(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 6 | View All Season 6 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: August 4, 2019
The Bar's Original Name Was: Drunken Donkey Bar and Grill
Drunken Donkey Address: 301 W Round Grove Rd, Lewisville, TX 75067
Episode Recap
Drunken Donkey was a Lewisville, Texas bar featured on Season 6 of Bar Rescue.
Though the Drunken Donkey Bar Rescue episode aired in August 2019, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.
It was Season 6 Episode 41 and the episode name was “Green Walls and Donkey Balls”.
The Drunken Donkey Bar and Grill is located in Lewisville, Texas.
Best friends Chris and Nick opened the bar in 2014.
Nick grew up watching his father work in clubs.
Chris put $500,000.00 of his retirement fund into the Drunken Donkey Bar and Grill.
Nick’s wife picked the bar’s name and painted it a weird green color.
Personally, I find the color a bit annoying and I wouldn’t really want to hang out in a bar with that color for long.
Jon arrives with Chef Tiffany Derry and expert mixologist Mia Mastroianni.
They immediately dislike the color of the bar.
The bar has over 70 bar taps, but that is impractical.
They also have a 16-page menu.
Two local DJs, Scotty K and Brett Vega, spy on the staff.
They both order Tennessee Teas, and the bartender doesn’t know what in it.
The drinks are served too strong and sweet.
The DJs also order Donkey Balls made from “scratch.”
They are actually frozen.
They are made with runny deviled eggs, which is dangerous.
Jon goes into the bar, and Tiffany goes into the kitchen.
The owner wears flip-flops, and Jon says that is a sign he is not committed.
Chef Tiffany tells Jon that the food is precooked. Mia states that they have 70 kegs of beer with no labels or organization.
Drunken Donkey Bar and Grill has four managers, and Jon says they need to fire a few.
They also need to reduce their beer and kitchen inventory.
Jon comes in the next day to meet the managers.
They are unaware of all the labor costs.
Mia and Tiffany agree that the menu is too extensive.
They think if they were to create a signature dish and serve cocktails, they would make more money.
The owners decide to fire Harley, one of the managers.
Mia starts training the staff in creating a baseline cocktail menu.
Tiffany takes the kitchen staff through the steps of making fried ribs.
Nick is tested during the stress test.
Nick is overwhelmed, and Kat helps bartend but is overpouring.
Food gets out on time, but the drinks do not.
The night ends with Jon and Nick getting into a screaming match.
Tiffany trains the staff on a new recipe for the Donkey Balls that is easy to make.
Nick is stressed because he recently lost his parents.
Jon Taffer reminds him he needs to focus his energy on his growing family.
Jon then introduces the new name, Butcher and Brew Pub.
EverLawn set up astroturf for an outdoor area.
There are fewer taps on the liquor wall and five new POS systems.
Eastcoast Chair and Barstool supplied the bar with all of its furnishings.
The bar also received a lifetime subscription for inventory.
Nick began acting as a leader, and things ran smoothly for the rest of the night.
So was the Drunken Donkey Bar Rescue episode a long-term success?
Keep reading to learn what happened next and if it’s still open in 2025.
Drunken Donkey Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Butcher and Brew Bar Rescue episode, let’s talk about what happened to the bar after Jon Taffer and his crew left Lewisville, TX.
Things seemed to start off well for the bar.
Nick is at the bar nearly every day now.
Kat is doing great as a leader.
However, it seems like they’ve gone back to the old Drunken Donkey name, rather than sticking with Jon’s switch to Butcher and Brew Pub.
Here’s a quote from the Drunken Donkey website about the name change:
Like everyone, Drunken Donkey went through some growing pains.
They tried out a few sister restaurant concepts that didn’t work out quite as expected, and they even became the subject of a few Bar Rescue episodes.
Ultimately though, they ended up coming back to their roots.:
Today, Drunken Donkey is focused on being a fun retreat from everyday life, a place for you to enjoy friends over craft beer and delicious food, and cheer on your favorite team.
