Cashmere Bar Rescue Update (Dual Ultra Nightclub) – Still Open in 2023?

Episode Recap

Cashmere, later renamed Dual Ultra Nightclub, was a Raleigh, North Carolina bar that was featured on Season 3 of Bar Rescue.

Though the Cashmere Bar Rescue episode aired in July 2013, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.

It was Season 3 Episode 12 and the episode name was “Don’t Judge a Booze by Its Bottle” .

In this episode, Jon Taffer visits Cashmere in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Brandon, a landscaper, is the owner.

Cashmere was successful at first until more bars opened in the area.

To get things back on track, Brandon hired James as the manager/promoter.

James was hired to bring customers into the bar.

Instead, he focused on his DJing career and parties with their friends at the bar. 

Jon brings in mixologist Joe Brooks and service expert Jessie Barnes to help him rescue the bar.

The club is inside an office building, so the exterior is bland. It’s definitely not an attractive building from the outside.

Spies are sent in, but the booths are all dirty.

The manager, James, is sitting at the bar drinking.

The spies order their drinks and are given a towel to wipe down the dirty booth. 

Bartender Chelsie doesn’t do much except for her makeup in the closed kitchen.

James is booed as he takes the stage to DJ.

Jon comes in, and Brandon defends James as the two are friends.

Jon brings in expert chef Nick Liberato the next day. 

The experts and Jon inspect the bar.

They find dust and mold in the bar area, and Jessie finds dirty display windows and furniture.

Things get even worse when Nick finds roaches in the kitchen.

Brandon calls back their former chef for the stress test. Jon sees scotch tape on the liquor bottles and knows they are refilling them.

They are putting cheap alcohol into expensive bottles and James is the one responsible.

The staff says he is not a good manager.

James promises Brandon he will change.

Joe calls the team to make drinks.

He wants them to make a simple martini, which they all mess up.

Chef Nick has created a simple menu of olives and cheese.

Jessie watches the serving staff and corrects them. 

Jon notices there are still taped bottles during the stress test; he makes the staff get rid of them.

Joe has an airhorn he is setting off every time it takes more than 45 seconds to make a drink.

Chelsie is doing poorly at the bar, and the servers aren’t doing much better.

Drinks are taking almost 45 minutes to complete. 

James tries to help but doesn’t know what to do.

Customers end up leaving the bar because they were never served.

The stress test is shut down, and many staff complains about James.

The next day James is nowhere to be found, so Brandon finally fires him and considers Rocky, a bartender, for a manager.

The bar staff is then trained on four easy-to-make drinks. 

As part of the relaunch, the kitchen has been given all new appliances.

There is a panini press, food processor, and a convection oven.

Beyond the new equipment and layout, Jon Taffer has renamed the bar from Cashmere to Dual Ultra Nightclub.

There are new lights that can be seen through the windows.

The exterior has a new bright sign.

There are two DJ booths and artwork on the wall.

Thunder Group supplied them with unbreakable glassware. 

Two famous DJs perform during the relaunch.

The staff is keeping up during the relaunch and things are going much better.

Chelsie shows real improvement.

Two people begin removing their clothes on the dancefloor, and Brandon steps in to kick them out. 

So was the Cashmere Bar Rescue episode a long-term success?

Keep reading the update to learn what happened next and if it’s still open in 2023.