(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 4 | View All Season 4 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: April 24, 2016
The Bar's Original Name Was: George and Dragon
George and Dragon Address: 4240 N Central Ave Phoenix, AZ 85012
Episode Recap
George and Dragon Pub was a Phoenix, Arizona bar that was featured on Season 4 of Bar Rescue.
Though the George and Dragon Bar Rescue episode aired in April 2016, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.
It was Season 4 Episode 50 and the episode name was “How to Train the Dragon”.
In this episode, Jon Taffer visits George and Dragon Pub in Pheonix, Arizona.
The bar is an English pub owned by David Wimberly, a British expat living in the USA.
In 1995, David Wimberly decided to close his pub in London and moved to Phoenix.
There he opened his English pub which soon became the most happening hangout place in Central Phoenix.
The business was booming and he even got his mother and brother to come to live with him.
His mother’s dream was to own a bar and spend more time with her children.
At its prime, the bar’s revenue was nearly $1.9 million, which is pretty dang impressive.
But in the last six years a lot changed in David’s life, his mother passed away and his family hasn’t been able to cope with that loss.
Due to that, David lost interest in running the bar efficiently and started using it for his escape.
Every night he started drinking heavily and kept on playing poker.
It came to a point where the bar was losing nearly $5000 a week, which is why the George and Dragon Bar Rescue episode exists.
When the family got into $700,000 debt, David’s brother Tony (the manager) realized there was no way he could get out of this problem on his own.
So he decided to call the Bar Rescue team for help.
When Jon Taffer came with his team full of experts, he immediately noticed how the exterior of the bar looks really tacky.
The popular mixologist Phil Wills shared the same thought and said the pub doesn’t look welcoming at all.
The insides were even worse with the dirt surrounding the place and the furniture is completely worn out.
When Phil ordered drinks to check the quality of service he was surprised by how badly the bartenders had made the drinks.
Some of them were too strong while others weren’t strong enough.
The fish and chips were a popular dish of the bar so the spies of Jon decided to order it.
The oil in which the chips were fried was extremely disgusting and felt like it hasn’t been changed for ages.
While all of this was going on, David had thrown a poker tournament in which he was also participating instead of keeping tabs on the pub’s daily activities.
Not only the food was bad but the service was also really slow.
Although the bar had a respectable crowd still, not a lot of people were ordering which is the worst thing that can happen in an eatery.
Then Jon did what he is best known for and renovated the place to give it a more welcoming vibe.
He also got David to reignite his passion and focus on the bar instead of drowning his sorrows in poker and booze.
While Jon Taffer did renovate the bar, he decided to keep the bar’s original name and leave it as George and Dragon.
The outside got new signage and a British flag.
The inside of the bar got a huge improvement with new seating, POS systems, and more.
Jon Taffer also added a memorial for David’s mother, which is a nice touch and ensures that she will always be a part of George and Dragon Pub.
So was the George and Dragon Pub Bar Rescue episode a long-term success? Keep reading to learn what happened next and if it’s still open in 2024.
George and Dragon Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the George and Dragon Bar Rescue episode, let’s talk about what happened after Jon Taffer and his crew hopped on their dragon and flew out of Phoenix, AZ.
Things started off very well for the newly renovated George and Dragon.
At the standard six-week Bar Rescue check-in, we learn that sales at George and Dragon are up by more than 50%, which is a huge increase.
They’re much busier around meal times at lunch and dinner, which is what you’d hope for from a successful English pub.
Is George and Dragon from Bar Rescue still open?
As of 2023, George and Dragon is still open and serving customers in Phoenix, AZ. This means that it’s survived for over six years after Jon Taffer’s visit, with no signs of slowing down any time soon.
Here’s what the George and Dragon Phoenix Arizona location looks like in the most recent Google Maps street view update (August 2022):
The bar is quite active on Facebook, regularly posting about events and specials.
