(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 6 | View All Season 6 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: August 19, 2018
The Bar's Original Name Was: Britestar Tavern
Britestar Tavern Address: 731 W Rte 66 Glendora, CA 91740
Episode Recap
Britestar Tavern was a Glendora, California bar featured on Season 6 of Bar Rescue.
Though the Britestar Tavern Bar Rescue episode aired in August 2018, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place a long before that at the beginning of 2017.
It was Season 6 Episode 23 and the episode name was “Star Lite, Star Not So Brite”.
Located in Glendora, CA, owner Jim Reed bought Britestar Tavern in 2013.
This means that Jim has owned the bar for around five years before the Britestar Bar Rescue visit.
At Britestar Tavern, they only serve beer, which obviously limits potential sales without liquor.
The bar is located along historic Route 66 and opened all the way back in 1965.
It’s just a little bit outside Los Angeles.
The owner kept the name and changed little else.
Jim bought the bar because he visited the Britestar Tavern has a young man.
He had opened a bar prior to purchasing the Britestar Tavern and concentrated on that one.
He started holding open mic nights, but that just drove away patrons.
Now, Britestar Tavern has faulty beer taps and is $500,000 dollars in debt.
A beer-only bar with bad beer taps? That’s not a good sign!
Beyond the massive debt, Britestar Tavern is now losing over $70,000 pear year, so Jim desperately needs the Britestar Tavern Bar Rescue episode to be a success if it’s going to survive.
Jon Taffer brings in master mixologist Shawn Ford to help get things back on track.
When Jon starts the rescue, Jim is at the bar with his fiancé.
Chris is the bartender, and Kristen is the server.
Jon Taffer sends in two local brewers as spies to recon the bar and get a realistic experience.
There is an open mic night happening but no beer list.
There is also a gross residue in the glasses.
Jon thinks the open mic night is a bad promotion, and it doesn’t bring in any customers.
To make matters worse, the tap breaks and sprays beer everywhere.
Kristen, the server, performs at the open mic night, but she is terrible.
Jim pours a foamy beer and admits to Jon he drinks bottled beer at his bar because it tastes better.
Again, this is super weird when you consider that the bar only sells beer.
You’d think they would have the beer nailed if that’s all that they do.
Jon tells Jim to clean out the tap and prove he is not lazy anymore.
He takes the feedback seriously and gets to work.
Jon says the open mic night isn’t making any sales, which does seem to be the case.
Shawn shows the staff that the bar tap was at the wrong pressure, which is part of the reason the beer tasted so bad.
Shawn calls out Jim for using old-fashioned goblets to serve beer.
During the stress test, only eight taps are working.
The Brewed Bloody, a bloody mary drink with beer, is a hit during the stress test.
Shawn has to dump multiple pitchers of beer because of too much foam.
Jim keeps overfilling drinks, and Chris is not friendly to any customers.
Jon even says that Chris’s attitude is bringing the bar downhill.
The bar brings in $700 during the test, making it the best night since Jim bought it.
Jon Taffer then takes the staff to a local brewing company while remodeling the bar.
Jon wants the team to learn about beer and sell and upsell it.
However, Chris is a no-show at the brewery.
Jon and Jim meet to discuss the bar, and Jim decides to fire Chris.
Lisa is the bartender who replaces Chris.
After the Bar Rescue renovation, the front of the bar looks modern.
There is a new electric sign, but Jon decided to keep the original Britestar Tavern name because the bar has so much history.
It looks retro but doesn’t feel retro.
TVs have been added, and the beer system has been replaced.
Food trucks are set up in the parking lot.
Jon helped to keep the bar’s history and thinks it has a ‘bright’ future.
So was the Britestar Tavern Bar Rescue episode a long-term success? Keep reading to learn what happened next and if it’s still open in 2023.
Britestar Tavern Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Britestar Bar Rescue visit, let’s talk about what happened after the cameras stopped filming and Jon Taffer and his crew left Glendora CA.
Six weeks after the Bar Rescue visit, Britestar Tavern’s sales are up by 30%, which is a huge improvement.
Jim spends more time at the bar, and Kristen is now a manager.
Basically, things seemed to be looking up for the bar after Taffer worked his magic.
So would those good trends continue?
Is Britestar Tavern from Bar Rescue still open?
As of 2023, Britestar Tavern is still open and serving customers in Glendora, California.
However, it’s under new ownership as Jim sold the bar shortly after Taffer’s visit.
In fact, I believe that it was already under new ownership at the time that the episode aired on TV.
Despite that, recent reviews of the bar seem excellent, as it has a 4.0 star rating on Yelp and a 4.5 star rating on Google Reviews.
Customers praise the environment and service, as well as the affordable drinks and food.
However, the Yelp reviews have dipped somewhat as it had a 4.5 star rating at the beginning of 2022 and it’s dropped to a 4.0 rating when I’m updating this in fall 2022.
Here’s a sampling of reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…
5 star review from April 2017:
This bar recently got renovated by bar rescue.
We have been here plenty of times before this and now The bar looks great!
Although I did like their unique vintage-ish feel. Man!
The micheladas used to be sooo good but it isn’t their specialty and now they haven’t been the same.
BUT please ladies (or gents, really, anyone; just try it!) try the new unicorn juice beer.
It’s a heff and it has a unique fruity flavor! Loved it.
Different from any beer I’ve had.
And who knows if this one is here to stay.
Oh! And don’t forget to Ask for susana or Kristen they’re the best bartender girls super sweet!
Actually all of the ladies here are amazing but susana and Kristen Have been the girls who are normally working when I come in.
Hayyyyy girlsss hayyyy!
1 star review from August 2017:
They learned nothing from Bar rescue imo.
Said they had no hard liquor, but the shelf was full.
it took the bartender 15 minutes to make two beers that had tomato juice in them.
Complete buzz kill.
Rude crowd and lazy bartender.
4 star review from April 2022:
Been here twice and had a blast both times.
Chill vibes and ice cold beer!!
My husband loved his Michelada.
Sweet bartender.
Minus one star for no AC cause a bitch is sweaty but makes me drink more so I see what they did there…..
5 star review from January 2022:
Micheladas are the best idk if it’s their recipe or Kristin skills which btw she’s awesome too.
Her uppity personality made my visit enjoyable always had a smile as she’s serving people left and right by herself definitely recommend this spot!
Finally, here’s what the Britestar Tavern Glendora location looks like in the most recent Google Maps street view update (which was in September 2022):
If you’ve ever had the chance to visit Britestar Tavern in person, please let me know your experience in the comments section below.
Overall, the Britestar Tavern Bar Rescue seems like a complete success so far, even if it’s thriving under new ownership.
Congratulations to the new Britestar Tavern owners and Jon and the Bar Rescue team!
If you want to see some other nearby California Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for Stein Haus / Friar Tucks in Pomona, Menara / The Palace in Upland, Canyon Inn / Canyon Saloon in Yorba Linda, and Agave Junction Cantina / Scoreboard in Norwalk.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
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Last updated: 2023-03-07 06:38
I think it’s shitty that the bar owner Jim waited for Jon to renovate and then sold it before the episode even aired. What a P.O.S and a user. Jon Taffer is amazing at what he does and it sucks that this guy took advantage of him! 🤬🤬💩💩💩💩💩