Jon Taffer has returned in the newest episode of Bar Rescue to save Finesse Lounge, a struggling business in California.
Season nine of Bar Rescue is now well underway. And avid Bar Rescue fans may have already noticed that the Bar Rescue makeovers are going down just a little bit differently so far.
What you missed on the “My Brother’s Barkeeper” episode
To date, Jon Taffer has stood proudly as Bar Rescue’s leading man, who was ready to secretly stake out, dole out advice and even throw a plate or two in order to whip these struggling businesses back into shape.
However, the most recent few episodes have seen Taffer hand off his crucial role as the resident Bar Rescue expert to various other experienced industry professionals, as he “cannot be everywhere at once”.
And, while everything else about the show has remained relatively unchanged, there is simply no denying the considerable void that Jon and the lack of Taffer-isms left in their wake.
Fortunately for fans all across the globe, and the folks at the Finesse Lounge (later renamed to 47 Social Dining & Lounge) in Banning, California – Taffer has now seemingly returned to the show in full force.
He has completely transformed this rundown and mismanaged dive bar into a modern, social lounge that is ready to rake in new business for the most recent, “My Brother’s Barkeeper” episode.
Bar Rescue season 9 (so far)
Jon Taffer and the rest of the Bar Rescue team officially returned for season nine of the show in February of 2024.
But given that some of season nine’s episodes have aired in a slightly different timeslot than the usual, it might be time to ensure that you are caught up on all of the Bar Rescue season nine episodes which have aired thus far.
These episodes include:
| Episode | Title | Initial air date |
| Episode 1 | “Deadliest Kitchen” (Skip & Jan’s Sports Bar) | February 25, 2024 |
| Episode 2 | “Wildkats Wild Collapse” (Wildkat Records Bar & Grill) | March 3, 2024 |
| Episode 3 | “Jason’s Last Call” (Hogwash Saloon) | March 3, 2024 |
| Episode 4 | “A Drunk, a Fruitfly, and a KnightWalk Into a Bar” (The Thirsty Ox) | March 17, 2024 |
| Episode 5 | “Low Five Dive” (High 5 Grille) | March 24, 2024 |
| Episode 6 | “Missing the Marc” (Arnold’s) | March 31, 2024 |
| Episode 7 | “My Brother’s Barkeeper” (Finesse Lounge) | April 7, 2024 |
Is Finesse/ 47 Social Dining & Lounge still open?
The “My Brother’s Barkeeper” episode only aired on April 7, 2024, but like most episodes of this evolved show, it was filmed around August of 2023.
This means that the newly-renamed 47 Social Dining & Lounge has been operating in its post-Bar Rescue form for about half a year now.
And it seems as though Taffer’s signature tough-love approach may have just worked its magic on this particular establishment, as it is still open today.
The business has even hosted a number of special events since Taffer’s intervention, including a New Year’s Pajama Party, various live music nights, karaoke events, and even a ‘Paint and Sip’ event.
Though it is important to note that not everything at the 47 Social Dining & Lounge has remained the same since Taffer’s visit.
What has changed and what has changed back?
In classic Bar Rescue fashion, Taffer and his team changed just about everything about the new 47 Social Dining & Lounge during their visit.
However, as is often the case when the Bar Rescue cameras leave, it seems like the changes at the new and upgraded 47 Social Dining & Lounge may just have been too much for this small business to adjust to so quickly.
A quick glance at the business’s Facebook page reveals that they have now returned to using their old name.
In fact, based on the posts on this Facebook page, they resorted to 47 Social/ Finesse for a while after Taffer’s visit, before switching back to only using the old name in January 2024.
However, it seems like they have kept many of Taffer’s other upgrades, and it does not seem like the bar’s owners harbor any bad feelings about the rest of their Bar Rescue experience.
Was this Bar Rescue intervention a success?
While the 47 Social/ Finesse name change did not end up being the successful rebranding that Taffer had likely hoped it would be, the re-renamed Finesse Lounge seems to be doing quite well.
On Yelp, Finesse Lounge has an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, with 3 of the post-Bar Rescue reviews giving the business 5 stars.
This is certainly an improvement, as the restaurant seldom received rankings above 2 stars prior to Taffer’s intervention.
