Off Base Bar Bar Rescue Update (Filling Station) – Still Open in 2024?

Is Off Base Bar still open today?

Status: >> CLOSED <<
(keep reading to learn what happened)

Season: 4 | View All Season 4 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: November 8, 2015
The Bar's Original Name Was: Filling Station Pub
Off Base Bar Address: 9522 Miramar Rd San Diego, CA 92126

Off Base Bar Bar Rescue Update (Filling Station)

Episode Recap

Filling Station Pub, later renamed to Off Base Bar, was a San Diego, California bar that was featured on Season 4 of Bar Rescue.

Though the Filling Station Bar Rescue episode aired in November 2015, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.

It was Season 4 Episode 37 and the episode name was “Big Sister’s Watching”.

Around 2003, Sissy Xue decided to immigrate to California to give her son better education. 

Filling Station Pub owner

After saving for a decade, she was able to open her own bar and decided to call it Filling Station Pub.

The location of the bar provided it a big advantage as it was right in front of the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

At first, the bar was working great, its monthly revenue was near $60,000. 

Since a lot of military personnel were regular customers of the bar Sissy hired a lot of female bartenders to increase the clientele. 

Makes sense, right? Marines like ladies.

Due to being inexperienced the bartenders were working less and joking around more.

This behavior didn’t go unnoticed by Sissy and she started firing employees on the spot. 

To keep a closer eye she installed 16 CCTV footage cameras and whenever someone would commit even a little mistake she would either berate them or kick them out. 

Filling station cameras on Bar Rescue

Sissy started neglecting all the other duties of the bar and kept firing employees, all of this resulted in poor service and inconsistent staff workers. 

The bar’s reputation went down the drain and it stopped making any profits.

This probed Sissy to finally seek the help of the Bar Rescue team to salvage her dying bar and it’s why we had the joy of watching the Filling Station Bar Rescue episode.

As soon as Jon Taffer arrived, he noticed how uninviting the exterior of the bar was.

To get more info he sent famous radio hosts Dave Palet and Mike Costa inside. 

They ordered Long Island Iced Tea but the bartender made them some other pink-colored drinks.

This was enough for them to conclude that bartenders don’t know how to make cocktails. 

When Taffer entered he saw some of the workers taking shots in the bathroom even the owner Sissy was busy drinking with the customers. 

To ignore Taffer’s questioning, she quickly started saying bad things about her staff and said they were the reason behind the bar’s failure.

Fired employee Filling Station

However, Jon Taffer made it very clear that she was equally to blame.

In the stress test, Jon even included Xue and her mopping the floor when the kitchen drain wasn’t working.

After that, her behavior towards her employees changed and she became more respectful.

In the new menu, sandwiches and popular cocktails were added.

After the renovation, the pub was given the new name of Off Base Bar, which fits with its location near the military base. 

From wooden bar top to comfortable sofa everything was installed by the Bar Rescue team.

In the end, the bar looked like a sophisticated place to hang out.

So was the Filling Station Pub Bar Rescue visit a success? Keep reading my update to learn what happened next and if it’s still open in 2024 and beyond.

Off Base Bar Update - What Happened Next?

Now that we’ve recapped the Off Base Bar Bar Rescue episode, let’s talk about what happened after Jon Taffer and his crew left San Diego, CA.

Things started off well for Off Base Bar.

At the normal six-week checkin from the Bar Rescue producers, we learn that the bar’s food sales have doubled and the overall sales are up by 30%.

The bar has opted to keep the new name that Jon Taffer gave it, as well.

And Sissy is also being more respectful about her employees’ privacy.

Off Base Bar increased its appeal by inviting DJs to play live music. They also frequently posted about Taffer in their announcements and included him in their promos.

Unfortunately, the bar seems to have had a good number of issues since the Off Base Bar Bar Rescue visit, which eventually resulted in its closure (spoiler alert).

Fighting in parking lots and drug usage became a big problem for the customers, as you’ll see in a second.

Off Base Bar reviews after Bar Rescue

The Off Base Bar Yelp reviews are not good, though, as it has just a 2.5 star rating.

