(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 5 | View All Season 5 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: October 30, 2016
The Bar's Original Name Was: Brickhouse Bar and Grill
Garrison Tavern Address: 424 S Nevada Ave Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Episode Recap
Brickhouse Bar and Grill, later renamed to Garrison Tavern, was a Colorado Springs, Colorado bar that was featured on Season 5 of Bar Rescue.
Though the Garrison Tavern Bar Rescue episode aired in October 2016, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place a few months earlier.
It was Season 5 Episode 10 and the episode name was “Zero Drunk Thirty”.
In this episode, Jon Taffer heads to The Brickhouse Bar and Grill.
The Brickhouse Bar owner is Jon Nicholls and the bar is located in Colorado Springs, CO.
Because both Jon Nicholls and Jon Taffer have the same first name, I will try to always use the last names so that you know who I’m talking about.
If you’re not familiar with Colorado, Colorado Springs is a city of almost 500,000 people that’s located south of Denver and right by the Rocky Mountains.
It’s also home to a number of military bases such as Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, and the United States Air Force Academy.
As a result, it has a pretty high military presence (with Jon Nicholls being one of those folks, hence the name of the episode).
In fact, Jon Nicholls is still an active service member and he only recently got back from his latest tour in the Middle East.
He used all of his money to open the bar, thinking it would be an easy way to make money.
The bar had a reputation as a biker bar, which didn’t help in Colorado Springs (a fairly conservative city).
Jon Nicholls wanted to ditch this aspect of the bar.
However, financial issues got in the way of rebranding it, which is one reason why he asked for Jon Taffer’s help.
Jon, the owner, flirts with the women at the bar even though he is dating a bartender.
He also drinks a lot, which is a pretty common problem for owners that show up on Bar Rescue.
The employees use equipment and tools in poor condition.
The bar is supposed to close in three months since Jon will go off on another military deployment.
Mixologist Phil Wills and expert chef Ryan Scott help Jon Taffer recon the bar.
The three men agree the outside of the bar is dull.
Jon Taffer reads the letter Jon Nicholls wrote to him.
The bar rescue isn’t just for the bar’s success but for Jon’s military career.
The footage shows Jon Nicholls offering free drinks to the women at the bar while taking shots.
Brickhouse Bar and Grill has four bartenders, one server, and a cook.
The kitchen is dirty and greasy, and a bartender has her fingers in a drink she is making.
Jon sends in army tank commanders to spy on the bar.
The bartenders do not know how to make every drink the men order.
The two spies order a beer. The beer loses a lot of foam which is also money being lost.
Jon Nicholls calls for more drinks for the women at the bar, but he is cut off.
Rita, the owner’s girlfriend, gets jealous. She takes shots and leaves to cool down.
Jon enters the bar to condemn Jon Nicholls.
The two Jons have a meeting, and Jon Taffer tells the owner to prove he is worth rescuing.
The next day at the staff meeting, Jon Nicholls tells his staff about the state of the bar.
The employees tell Jon the bar is failing because nothing is consistent.
Jon Nicholls is told to step up as a leader.
He is then trained in the bar and kitchen since he does not take an active role.
The bartenders are taught how to make drinks geared toward men and women.
Chef Ryan shows the cooks how to make a quick Philly cheese egg rolls dish.
Let’s move to the stress test portion of the Brickhouse Bar Rescue episode…
Nichol, a bartender, starts well during the stress test, but not everyone can keep up.
Phil has to dump drinks that other bartenders make.
The kitchen can’t keep up, and servers and running food to the wrong customers.
Chaos ensues, and Jon Nicholls goes missing.
He is found hiding in the kitchen and is forced to shut down the bar.
Being fixing the bar itself, Jon Taffer also has to work on fixing Jon Nicholls attitude and relationship, starting with his relationship with Rita.
Jon Nicholls and Rita promise to respect each other while working on their relationship.
Rita will fill in for Jon Nicholls as owner, while Nicholl will manage the bar when Jon Nicholls is deployed.
After the stress test, the experts get to work on training the Brickhouse staff.
The bar staff is shown how to make cocktails using whiskey and vodka.
The kitchen learns how to make a corn cake and dip dinner.
While that’s happening, Jon Taffer and his crew work on renovating the bar.
As part of the changes, Jon Taffer renames Brickhouse Bar and Grill to Garrison Tavern.
The new name is a play on a military garrison, a home for soldiers.
It makes sense given the large military presence in the city.
Bar System has also given the bar a draft system.
The staff is thrilled with the remodel.
The bar steps up for the relaunch and creates tasty drinks.
The cooks do great in the kitchen and love the new equipment.
So was the Brickhouse Bar Rescue visit a long-term success?
Keep reading my update to learn what happened next and if this Colorado Springs bar is still open in 2024.
Garrison Tavern Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Garrison Tavern Bar Rescue visit, let’s talk about what happened to the bar after Jon Taffer and his crew left Colorado Springs, CO.
At the six-week check-in with the Bar Rescue producers, we learn that sales at the bar were up by more than 30%.
So it seems like things were looking up.