In short, Drunken Donkey stands for great hospitality, amazing beer and food, and fun times.
Is Drunken Donkey still open after Bar Rescue?
As of 2023, Drunken Donkey is still open and serving customers in Lewisville, TX after having ditched Jon Taffer’s Butcher and Brew Pub name.
The Drunken Donkey Facebook page is regularly updated with new posts and there’s also an official Drunken Donkey website.
Here’s a Google Maps street view shot of what the bar looks like as of July 2022:
What’s more, Drunken Donkey has actually expanded – there are now two Drunken Donkey Texas locations.
There’s the original Drunken Donkey Lewisville TX location that you saw on the Bar Rescue episode, as well as a new Drunken Donkey The Colony location.
Side note – The Colony was the home of another Bar Rescue episode – the Ace’s Sports Hangar episode from Season 8.
Reviews for the Drunken Donkey Lewisville location generally seem positive, but not amazing.
Overall, it has a 3.5 star rating on Yelp.
Here’s a sampling of reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…
5 star Yelp review from August 2019:
Stopped by on my way after a conference.
I was intrigued after watching the latest “Bar Rescue” episode I saw on TV.
Gorgeous space and great service.
I really enjoyed the food and the friendly banter from our bartender.
I don’t pass through this way often, but I will totally make it a point to stop by the next time I’m in town.
Great job, y’all!
3 star Yelp review from September 2019:
I’m a little torn with giving a 3 star review.
More like 2.5 stars.
First time back since the Bar Rescue redo.
Didn’t really change all that much.
New tables/barstools/booths moved around a bit.
More TVs.
All new staff.
Menu almost the same.
Then the changes: the place was darn near empty on opening day of NFL season for the first game.
Just didn’t have the same vibe as it used to.
Unfortunately I got a server that was a little too ‘attentive’.
Must have stopped by my table 30 times during the hour I was there to see if I needed anything.
Maybe new to the job, not sure.
I’ll give it a try again as I love their craft beer choices and food, just hope it’s a little more lively next week.
1 star Yelp review from June 2019:
Seems to be a pattern – very disappointing.
I ordered a Reuben.
I can honestly say it was awful.
My husband ordered the appetizer ribs.
He asked our server if the were beef or pork? She said pork (that’s what the menu said too).
When served, they were beef and not good.
The Manager apologized and took my sandwich off the bill and gave us discount cards to come back.
Unfortunately, once was enough.
It did have the vibe of a Bar Rescue, but poorly done.
On a positive note, our server was so nice.
3 star Yelp review from January 2020:
Time for a new review of Drunken Donkey.
This is my 2nd visit since their Bar Rescue with Jon Taffer.
I have to say, I was confused by their appearance on that show.
They have big crowds, the place seems clean and the food was consistently good.
But apparently, they needed some help so the menu was adjusted and the name was changed.
After a few months, they’re the Drunken Donkey again.
The menu has generally reverted.
The Bacon Thingies are still amazing.
I will probably go back.
BUT
We were there to commemorate a friend, and our whole table got burgers.
They were frozen, and pre-formed.
That’s unforgivable in this part of Texas.
We had 4 very different burgers and a kid’s cheeseburger.
The Kids cheeseburger was absolutely the best burger of the day.
C’mon Drunken Donkey!
You have a good vibe although I try to skip the really rowdy times (that’s not my scene).
But you can’t live on Bacon Thingies alone!
Overall, the Drunken Donkey Bar Rescue episode was a success…with the exception of the name change.
If you’re in the Lewisville area, you can swing by the bar to check it out.
If you want to see some other nearby Bar Rescue Texas episodes, you can check out my updates for G Willickers in Arlington, Harbor Point / JB Taco in Richardson, and The Brick Tavern / Char Bar in Sachse.
