(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 4 | View All Season 4 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: June 28, 2015
The Bar's Original Name Was: The Bullpen at Aspen Glen
Oak Tavern Address: 5215 Vista Blvd Sparks, NV 89434
Episode Recap
The Bullpen, later renamed to Oak Tavern, was a Sparks, Nevada bar that was featured on Season 4 of Bar Rescue.
Though the Oak Tavern Bar Rescue episode aired in June 2015, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.
It was Season 4 Episode 22 and the episode name was “”Take Me Out to the Bar Game”
In this episode, Jon Taffer and his crew head to The Bullpen at Aspen Glen.
This one has one of the craziest endings of any bar from the show, so I really encourage you to read through the full update.
But let’s start at the beginning before getting to all of that craziness…
Located in Sparks, Nevada, The Bullpen was owned and opened by Dan Serafini (AKA Danny Serafini), a former MLB baseball player.
Dan opened the bar as a change of pace after losing a significant amount of money in a divorce and some bad investments.
Side note (and a spoiler) – this divorce will become very dark later in this update, as Dan Serafini was arrested in 2023 for the alleged murder of his father-in-law and attempted murder of his mother-in-law.
I’ll cover this update in more detail at the end of this post – it’s very sad and tragic.
At first, The Bullpen Bar was doing quite well and had steady customers.
However, Dan Serafini son started to become less hands-on at the bar.
This led to things going downhill and bartenders taking advantage of the bar to use it as their own party house.
In order to turn things around for The Bullpen, Danny Serafini decided to call in Bar Rescue and Jon Taffer.
Jon initially had trouble even finding The Bullpen because its outside signage was so small.
Additionally, he wasn’t a fan of the layout inside the bar and the broken smoke ventilator meant it was way too smoky.
After observing the bar for a time, Jon went in and chastised Dan for basically letting his employees run the place.
Jessica, one of the bartenders, dresses in a very scantily clad way, which doesn’t jive with the family friendly approach that Jon Taffer wants for the bar.
It’s no wonder the bar was losing money when the bartenders were drinking whatever they wanted and not doing a good job.
Jon introduced new rules to organize the bar, such as a drinks production average (DPA) to make sure bartenders are on pace and doing their jobs.
In the stress test, only one bartender was unable to improve their DPA score (Wynter), which led to Dan, the Oak Tavern owner, firing her.
In addition to improving the staff and organization, Jon Taffer also did a full remodel of the bar with new signage and an improved interior aesthetic.
As part of the remodel, Jon changed the bar’s name from The Bullpen at Aspen Glen to Oak Tavern, which is what the bar continued to use after the Bar Rescue episode.
So was the Bar Rescue Oak Tavern episode a long-term success?
Keep reading to learn what happened next and if this Sparks, NV bar is still open in 2024.
Oak Tavern Update - What Happened Next?
Now, let’s talk about how the bar is doing after Jon Taffer’s visit.
The Danny Serafini Bar Rescue episode has an absolutely crazy ending, so I encourage you to read to the end.
It culminates with the Oak Tavern owner being arrested for an alleged murder that happened in Lake Tahoe in 2021.
So yeah – from MLB player to bar owner to alleged murderer – pretty wild!
I’m getting ahead of myself, though.
First, I want to talk about the bar itself. Then, I’ll give you an update on Dan Serafini now.
The Oak Tavern Bar Rescue update happened in March 2015, even though the episode didn’t air until June 28.
The Oak Tavern owners seemed pretty happy about the remodel…at least at first.
On Facebook, they posted that “we are beyond grateful to the Bar Rescue team for our beautiful new bar”.
Additionally, they kept the new name (Oak Tavern) and stuck with Jon’s remodel choices.
However, in 2016, whoever posts on the Oak Tavern Twitter page didn’t seem to be as happy about it – check out these posts from the Oak Tavern Twitter page:
After the update, reviews were mixed but the bar generally seemed to be doing ok.
If you check the Yelp page, you’d see both positive and negative reviews, though a lot of one-star reviews were dragging the place down.
Here are some examples of the negative reviews…
1 star Yelp review from May 2019:
I wish I didn’t have to give a star.
I hadn’t been to this bar in a year, we had friends in from out of town and decided to give it a try for Thursday night karaoke.
The karaoke was a joke, the “DJ’s” were just sitting around drinking.
There were multiple people who were WAY over served and fell multiple times spilling beer and breaking glasses and then continued to be served.
The bartender was very apologetic and seemed very nice.
She even told us this was way calmer than it has ever been since she started working there.
I won’t be back.
1 star Yelp review from August 2016:
This is the worst bar ever!!
The owner is a jerk.
The bartenders care more about drinking then serving the guests.
I only liked one bartender and she was smart enough to leave this shit show.
I asked for a lemon drop and they didn’t have lemons.
I then asked for a Margarita and they did not have the mix.
I finally asked for a vodka soda and amazingly they had that…
The smoke is TERRIBLE!!
And even though they advertise for food they don’t serve food.
This place sucks.
This mixed reaction was a good sign of things to come.