They have pretty much all of the specials that you’d expect from a pub.
Here’s an example of a post promoting an upcoming Halloween party:
Reviews for the bar are good but not great as it has a 3.5 star rating on its Yelp page.
It does have a lot of Yelp reviews – over 600 to be exact.
That makes it one of the most popular bars on the show, at least in terms of the number of Yelp reviews.
The George and Dragon reviews on other platforms are slightly more favorable as it has a 4.4 star rating on Google Reviews and a 4.3 star rating on Facebook.
In general, people seem to love the food and beer.
Many people also like the crowd and pub-like atmosphere – you’ll see a lot of people saying they like to watch sports at George and Dragon.
The negative reviews mainly deal with service, but there are also lots of positive reviews about the service so it’s hard to know what’s happening.
Here’s a sampling of reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…
4 star Yelp review from September 2019:
This is my second time at this bar.
Originally I came just because I am a fan of Bar Rescue.
The Indian Chicken Curry is great!
Surprised to see this at an English Pub.
Brooke was my bartender and did a great job!
I hope management knows that they should do everything they can to keep her around!
One of the owners, Tony, was a pleasant man to talk with.
We had a great talk about Bar Rescue coming to his establishment.
The Sticky Toffee Pudding was great too!
Only giving this 4 out of 5 stars because 5 stars are reserved for Ruth Chris or Morton’s Steakhouse.
Definitely recommend visiting!
If you are a Bar Rescue fan, this is my second favorite Bar Rescue bar
5 star review from October 2022:
Ever since I visited England for the first time this past May I have been coming to George and Dragon often. Love this place!
The English breakfast & the bangers and mash are outstanding.
I hosted a mixer there September 30 and the staff was EXCEPTIONAL!
Megan took amazing care of my party and everyone was really happy.
I came back two days later on October 2 and as always Leah was awesome.
You must go to this place!
2 star Yelp review from November 2022:
Wanted to try this pub after watching Bar Rescue.
Dreadful food and lousy customer service.
Waitress was very awkward.
One and done.
2 star review from November 2021:
I have been in George and Dragon pretty often these past 2+ months, usually in the evening and late night.
The food is average, hit or miss is a good way to describe quality of menu items.
I personally have declined the menu because of the uncertainty of what I’m going to get – a very good plate or a horrible mess.
Not going to throw my money away and leave hungry, which has happened sad to say.
The drinks are reasonable, nothing special to tell the truth.
The bartenders have been great, less can be said for the majority of the servers here.
Doesn’t matter what time of the day it is, servers here are more standoffish than is necessary.
If you’re in the area and you want to learn more our see the George and Dragon menu, you can check out the official George and Dragon website.
Overall, George and Dragon is still in business and thriving. The legacy George’s mother left behind was able to be preserved successfully.
George and Dragon is still quite happening as the bar still schedules many events a month. Poker nights are still popular.
On a slightly unrelated note, David Wimberley, the George and Dragon owner, made an appearance on the popular TV show The Price Is Right.
He won a Honda Fury chopper, which will go great with the bar.
That doesn’t have anything to do with Bar Rescue, but I thought it was interesting to share.
If you want to see some other successful Arizona Bar Rescue updates (bars that are still open in 2024), check out my updates for Frozen Cactus / RJ’s Replay in Tucson and Chilleen’s On 17 in Black Canyon City.
And if you want to see some nearby Bar Rescue Phoenix area episodes, you can check out my posts for Brenda’s Inferno / Armadillo Grill in Phoenix, Stand Up Scottsdale / The Laugh Factory in Scottsdale, and Havana Cabana / Rocky Point Cantina in Tempe.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/george-and-dragon-pub-phoenixhttps://www.facebook.com/gndpub/
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Last updated: 2023-03-24 05:55
Another bar that continues the changes Jon made to the bar and it’s still open. Not surprised. Places that change back and/or stop following the changes Jon made fail.
Bar owners take note!