Champagne’s Cafe Bar Rescue Update – Still Open in 2025?

Episode Recap

Champagne’s Cafe was a Las Vegas, Nevada bar that was featured on Season 5 of Bar Rescue (and then again on Season 8)

Though the original Champagne’s Bar Rescue episode aired in August 2016, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.

The original episode was Season 5 Episode 1 and the episode name was “The Perks of Being a Wallpaper”.

Jon Taffer then rescued the bar again in Season 8 (the Covid-19 pandemic season). The second visit episode aired in May 2021. It was Season 8 Episode 3 and the episode name was “A Twice in a Lifetime Opportunity”.

For our Champagne’s recap, though, we’re going to focus on the first visit in Season 5.

In this episode, Jon Taffer heads to Champagne’s Cafe, located in Sin City (Las Vegas, Nevada).

Greg Simms purchased Champagne’s Cafe in 2015, which means he’s only been the owner for around a year at the time of the visit from Jon Taffer and company.

However, the bar has a long and successful history, with visitors from the rat pack in the fifties and mobsters during the eighties.

Frank Cullota, a former mob associate, confirms the mob’s dealings with the cafe. 

However, you can see that “long history” in the design of the bar.

The decor is still the original and looks outdated.

The staff also aren’t trained very well and seem to just do whatever they want at the bar.

Many locals do not want Jon Taffer to save the bar, which is a bit odd.

To help rescue the bar, Jon Taffer brings in expert mixologist Lisamarie Joyce.

Jon and his experts sit outside the bar, examine the exterior, and watch the footage from inside. 

There are supposed to be three bartenders working that night, but two are off that evening, leaving Autumn as the only bartender.

To get some hands-on experience with Champagne’s bar, Jon Taffer sends in hospitality experts Laurie and Ryan as spies.

The recon spies are greeted right away and order two drinks, a martini, and a godfather.

Greg has to show Autumn how to use a shaker, and both drinks come out too strong. 

Next, they order a Jack and Coke and a Bee’s Knee’s (a cocktail made with gin, honey syrup, lemon juice, and a lemon twist).

Unfortunately, the bar lacks the items needed to make them.

How can you not have the ingredients to make a Jack and Coke? Lol…

The Bee’s Knee’s also seems pretty simple, though I guess some bars might not have the honey syrup on hand.

After seeing the recon spies’ experience, Lisamarie Joyce heads inside to order her own cocktail – an Old Fashioned.

However, she has to wait a while before her order is taken, because the bartenders are short staffed that evening.

Greg trains Autumn on making it, but it is still wrong.

Again – how can you be a bartender and not know how to make an Old Fashioned? That’s wild…

To fix things, Lisamarie goes behind the bar to train Autumn.

Once she’s back there, Lisamarie notices that Greg doesn’t have the essential equipment needed to make drinks.

So maybe it’s not all the bartenders’ fault…

Greg tells Lisemarie that he has been producing drinks the same way for many years and does not need tools.

Beyond the issues with drinks at Champagne’s Cafe, there are also some other problems with what’s on offer.

They do not serve food at Champagne’s Cafe, only basic bar snacks.

This is a bit weird because the outside sign advertises fine food. 

Jon tells Greg he is embarrassed for the bar because Las Vegas is a city known for its hospitality.

There is no respect between Greg and his staff.

Lisamarie stays to continue helping behind the bar, and Jon Taffer leaves. 

When Jon arrives back at the bar the next day, he walks in on two bartenders talking bad about Greg.

Jon doesn’t like their attitude and tells the staff if they continue to disrespect their boss, he will leave.

The team then confided in Jon that they walked out on Greg the night before because they knew they could.

Greg then walks out after Jon gets brutally honest with him. 

Once they get things back on track, Lisamarie is introduced and begins training the staff at Champagne’s Cafe.

She takes them through making a Manhattan and a Bee’s Knee’s cocktail the proper way.

Candy, a bartender, makes a drink and does great.

Jon wants to see the bartenders’ skills, so he assesses their skills in a game. 

Autumn is nervous, but Candy does better and gets the point.

Raleigh, another bartender, gets the second point.

Greg watches the bartenders so he can make improvements and changes.

Candy wins the game with Raleigh second and Autumn third. 

After the game, Lisamarie continues to train the bartenders on other important equipment and principles.

While that’s happening, Jon Taffer and his crew get started on the renovation.

Because of the bar’s rich history, Jon decides to keep the Champagne’s name rather than changing it like a lot of the other bars that appear on Bar Rescue.

However, Jon Taffer does make some changes to the physical space.

For example, he changed the wallpaper at the bar to make it feel a little more up to date.

He also wanted the wallpaper to be a “centerpiece” at the bar.

The Bar Rescue crew also refurbished the antique chairs, which allowed the bar to have better quality chairs while still connecting with its long history in Las Vegas.

Jon Taffer says that the changes were not about “remodeling”, but were instead about “respect”.

After the renovations are finished, Greg’s mom comes by the bar and enjoys the changes.

The relaunch starts, but Autumn is still nervous.

To help things go smoothly, Greg jumps in to assist her. 

Eventually, things seem to be going great, which is where the first rescue ends.

However, Jon Taffer also came back and rescued the bar a second time (though I won’t go into a detailed recap for the second Champagne’s rescue visit).

The second Champagne’s rescue happened during the Covid-19 pandemic, where things were pretty bleak for the bar as it dealt with restrictions.

Here, you can see a sign on the door saying that Champagne’s could only have 20 people in the building, which is obviously tough for any business.

Greg even had to resort to driving ride share just to stay afloat financially.

So were Jon’s two visits to Champagnes Las Vegas enough to save the bar?

Keep reading my update to learn what happened next and if it’s still open in 2025 and beyond.