(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 7 | View All Season 7 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: April 12, 2020
The Bar's Original Name Was: The Grant Bar and Lounge
Leia's Address: 2706 Pavilion Pkwy Ste 142 Tracy, CA 95304
Episode Recap
The Grant Bar and Lounge, later renamed to Leia’s, was a Tracy, California bar that was featured on Season 7 of Bar Rescue.
Though the Leia’s Bar Rescue episode aired in April 2020, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place earlier in fall 2019.
It was Season 7 Episode 7 and the episode name was “Taken for Granted”.
The Grant Bar and Lounge is in Tracy, CA.
If you’re not familiar with California geography, Tracy is a town of about 93,000 people that’s located in San Joaquin county, which is in kind of the north-center of the state.
The nearest city is Stockton and it’s kind of in between San Francisco and Sacramento.
In 2014, former construction worker DJ Miller purchased the bar.
That means he’s been the owner for a little over five years at the time of the Grant Bar Rescue visit.
The bar was successful for the first two years it was open.
Employees have offered DJ their input to improve the bar, but he won’t listen.
As a result, DJ and the bar are in mounting debt.
Chef Jason Santos and mixologist Amy Koffsky join Jon Taffer to help rescue The Grant.
The experts and Jon are the bar is located in a high-traffic area, although the bar’s exterior is bland and does not stand out.
Jon Taffer tells the experts about DJ. He informs them that DJ has only months left until he will need to shut down The Grant Bar and Lounge.
DJ’s business partner is also his ex-wife, and he does not allow her to have any say in the business. Awkward, right?
The hidden camera shows Tommy, the manager, Trina and Victoria, the bartenders, Roxy and Heather, the servers, and James, the cook.
The bartenders are overpouring, and DJ is in the kitchen instead of monitoring the bar.
There are hardly any female customers in the bar.
Amy goes in as a spy to try the food and drinks and see why there are no women in the bar.
She orders a female-centric drink, but the bar does not have the ingredients to make it.
Instead, Amy asks for a gimlet. A gimlet is a simple two-ingredient drink, but the bartender needs to contact the manager and then the owner for the recipe. Finally, all three of them google it.
The drink arrives, and Amy thinks it is too strong.
In addition to the gimlet, Amy also ordered food. The cook preps the chicken wings, and one drops on the floor. Gross!
The kitchen also lacks appliances. Everything is cooked in a small deep fryer.
The staff in the kitchen are also unsanitary as the cook is not wearing gloves or washing his hands.
You get the idea – it’s standard gross stuff that you see a lot on Bar Rescue.
Jason and Jon Taffer enter the bar before the food is served to stop someone from potentially getting ill.
Jon warns the customers to stop touching the food and drinks as everything may be contaminated.
DJ is in the kitchen when Jon finds him and calls him out.
He makes DJ clean the kitchen and will come back the next day for a meeting.
The next day Jon meets with DJ. DJ tells him the issue with the bar is the staff as they do not care.
The team does not agree with DJ and tells him it is unfair to blame them.
Tommy tells Jon that the staff is untrained.
The owner begins to get emotional, and Tommy comforts him.
Tammy, DJ’s ex-wife, tells him that her issue with him isn’t personal and he is a great father to their ten-year-old daughter.
During the stress test, Tammy will run the kitchen while DJ will manage the front of the house.
Amy and Jason are introduced and give the staff constructive criticism.
They want DJ to see how to encourage his team positively.
Jason takes DJ into the kitchen and shows him a steam table Jon has gifted to him.
Tammy, DJ, and the cook follow along as Jason shows them how to make mini pizzas.
The stress test starts, and drinks are immediately dumped.
The kitchen is slow getting food to the customers.
Soon, chants are coming from the patrons at the bar, and the employees are getting swamped.
After Trina begins to cry, Jon Taffer shuts down the stress test.
DJ encourages his staff after the stress test.
Kim thinks the bar needs female-centric drinks to attract more women into the bar.
Jason trains the staff on an easy-to-eat and straightforward rib meal.
Jon’s team works overnight on the renovations and reveals the bar’s new name, Leia’s.
The re-launch begins, and the customers are delighted with the food and drinks.
So would Leia’s be a smashing success? Or would it be another entry on the Bar Rescue failure list?
