(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 1 | View All Season 1 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: September 25, 2011
The Bar's Original Name Was: Angry Ham's Garage
Octane Bar and Grill Address: 2 Beacon St Framingham, Massachusetts 01701
Episode Recap
Angry Ham’s Garage, later renamed to Octane Bar and Grill, was a Framingham, Massachusetts bar that was featured on Season 1 of Bar Rescue.
Though the Octane Bar Rescue episode aired in September 2011, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.
It was Season 1 Episode 10 and the episode name was “Hogtied Ham’s”.
Originally named Angry Ham’s Garage, Octane Bar and Grill is a bar featured on Season 1 of Bar Rescue. The episode originally aired back in September, 2011.
The bar is located in Framingham, MA and the name, Angry Ham, is a derogatory nickname for someone from Framingham.
In the episode, Jon Taffer tries to help Tim Hanna, Lindon L.B. Meyers, and Richie Olson, the three owners of Angry Ham’s garage.
Because Richie and L.B. had some legal problems, the bar couldn’t get a liquor license with him at the helm.
As a result, the ownership was put solely in Tim’s name.
Not off to a great start…
The bar had poor management and angry neighbors because of the lack of control exhibited by the owners.
Tim Hanna makes the call to Jon to help save Angry Ham’s Garage from closing.
The bar owners don’t even know how much money they’re losing at this point, which is never a good sign.
Jon feels that changing the name is the only way to save the bar, but the owners adamantly refuse because they believe it’s important.
Eventually, Jon convinces them to make the change.
In addition to ditching the Angry Ham’s Garage name and changing the name to Octane Bar and Grill, Jon also remakes the bar and removes much of the existing decor.
As part of the changes, he finds out the staff was giving away thousands in free liquor.
A massive $2,807 in just four days!
That change, combined with Jon’s other pushing, was enough to get buy in from the owners.
Once the bar is completely changed, Tim and Jon went to the city government to get their buy in as well.
With the new decor and name change, the city officials are impressed and happy with the new direction of the bar.
So was the Angry Ham’s Garage Bar Rescue episode a success? Keep reading our update to learn what happened to the bar and how it’s doing in 2023 and beyond.
Octane Bar and Grill Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Octane Bar Rescue episode, let’s talk about what happened to the bar after Jon Taffer and his crew left Framingham, MA.
Things seemed to start off pretty well for the bar under the new theme.
At the six-week check-in with the Bar Rescue producers, we learn that sales at the bar have gone up by more than 25%.
This boost in sales enabled the bar to earn a profit for the first time in its existence.
However, the bar did have some issues.
For example, there was a fight at the bar where the doorman was hit in the head with a rock after trying to block a drunk person from entering the bar.
You can see this rock attack mentioned in this local news article.
This, along with other issues, led to the bar being suspended for a week.
Overall, it seems like Angry Ham’s / Octane had some issues with the local government.
Given that information, it might not be much of a surprise what happened next.
But first, let’s talk about some reviews…
Octane / Angry Ham’s reviews after Bar Rescue
Reviews for the bar were generally mixed after Bar Rescue.
Here’s a sampling of a few Yelp reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…
2 star review from November 2013:
Don’t go there if you want to have a relaxing experience.
I can foresee this place turning into biker redneck bar…
This place cannot even can handle a group of 7-10, the orders are messed up and the waitstaff are chattering away as if they don’t have customers.
I cannot believe the ‘bar rescue’ helped this restaurant/bar- it was a total waste of investment.
Only positive thing I got to say is that their pizza are yummy with considerable amount of grease.
2 star review from January 2014:
This place is one of my favorites. Timmy is a cool guy and a cool owner.
This restaurant was featured on that show “bar rescue” and has picked up a lot of Business since.
The pizza is amazing.
The rest of the food is okay too.
I love the fact though that you can get almost any kind of food here.
Chinese, pasta, pizza to burgers.
The only issues I’ve ever had with the place is it can get way too loud whenever there is a band or DJ.
I like it but not when you can’t hear the person next to you.
If you want to watch the a Bruins play, THIS IS THE PLACE.
4 star review from December 2011:
Went there tonight at the suggestion of a friend.
I saw the Bar Rescue show and that they changed the name back and I was not expecting much.
I was pleasantly surprised.
I had the steak tips which were fantastic and a big portion.
The mashed potatoes were good and the broccoli was as perfectly steamed crunchy as could be.
They didn’t have ice cream on the menu but the waitress was able to come up with a bowl of it for me.
Service was great and the prices are fair.
The only downsides I’d mark were the salad, which seemed like it had been in the fridge too long, and the edimame which was just the beans in a garlic butter.
