human body including the lungs and immune system and are potentially fatal. Toxic mold can spread easily through air vents; therefore any infestation found in any area of the bar can render the entire bar unsafe.
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For Taffer's Top 10 Most Discusting Bars Episode Highlights - CLICK HERE.
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