Let’s find out…
Leia's Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Leia’s Bar Rescue visit, let’s talk about what happened next after Jon Taffer and his crew left Tracy, CA.
Things seemed to get off on the right foot, as the bar’s sales were up after the visit.
Most of the increase in business comes from the nightclub, which is attracting a younger crowd.
So would this focus work for Leia’s bar? For a time, but not forever…
Is Leia’s from Bar Rescue still open?
Leia’s closed in May 2022, which means it was able to survive for a little over two years after the Bar Rescue episode.
Leia’s bar closed because the Tracy Planning Commission revoked the bar’s permit to operate after 11 pm in a May 13 vote. You can learn more in this article from the Tracy Press.
The planning commission revoked the permit because of issues with fights and “rowdiness” at the bar.
I’ll detail some of these in more depth below, but here’s a quick summary:
- A patron was hit in the face by a sharp object and needed 140 stitches.
- Multiple instances of people being injured in fights.
- A 2020 fight in which a man stabbed other people, including a Leia’s bar employee.
- A Leia’s bouncer shooting his gun to try to break up a rowdy crowd.
Here’s a statement from the city’s police department:
There’s such a wide variety of incidents that we can’t see a simple solution.
DJ Miller responded with the following:
That’s part of the bar business and drinking.
People get out of control sometimes, hence, why we have bouncers
…
None of my bouncers have ever been arrested or charged with any kind of crime or assault charges, because our video has cleared them every single time.
Unfortunately, Miller’s arguments were not enough to keep the permit.
Without the permit, there was no way for the bar to be successful so Miller officially shut down and let the employees go.
Leia’s reviews after Bar Rescue
Before the closure, reviews for the bar were not very good as it had just 2.5 stars on Yelp and 3.9 stars on Google Reviews.
Also, based off recent reviews, it seemed like Leia’s had stopped serving food, which is a big downer.
Some of the regulars also seemed turned off by recent changes as well as security issues at the bar.
Here are some of the recent reviews from before the bar’s closure…
2 star Yelp review:
Ok so let me preface this review by adding that there is nothing to do in Tracy.
This place is the closest thing to a club that we have.
Sadly this place has become over run by thugs and wanna be gangsters.
I went there last night and a fight broke out 2 mins after going in.
People mean mug you all night, and the women look meaner than the guys.
2 out of the 3 pool tables were broken and it’s just kinda run down inside.
This place never used to be be so ghetto.
For the positives, the bar gets drinks out quick, security seems effective, and bathrooms are clean.
I’m not sure what happened, but I hope management does something.
3 star Google Reviews:
Used to enjoy coming here.
Went there a few Saturdays ago.
Paid $20 to get in only to be there for an hour.
Idk if it was some special night but the music was all the same kind of rap.
Which I don’t mind but nothing you could actually dance to.
Unless you consider waving your hands around dancing.
Then some fight broke out and ppl started running for cover.
Definitely won’t be coming back here if it means risking my life because ppl don’t know how to chill.
3 stars is for the other fun nights there.
1 star Google Review:
They don’t serve food anymore.
Come on people.
These places depend on finding quality help.
Don’t let this virus dictate your life.
Provide for your family.
Food has to be cooked and served.
Let’s everyone make their efforts to help your local business.
I travel for a living.
I help provide for many local businesses all around the country.
Basically, the recent reviews seem to paint a pretty bleak picture.
There are some news reports that match these reviews.
For example, in 2020, there was a fatal stabbing that happened in or around Leia’s.
Here’s a 2020 news article from the Tracy Press:
According to police dispatch records, someone at Leia’s Restaurant Lounge Nightclub, 2706 Pavilion Parkway, called in the report that a coworker had been stabbed.
Officers responding to the bar found two people with stab wounds.
They were both taken to hospitals and are expected to recover.
While Leia’s was able to overcome those issues for a time, it eventually succumbed, which is why I’ve officially updated our our Leia’s Bar Rescue update to mark the bar as closed.
For now, the official Leia’s website is still up, though.
I’m not sure which business is occupying the old Leia’s bar Tracy location, though.
In the most recent Google Maps street view update from April 2022, it still shows the old Leia’s branding:
If you know anything about what’s happening at that location, please let me know in the comments!