I also have a page that lists all 15+ Texas Bar Rescue episodes from the show, including the status of each bar as of 2025.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/drunken-donkey-lewisville-4https://www.drunkendonkey.beer/
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Last updated: 2023-03-28 05:30
I don’t like the bartender or chef he brought in they both act like they are better than anyone on earth.
That’s because they are.
You are so right.
I thought the chef was great
They shouldn’t have changed the name. The old name doesn’t make sense.
I kind of like Drunken Donkey to be honest. Butcher and Brew is a good name too, though.
No the atmosphere went into the gutter, the interior is just dismal, the food now is subpar. Before the wait staff KNEW the beers and would (having known you) would recommend new beers on tap. Now…….they don’t and don’t care about any new tap options. The kitchen has also go down in quality and now it’s just standard warfare, oh hum. We used to be regulars (Norm!) there but not any more. They just don’t have what it takes an longer.
Thanks for sharing your firsthand experience! Always interesting to hear from people that have actually visited the bar in person.
Had to stop back in The Donkey/Monkey July 10th. Went to see what happened to the name…. the woke folk burned them for “monkey” bunch a bullshit. Touchy alcoholic apes? Love the beer selection. Nice local place with TV’s with everything golf/football/soccer/baseball and such. Lauren served, she was a great host/server with engaging conversation and chatter about the taps and brewers. Tuesday is trivia night, we’re going back. The menu looks just like typical bar food; grill and fryer, sandwiches, salads and tacos. $3 close-out taps, there were 3 yesterday; a lager, a red ale and a Peticolas 10% scotch ale (nice, real nice). We like this kind of neighborhood tavern feel.
Sounds good, but not good enough to move back to Frisco for! BTW, speaking of woke folk, when I was there the water tower still had the Frisco Coons mascot emblazoned proudly. Until the outcry over that, I’d never heard it was a pejorative insult.
I found it curious how Taffer forces them to fire a manager day 1 then look we dont have enough people to run drinks on the stress test (shocked pikachu face). You cut your inventory 90% and all of a sudden you get drinks gee I wonder why? You know that saying back during the pandemic where its like this meeting could have been an email? This episode could have been an email. How many beers do you have on tap? 75?! make that 10. How many items are on your menu? Oh your menu is a harry potter novel? cut that to 20 items. Email me back if you still need help. Done.
You definitely don’t pay attention do you? They fired a manager to save money! Bar open 18 hrs. 3 shifts of 6 hrs need 3 managers! You can’t take someone who was in charge & making management money and except then to down grade to a lower position with less pay!!! Well maybe you would but I would find a new job if I was a manger you work hard to be promoted not demoted!!!
Once manager
Yiu can’t go down… managers has bigger paycheck company must do at the end
God damn Lauren 💕
John’s eyes scare me!
I just don’t understand people like Nick and Chris…Butcher and Brew a better name and John turned it around making it a bar that anyone would be proud of! But what do they do…go back to old name and the food is frozen goods. The name Drunken Donkey also applies to the owners as well.
Drunken donkey is fun name…sound foolishness but people remembers them faster
Would go to Butcher and Brew. You’d have to drag me kicking and screaming into Drunken Donkey. If they couldn’t stick with the new name and went back to the old one, makes you wonder if they went back to microwaved crap food, too. I don’t get these owners who cry about how happy they are with the concept and new name only to turn around and go back to their old ways right after Bar Rescue leaves. I wonder if Chris is back to walking around dressed like a slob, too.
I meant Nick, of course.
They kept the new name for a while after; looks like they changed it back 2020ish. Filmed late March 2019, aired 5 months later.
The location in The Colony was there before this rescue, appeared in maybe 2018. There was another in Keller at one point. So this owner has had 3 Drunken Donkeys. Likewise for the Ace rescue in The Colony–those owners also had multiple bars including at least 2 Ace’s.
Ahh I didn’t realize the “The Colonoy” location was already there. It makes more sense why they would want to change the name back then to keep the locations consistent. I will need to update this.