Bar Rescue: An update on Natalie’s

Natalie’s, the bar featured in Bar Rescue season nine’s premiere episode, is still open and the business seems to be doing just fine.

Jon Taffer and his team of hospitality experts have now attempted to save more than 200 establishments throughout the United States.

However, despite the valiant efforts made by the business owners and Taffer’s team to get the bars profiled on the show back on track, Bar Rescue’s success rate is actually much lower than most viewers imagine.

At of the end of season eight of Bar Rescue, Taffer and his team’s success rate for keeping these bars open after their episodes aired was hovering at around 47%, with 123 bars out of 228 having shut their doors, even after their big Bar Rescue makeovers.

Is Natalie’s still open?

As a result, there is a prevailing fear among most longtime Bar Rescue fans that the businesses which we get so very invested in during new episodes may have closed down in real life before their episodes even officially made it to air.

Fortunately, though, it seems like Bar Rescue’s new season is aiming to break this streak. And, while we have only seen Taffer and his team tackle the issues at one Arizona-based bar so far, this season has maintained a success rate of 100%.

Natalie’s Bar and Grill (which Taffer renamed from the old Skip and Jan’s Sports Grill and Billiards during the “Deadliest Kitchen” episode) is still currently open for business.

And, while it they have seemingly tweaked Taffer’s changes just slightly, the business seems to be thriving in the wake of its newfound Bar Rescue fame.

All about Bar Rescue season 9

Natalie’s may be making waves as one of Bar Rescue’s newest success stories, but this was only the first rescue of 2024.

And if you really want to see how successful season nine’s businesses will be in the long run, you should tune in weekly to watch all the brand-new episodes.

The most important details for Bar Rescue’s new, ninth season can be summarized as follows:

What has changed at Natalie’s since the Bar Rescue intervention?

As can be expected, the Bar Rescue intervention changed almost everything about this old bar. Besides its new name, Natalie’s also received new service stations, a new point-of-sale system, new kitchenware, new suppliers and a whole new look.

But while Natalie and the rest of the Natalie’s staff seemed very excited about these changes initially, it seems as though some of the bar’s regular customers were not as thrilled.

Natalie’s announced on November 2, 2023 (just a few days after its Bar Rescue renovations) that they had brought back their old menu due to an increased demand from the Gilbert locals.

And it seems as though the restaurant now offers both the revamped Bar Rescue menu and the old Skip and Jan’s menu as options for diners.

And if that is still not enough, Natalie has also confirmed in the comment section that they also willing to make any missing dishes upon request.

What has stayed the same at Natalie’s since the Bar Rescue intervention?

Earning the title of being one of the dirtiest kitchens that Taffer has ever seen is certainly not something to brag about, and it is sort of a relief to know that Taffer and his team left no stone unturned in their quest to completely reinvent Natalie’s.

However, Natalie did confirm that not everything had changed during the bar’s makeover.

And even though Natalie’s has expanded Taffer’s newly-introduced menu slightly, the bar’s Facebook page shared that the bar has kept “the same friendly smiles, cheap drinks and great food.”

It also appears that Natalie is still running the show at this bar (not surprising given her history with the business). Moreover, Natalie’s has retained all of the staff members featured in the episode – including Chef Julio.

Is the new Natalie’s any better?

Given that Taffer and his team started filming for this episode back in October 2023, Natalie’s has only been operating under its new name (and newly-remade façade) for about four months.

However, it seems like the business is already thriving. The most recent review on Natalie’s Yelp page gives the bar 5 stars and raves about every aspect of its service.

It reads, “Great place. I love the food and drinks. Bartenders are nice and the cocktails are good. The burgers are bombshell.”

So it seems pretty safe to say that the Natalie’s “facelift” seems to have done the trick.