It’s hard for me to tell on Google because there are so many different businesses in the complex.
If you want to see some other northern California Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out these posts:
- The Roc / Fort One update
- The Lister / Park 77 update
- Sam Jordan’s update
- Patriot House / The Holding Company update
Or, you can check out my full list of all 48+ Bar Rescue California visits – it’s by far the most popular state from the show.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/leia-s-restaurant-lounge-nightclub-tracyhttps://www.facebook.com/LeiasTracy/
What did you think about the episode? I'd love it if you shared your thoughts on the episode in the comments below!
You can also click the buttons below to share this post!
And don't forget to check out all of the other Bar Rescue updates.
Last updated: 2023-04-01 05:07
As of May 2022, Leia’s is now closed down for good, due to unknown reasons.
Thanks for letting me know! I do see a new review about that. I will check back in a few weeks and if it’s still closed I will update this post.
The reason is easy!!! His name is dj! He doesn’t think like a business owner! What a loser!!! DJ needs to learn to cut grass maybe he can handle that! Sure can’t blame problem’s he causes on someone else but I’ll bet this guy would try!!!
Totally agree. An owner that doesn’t care let all these problems happen, no excuse for his actions and allowing violence to happen too many times.
Just Sad and Mad.
Yer egregious violation of the exclamation mark procedures and protocols will surely fix that dillweeds issues. Turn up your outrage meter to 11 and then we can talk about it again. Meet me back here after you’ve made the proper adjustments.
Sadly leias is closed however i believe they ran its course. Leias was closed by choice after the city piled permits. He decided about4 days after to shut down and released existing employees.
Thanks! I will update the post.
Did DJ and Tammy get back together after the episode
I was wondering that, but not if Tammy was smart.
For Tammy’s sake I hope not !
Idk, let’s look it up, it’s filed under nunya damn bidness. But seriously, I’m sure there’s other HS girls that wanna know too, report back here w your research results. TIA
Trina is hot, I hope she found better employment
How is no one mentioning the wife wearing OPEN toed sandals whilst COOKING in the kitchen. That’s the biggest kitchen no no. I noticed end of last season and this season Jon Taffer is getting louder and more degrading. I get its a reality show and I get he’s trying to push people into realizing their abundant flaws but degrading people is never acceptable nor is it productive. Also, neither is throwing food and drinks like a 3 year old (which I’ve seen land on customers 3 times). I think he’s running out of material.
I really like Jon and it’s important to be assertive and stern but you’re right, he goes overboard; as well as his help he brings. The mixologist in the Leia’s episode was so rude and made the bartender cry, it really was upsetting.
He’s currently being sued, a large razor sharp chunk of a broken plate lacerated the cornea and was embedded deeply in the optic nerve. That poor waitress will never see out of her left eye again. For all the “everyone but me is a dumbass” routine, his routine of shattering glasses and dishes feet from peoples faces isn’t the most well thought out shtick. The hairless angry gorilla thing looks great on tv though. That and an untailored cheap mens warehouse sport coat, that’s a power combo bruv.
It’s basic psychology, verbal judo, human behavior, verbal and hand expressions.. Just how it’s done. Can’t build someone up unless tear down first, otherwise what building on? Won’t realize until see wrong doing! Throwing food seems extreme but had to be cleaned anyway, and emphasizes the point! Jon just had same degrees and does it well, I’ve worked on 3 episodes and it starts intense as it should. Yes recon, stress test set up beforehand, but there’s reasons. The filth see is real, it gets cleaned so people clean. Yes going to be replaced but where’s the lessons? As see he does have true compassion for these people, I’ve seen it. But it’s for TV, lot editing. They all know it can happen but still act as usual, human behavior! Bar rescue has 100% success rate, ones that close look at reasons! Everything from murder, license, permits, legal, sell, landlords, and many more! Every owner of bar and staff get training, average $100,000 makeover, publicity ect
. Promise is to leave better than found! People’s issues are their own, can’t get over a name that’s burnt! Again human behavior! Look at data when actually research, more bar owners scam bar rescue. Just hate ignorant comments. Seeing hands on also makes difference, so many people work on this.
The mixologist on this epi, Amy Koffsky, Is a real pro. I’m best friends with her older brother Jack.
She is smoking!
Tammy still know how to put it down. She always been good.