I was expecting it in pods as in a sushi place.
Is Octane Bar from Bar Rescue still open?
Angry Ham’s Garage / Octane Bar and Grill closed for good in mid-2019, which means that it survived for around eight years after the visit from Jon Taffer.
After Bar Rescue, Angry Ham’s remained open but under new ownership and a slightly different name.
At that time, the bar went by Angry Ham’s Grill and had a 3-star rating on Yelp.
Also, this Facebook post confirms that the ownership is new.
However, Angry Ham’s would eventually close and the bar has been replaced by a restaurant called Green Tea Restaurant.
Green Tea Restaurant has also subsequently failed.
After that, the old Angry Ham’s Framingham location was taken over by a restaurant called Beacon Street Bar And Grill.
Beacon Street Bar and Grill used the old Angry Ham’s Yelp page, so there must have been some connection.
However, Beacon Street Bar And Grill has also closed and, as far as I can tell, the location is currently empty.
In January 2021, there was a local news article that said a new restaurant would be opening in that location.
However, I couldn’t see any evidence of that happening as of 2022.
It’s possible that the Covid-19 pandemic got in the way of opening the new bar.
A Google Maps street view shot from April 2022 does make it look like something is moving in, but it doesn’t seem to be finished yet:
As of early 2023, it seems like the new tenant has moved in.
It’s now Café Belô, which seems to offer Brazilian food.
The Café Belô website is all in Portuguese, so I can’t understand the specifics.
Below, I’ve embedded the most recent picture of the old Angry Ham’s Framingham MA location in Google Maps street view, which does now show the new tenant (Café Belô):
Overall, while Angry Ham’s Garage did survive for a long time after its Bar Rescue episode, it is now officially closed.
Still, I would say the Angry Ham’s Bar Rescue visit was pretty succesful because eight years is a solid run for any bar.
If you want to see another Massachusetts Bar Rescue episode, you can check out these posts:
Another nearby episode is Marley’s on the Beach / St. Michelle’s Beach Club in Warwick, RI.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/angry-hams-grill-framinghamhttps://www.facebook.com/angryhamsgrill/
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Last updated: 2023-02-17 06:27
it was Lyndon “LB” Byers former Boston Bruin
I loved the new name Octane and all the revisions made to the bar on Bar Rescue! It was so much better! You could tell that it would of been a success but when an owner changes the name back to the old name that had a bad reputation, they are gonna fail! Tim was a wishy washy manager/owner, which doesn’t help the business so I can see that the place is only open still because it’s under new management!
LB was a total loser. He was the one who dragged the bar into the sewer. And Tim was no manager either. Place could be a gold mine with the right management.
L.b. was the problem with the bar.the best thing that Tim did is fired l .b .
LB sucks
Running a bar is definitely more than a business. It’s a full-time commitment and not for the faint of heart.
Good idea to get training in bar, culinary, and marketing first.
LB clearly had an addiction problem. The closing frame said sales at Octane were up 27% I cannot believe they changed the name back and failed…
Angry Ham’s name was the best, as most residents of Framingham (aka Farmingham) are really just angry hams! The remodel and rebranding doomed this suds joint from the get-go. A little boozing and bawdy brawlin’ just adds to the atmosphere and keeps the dishonest honest. LB was always an enforcer on and off the ice: The Brusin’ Bruin and Pride of Massachusetts.
That’s bull. The offensive name change back to “Angry Hams” doomed this place. Getting rid of LB could’ve been great but the city officials were again insulted ruining the amicable relationship Taffer’s effort had fostered.The only decent thing remaining was the chef but when everything and everyone else failing not even a great chef can save it especially when it becomes a dangerous environment bc of idiots
Sometimes you have to put your ego on the back burner. LB is a big name to Boston/Framingham obviously his ego got in the way. I’d rather make money 🤑🤑
LB was truly a living example of the comedian Ron White’s catch phrase … “you can’t fix stupid.”
As someone born and raised in Framingham (sometimes called Farmingham because we historically raised so many pigs and hogs), I loved the old name and look of Angry Ham’s. As a large-and-in-charge softball coach, neighboring players always called me an *angry ham*, a title I wore with civic pride. I sure do miss the old days, but will always represent my hometown with porcine pride!
I think the name would’ve been ok if it wasn’t associated with LB’s toxicity with the city officials and the rest of the negativity before rescue. Pity considering the food was good. The service otherwise seemed like patrons coming in was a burden to several of the wait staff and one bartender
That’s a lot of bar/grill open and closures in a basically small amount of time.
I didn’t know who LB was. I’ll have to look him up.