Oak Tavern Back to the Bar Episode
Oak Tavern was featured on a Back to the Bar episode from Season 5.
I can’t find the full episode, but I did find a YouTube clip.
It shows Phil Wills revisiting Oak Tavern.
Dan also reports that sales at the bar are up by 50%, including this quote:
As soon as we changed our game plan to what you and Jon talked about, it’s outstanding.
I actually love owning this place now.
This quote doesn’t really match with the Twitter posts above.
You can watch the clip below:
Is the Oak Tavern still open after Bar Rescue?
Oak Tavern was up and running through at least 2021.
However, Yelp has recently reported that Oak Tavern is closed for good.
As of my most recent check in early 2024, the old Oak Tavern Sparks location is occupied by a new bar named On The Rocks Bar.
I’m unable to find more details about Oak Tavern closing, but it seems like it dropped off the face of the earth, with no activity on its Facebook page since December 2017.
In 2017, the Facebook page was quite active with events, but there haven’t been any posts since December 2, 2017.
There have been a trickle of reviews for the bar since 2017, but many of them mention that the bar seems to be closed all of the time.
For example, consider this review from January 2022:
This place is NEVER open.
Despite the “open” signs posted on Los Altos and Vista AND on the business itself.
I’ll stop by weekdays after 12pm and weekends up until 10pm and it’s still never open.
I’m only going by because of the signs posted on the street, or else I wouldn’t bat an eye to the place.
This is false advertising at its finest.
Unfortunately, while Oak Tavern was able to keep things going for at least 4-6 years after Bar Rescue, it seems like Oak Tavern and The Bullpen at Aspen Glen are officially gone for now.
I wish I knew more about what happened to the bar, though.
Unfortunately, Google Maps street view hasn’t updated since July 2018.
Here’s what the Oak Tavern Sparks Nevada location looked like that that time:
I played around with Google Street view some more and I was able to see the bar from another angle.
That second angle was updated more recently in July 2022.
It shows a new bar named On The Rocks Bar occupying the old Oak Tavern Sparks NV location as of 2022.
A commenter below also helped notify me about the new bar.
With that, I now feel 100% confident in marking the Oak Tavern closed and On the Rocks as the new tenant at the old Oak Tavern Sparks, NV location.
Dan Serafini arrested in 2023 for alleged 2021 Lake Tahoe murder
As I’m updating this post again in October 2023, things have gotten absolutely crazy!
On October 20th, 2023, Dan Serafini, the Oak Tavern owner, was arrested for an alleged murder and attempted murder that took place back in 2021.
He was arrested alongside another woman, Samantha Scott.
The relationship with Samantha Scott is not exactly clear.
I saw one article reference her as Dan’s girlfriend.
Another article referenced her having some connection to the victims, potentially having worked for them as a nanny.
The two were arrested for their alleged connection to the shooting death of Serafini’s father-in-law in 2021, along with the attempted murder of his mother-in-law.
His father-in-law, Gary Spohr, and mother-in-law, Wendy Wood, were shot on June 5th 2021 in Lake Tahoe.
His father-in-law passed away from the injuries while his mother-in-law actually survived after being shot in the head.
Sadly, Wendy passed a way a year later because of the difficulty of rehab and life with disability after the shooting.
Here’s an article from 2022 that details what happened and highlights the police’s continued search for new leads.
Because the arrest just happened, that’s all of the information that I have for now.
If you want to learn more, here’s a news article from a local publication.
The news article actually mentions that he owned the Oak Tavern bar.
The couple once ran a bar in Sparks called the Bullpen Bar but it’s since gone out of business.
Erin Spohr told Kevin Fagan of the San Francisco Chronicle in July they sold the business a long time ago and Serafini was working in underground mining in Reno.
She added, “I have no idea who did that to my parents. I wish I knew.”
Overall, this is just an absolutely wild end to the story.
The case has not gone to trial yet, so these crimes remain allegations at this point.
Dan was arrested in Nevada, but he will be extradited to California to face trial as that’s where the crime occurred.
In November 2023, Dan Serafini pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him, of which there are many.
Here’s a video that has more on the case and includes some video of Dan’s court appearance.
I will update the post as it moves through the legal system, though.
Dan waived his right to a speedy trial, so it will likely be some time until everything moves through the system.
If convicted, Dan Serafini would likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
RIP to both of the victims.
Final thoughts on the Oak Tavern
When I first wrote this update, I thought it was just another run-of-the-mill Bar Rescue closure.
The Oak Tavern did well for a few years and then ended up closing shop.
That’s happened to a lot of bars from the show.
But with the 2023 arrested of the Oak Tavern owner for the alleged murder of his father-in-law, this has turned into one of the sadder and darker episodes to the show.
RIP to both of the victims. So tragic.
As the case goes to trial, I will update this post when more information comes out.
So far, Dan has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges, but I don’t see any more recent update since his first appearance in November 2023.
If you want to see some another nearby Bar Rescue Nevada episode, you can check out my update for Money Bar / Murphy’s Law in Reno.
SacTown Sports Bar / Brannan Manor is also nearby in Sacramento.