However, not all was as it seemed at this bar…
Is the Garrison Tavern still open after Bar Rescue?
Garrison Tavern closed in August 2017, which is almost exactly a year after the original Brickhouse Bar Rescue visit (and only 9 months after the episode aired on TV.
The Garrison Tavern closed because the owner sold it after Jon Taffer’s visit.
Unfortunately, it seems like Jon Nicholls really had no plans to run this one long term, as he listed it for sale within a week of the Bar Rescue visit, and months before the episode aired on TV.
I don’t know his actual motivation, so I’m not trying to say he used Bar Rescue just for the renovation.
It’s totally possible that circumstances changed in his life that made him sell even though he didn’t want to.
I just mean that there wasn’t any chance for it to be successful since it was for sale so soon.
You can see Jon Nicholls’s for sale post on Loopnet here:
3580 sqft Bar & Grill with full Kitchen.
Will be featured on Hit T.V show BAR RESCUE in 2016!
Great location downtown Colorado Springs Colorado!
Recently Remodeled.
Revitalization project going on with 200+ apartment units going up around us!
The asking price was $106,000, which doesn’t seem that expensive.
Here’s a picture of the Garrison Tavern for sale post:
The listing was created on August 11, 2016, which is more than three months before the Garrison Tavern Bar Rescue episode would air on TV and just a few weeks after Jon Taffer’s sivit.
Basically, this one never had any chance for success and its failure didn’t have anything to do with Jon Taffer.
Maybe Jon Taffer and his crew had a feeling about them, because it seems like they didn’t go all-in on the renovation here.
Still – rules are rules, so this one has to go on the Bar Rescue closed list.
Despite that, the bar did manage to stay open for around a year after Jon Taffer’s visit, even after having listed it for sale.
It is definitely closed now, though.
Garrison Tavern reviews after Bar Rescue
In that year where it was for sale but not closed yet, it racked up a 3.5 star Yelp rating on 7 reviews.
Here’s a sampling of reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer while the bar was still open:
2 star Yelp review from June 2017:
Not impressed at all.
Food was late, half the menu wasnt available.
Took forever to get a drink
Service was horrible
4 star review from November 2016:
wish only the best for this local spot and fellow military personnel.
changes made by Taffer & his team seem to be a bit confusing though….
military bar with fishing gear nailed to the wall…huh?
all the best to Jon & his team.
hope you dont have to sell it š
This review mentions hoping the owner doesn’t have to sell Garrison Tavern, so maybe it was a life change that prompted such a quick sale.
1 star review from February 2017:
Seen this bar on Jon Taffer’s Bar Rescue and had to check it out.
As I entered the establishment I noticed everything that had been done to save this failing business had been removed.
Drinks where 25$ a piece!!
Ridiculous! I will never be back!
What happened to the old Garrison Tavern location?
For a time, the old Garrison Tavern Colorado Springs location was occupied by a new bar called The Bench.
Reviews for the new bar seemed decent as it had a 4 star rating on over 100 Yelp reviews.
You can see the new bar in this November 2020 shot from Google Maps street view:
However, The Bench is now closed.
As of March 2023, the property seemed to still be vacant.
I checked again in March 2024 and it seems to have remained vacant.
I will update this post when I know more about a new tenant moving in.
And if you live in the area and know anything about the property, please let me know in the comments.
That wraps up my update for Garrison Tavern / Brickhouse.
If you want to see another Colorado Springs Bar Rescue episode, check out our Triple Nickle Tavern update.
To see some other nearby Colorado Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for Wildefire Bistro / The Prime Bar in Aurora, Malloy’s / GI Jodi’s in Littleton, and St8 Pub / Downstairs Bar in Englewood.
And if you want to share your thoughts on the bar or the Garrison Tavern rescue, you can do so using the comments section below.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
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Last updated: 2024-03-27 06:33
This bar owner was a joke. Military or not he was a piece of crap. He used Bar Rescue and they could have used that money for a deserving bar. He was worthless and his supposed girlfriend was no better. He had a gem in Nicholl but just took advantage of her. Most infuriating bar rescues. Jon is far too good for this.
Agree 100% my father was a WWII Marine, humble to a fault!
Thus jerk disrespected bar rescue and showed some people are asses, military service or NOT!
I pretty much figured he would sell this shortly after the rescue and I was right
No leadership before the rescue and then he was going to be deployed so no leadership for sure then. So I knew heād sell it before he would leave because I think he found out running a bar was hard work.
Watching this episode right now. The owner Jon maybe letās out a slip of the tongue āReady to move out! Uhā¦move in.ā Probably only had the show come to gain it publicity and renovate it to sell. I hate when I reading so many of these updates where thatās the outcome.
Looks like The Bench is closed as well:
https://gazette.com/arts-entertainment/popular-colorado-springs-bar-closes-looking-for-new-location/article_c824bdc6-eb10-11eb-a666-f7b98c18a403.html
Thanks for letting me know! I just updated the post.
This bar owner was no hero. He was only after what was good for himself, and nobody else will try to give you sympathy to get something he didnāt deserve. Heās a disgrace. ā Oh look at me Iām a war hero I help people.ā Anybody who uses military gangs better for themselves is no hero. He probably lied about his service anyway.
Nailed it. Not saying he his, but Iāve only ever heard liars milk the āheroā angle so aggressively. Every military friend and family is opposite of this guy and some are very decorated vets.
I worked in law enforcement and although there were some humble guys and gals, there were also the ones that constantly bragged about their military service. I think itās more of a generational thing.
Not really, look at all the Boomers that claim to be Vietnam vets, but never deployed. My uncle was born in 1955, graduated basic at 18 and that’s when the US was pulling out of VN. So if they’re under 65 claiming to VN vets, they never seen combat or stepped foot there. The problem is, once you join during war ti.e, you’re automatically a vet. Even cooks are considered vets. They need to distinguish the difference between vet, and combat vet
I DO NOT like owner milking sympathy based on military service. Not saying he doesnāt deserve respect for service.but itās manipulative to keep repeating ālives savedā thing. Military service and then being a drunk idiot ruining a bar has nothing to do w the other, or deserving bar rescue. They are very separate issues. Just seems like a very manipulative guy and opposite of military friends I have
It makes you wonder if they all were in on it and knew he was planning to sale the bar?
At the beginning of the episode it was said that the owner hoped to make easy money with the bar while he was away. Like the bs āpassive incomeā that today everyone thinks is a thing so they donāt have to work. I guessed that this was going to be a disaster just from Jonās premise that itād be self-sustaining while he was away. Part time bar owner? Duh. But the kicker was the disrespect of women. It demonstrates a deep character flaw that canāt be fixed with a bar Rescue. Obviously the military taught him *nothing*. The service can build character only if you embrace the ethic. Plus, heās an alcoholic. He didnāt deserve the time, free renovations or the effort. Plus, he didnāt deserve Rita. And he has kids???
Why isnāt there a one year waiting period before a rescued bar can be sold ? If an owner wants to sell within the first year they should have to repay the entire amount of the rescue.
How many times have owners scammed a renovation, publicity and made short profit.. shame. And idiots see “closed” and think bar rescue failure!
his ex wife certainly knew him well enough to get rid.
Not really, look at all the Boomers that claim to be Vietnam vets, but never deployed. My uncle was born in 1955, graduated basic at 18 and that’s when the US was pulling out of VN. So if they’re under 65 claiming to VN vets, they never seen combat or stepped foot there. The problem is, once you join during war ti.e, you’re automatically a vet. Even cooks are considered vets. They need to distinguish the difference between vet, and combat vet
According to the El Paso County website, the bar was sold on 10/17/2016 for $400,000; suggesting Jon Nicholls may have recovered his debt and may have profited.
The owners of The Bench sold to developers planning to build apartments.
Lol
The other problem is people issuing commentary on subjects they don’t actually understand.
Anyone having served in the military IS a veteran. It has nothing to do with whether or not they served in a combat theater.
You can be a cook or desk jockey or truck driver in peace time, or you can serve in a theater of combat. It’s not exclusive to infantry. Bullets and mortars don’t care what your MOS is.
Thanks for playing!
Wow – that’s for the comments. I lost site of the pat on the back for being in the military when he told Jon, “I ‘am’ a hero. Now, my hubby, who’s a vet, was half listening in and when I was making comments he chimed in with that old-age comment of — wait for it, when you work hard, you get to play hard. Obviously that means with no scruples and he smiled and left to watch his ball game.
So, this is steroeypical. He picks up a bar-fly, sleeps with her (when he was drunk) and then – as usual, they signed some contracts in bed with their toes and “she” feels used because his true nature is to flirt and get what he can acting boozy and cute (because he has military stories) and a short hair cut and gets them in bed and well, he does have a kid with someone else and his divorced and now has a girlfriend who he was leaving to in the bar, BUT in part of the episode said they weren’t getting along (seemingly on any level) but all was fine (in front of the camera) and then BAM he sells and runs.
He was NOT going to recap that loan and that bar-fly was NOT going to help him unless she got a ring on her finger which apparently wasn’t coming and when she baled, I’m sure the new Manager baled or saw the writing on the wall and hence everything disappeared and so did he.
He really had little choice than to sell, but even I was surprised it was within two weeks. He needed the money and as Jon said, a bankruptcy wouldn’t look good on his service record. Something my Navy hubby decided on his own, drunk, when he walked out on me. Thank God no kids.
He was clearly a player and expected the bar to run without him and he could sit back and have girls all over him and be something bigger, a bigger than a Hero gets for the effort. I guess everyone in that bar got what was coming to them. I think the cook suffered more than anyone. Sad. But, even misfortune can be good fortune in disguise.
Jon states and then eludes to this all the time when there are relations or family in the business. “If you own a baseball team and the catcher screws up, you get rid of them” whereas if it’s your little baby, sister, aunt, Mom, Dad, Uncle or brother you give them excuses and more chances to make things right that you wouldn’t have given to anyone else and at the expense of everyone else who knows they’d have been fired and they have to put up with the bad decisions.