There are also tons of Las Vegas Bar Rescue episodes, which you can find on the main Bar Rescue updates page.
And if you want to share your thoughts on the Oak Tavern bar episode or what happened to Dan Serafini, you can do so using the comments section below.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/oak-tavern-sparkshttps://www.facebook.com/Oak-Tavern-475040295980452/
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Last updated: 2024-03-11 05:01
This bar is still very much open. I go in it about once a month or so to see what Jon did.
Can you ask them why they have it marked as closed on Yelp? I also see reviews from people saying that the bar is always closed, though it does seem like other people still go there.
I will update this post when I get more information.
According to the health department, the last inspection they had was in 2018. So, the bar is closed for business. The guy who claims he goes in once a month to see what Jon did is obviously not going to this bar. Besides, why would he have to go in monthly to see what Jon did, couldn’t he see it all the first time he supposedly went in?
according to Wiki they own a baseball throwing academy in NV.
This location is now On The Rocks Bar
Thanks for letting me know! I will update the post.
Good update. Jibe, not “jive”.
Another bar bites the dust. Why is it that people open a bar.when they have absolutely no clue about how to run it. This owner blames his drunk bartenders for.his failure when he only has himself to blame. And….on top of that, this guy loses $14million due to bad investments and a nasty divorce. Oh…dont forget, he allows his bartenders to live with him only having to fire one of them. Talk about awkward. And what about wifey #2. How did she feel about have 2 pretty bartenders living with them? This whole thing was a mess from day 1. The owner is an idiot. His parents are idiots for.putting their house on the line. His wife is an idiot too for allowing those bartenders to live with them. I am amazed that Jon Tapper even decided to take this one on. Maybe it was all of the drama. It makes him appear not so smart
He was just arrested for killing two people in Lake Tahoe in 2021. That could explain a lot of these comments.
Right on…
Who is Jon Tapper??
I’ve seen a surprising number of people call him Jon Tapper lol. I guess maybe they confuse it with Jake Tapper?
The way the owner unprofessionally fired that bartender is inexcusable. His failure to adequately manage the staff was a major factor in employee morale and engagement. What a douche, not at all surprised the business failed.
Pro athletes are notoriously easy marks for Wall Street types to separate them from their millions. Sucks he threw 14m on the bonfire of zero due diligence, but leave your poor parents out of It. Having them mortgage their house after he blew his fortune, sooooo selfish and immature for a grown ass man to do. No way he doesn’t immolate those shekels too.
The owner of what was previously known as Oak Tavern was just arrested for murder of his father-in-law in 2021.
So crazy! And so sad for the victims.
I knew Taffer was gonna torture me all episode with ham-fisted baseball cliches and puns. Someone on staff needs to write him some lines and save him from his undying love for cheesy af puns
Here’s a crazy update for you!
https://www.2news.com/townnews/police/reno-man-wanted-for-homicide-in-placer-county-arrested-in-winnemucca/article_003becae-6f5b-11ee-93d5-67abad799bf2.html?fbclid=IwAR0UBdJFAHbyy1zwV6h7q2oJhndBdH2tZTUWNa_gWStmx9ObBpdPF4qGr28_aem_AfidtET-IISo-JabiI5aH4M4RcMjz17jZa_B8HC6UJtDSQO4nRsGtTE0Upc8pNQRLOk
I find very odd that on that video Erin’s sister (Dan’s wife) looks kinda happy giving the interview…
https://www.facebook.com/100064516791527/posts/pfbid037NazMkJDHxHtFhsfrCivdy5bBrzzp1aGghHjPGKJoxyCBmw2VULafjZhFftmJXJEl/?mibextid=Nif5oz
Dan Serafini arrested today for the murder of his step father Gary Spohr & attempted murder of Gary’s wife Wendy Woods. https://mynews4.com/news/local/reno-man-wanted-for-northern-california-murder-arrested-in-winnemucca?6
Wow that’s so crazy! Thanks for sharing – I will add it to the update.
It’s his wife’s parents
The mother-in-law ended up killing herself some months after being shot
Wow – so sad.
The bartender who was fired,Wynter, apparantly now lives in Florida and is an accomplished equestrian and seems very happy. Good for her getting away from Dan and all that drama. Getting fired was the best thing that could have happened to her.
His mother-in-law passed away about a year after the shooting from an unrelated illness.
he murdered someone, oh wow…!!!
I’m a Reno resident and my friend knows Sam and the relationship is wild. Dan and his wife were dating her and they plotted the murder together (Dan and Sam). RIP to the victims and hopefully justice will be served!
Hearing set for May 2024
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-01/prosecutors-add-child-abuse-charges-against-danny-serafini
Is there ever any bar rescues that are actually saved and still up and running
Around half of the bars are still open today. You can see the full list here: https://realitytvupdates.com/bar-rescue-updates/
Try using Google for once
Apparently his wife Erin still supports him. I read somewhere that her sister believes she was involved with the murder as well even though she was never charged.
Trial is scheduled for March 2025
Her testimony:
https://youtu.be/ySqaIHsUxAY?si=ZG4xO5fm0uyOhmKO