Google Reviews are a little better, though, as it has a 4 star rating there.

Here’s a sampling of reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…

1 star review from August 2018:

We came to this bar after watching Bar Rescue.

As soon as we walked in we started sweating.

This place was hot as hell!!

One of the customers had threatened to take all his friends to another bar if they don’t turn the air on.

The owner walks in and finally got some AC .

A drunk bartender, speech slurred ; tried to pour us two glasses of vodka and tonic with no lime.

They ran out of lime and couldn’t even remember if we had a tab when we came back for our second drink .

I guess another bar rescue is needed

1 star review from January 2020:

The worst bar I have ever been to.

The service was absolutely horrible, the drinks were some of the worst drinks I have ever tasted in my life.

It tasted like a middle schooler tried to make an alcoholic beverage.

Too much trouble trying to get in because the manager is not a very nice person and does not respect her customers.

This bar is not worth it as the pool tables are worn down to trash and the bathroom is disgusting.

This bar is one of the worst I’ve ever seen as it is dusty and smells like a hospital and had a horrible selection of alcohol and the bar tenders have no idea what’s going on.

One of the worst places I’ve ever been to.

Please find a better bar as this place is worse than your average high school party.

1 star review from November 2019:

If I could give this bar 0 stars I would!

The owner is absolutely nuts and has no idea how to run a business!

She should contact bar rescue again because nothing has helped this place!

It’s dirty, can’t serve the marines, and all around the place just isn’t worth it!

ABC needs to come into this place immediately with all the illegal things that go on!

Bartenders drinking behind the bar and the owner allows it, bartenders over serving customers and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were serving underage customers because not once have I seen IDs be check.

If you are looking for a good local bar in the area, brewski’s down the street is 100 times better save yourself a trip an don’t even bother going into this dump.

Safety issues at Off Base Bar

In general, a lot of the recent Yelp reviews seem to criticize the safety and service at the bar.

The safety issue relates to a February 2022 shooting outside Off Base Bar, where a man was killed.

An off-duty marine was arrested later for allegedly shooting and killing the man.

The argument started inside Off Base Bar and then spilled outside where the shooting happened.

You can learn more in this article from NBC San Diego.

You can also watch this short news video about the incident:

Some negative reviews also complain of open drug use in the bathroom at the bar.

Behind the safety issues, you’ll also find a lot of reviews saying the bar is gross and dirty.

Overall, it seems like maybe not the best place to hang out, but who knows!

Is Off Base Bar from Bar Rescue still open?

Off Base Bar closed in September 2022, which means that it survived for around seven years after the Off Base Bar Bar Rescue episode aired on TV.

Off Base Bar closed because the bar was sold to new owners.

The owners quickly reopened it using a new name and concept, along with all new renovations.

Now, the old Off Base Bar San Diego location is known as Bogey’s Bar and Grill – you can learn more at the official Bogey’s website.

I confirmed this by looking at two reviews on the Off Base Bar Google listing:

Well

It’s not Off Base Bar any more.

It is called Bogey’s Bar and Grill, and it is amazing

The place is new everywhere!

Thu Karaoke Night for me and my group of Single Parents was….a bomb, aaaaand the servers and the owner made sure we are well taken care of.

Try it out.

You will love it!

And then here’s another review that mentions the new owners.

New owners.

Nice place to hear some good music.

Couple a good pool tables and definitely some great drinks everyone is pretty friendly and good vibes.

The Off Base Bar Yelp page now also marks it as closed, and the Facebook page and official Off Base Bar website are no longer maintained.

Google Maps Street View has also already updated the shot, so I can confirm that Off Base Bar is gone:

Old Off Base Bar San Diego location

So far, Bogey’s Bar and Grill seems to be very well received.

As of early 2023, it has a perfect 5 star rating on Yelp and a 4.7 star rating on Google, which is much better than Off Base Bar.

Overall, despite its many safety issues and poor reviews, Off Base Bar still managed to survive for over seven years after Jon Taffer’s visit, so it wasn’t a total failure.

But it’s now officially closed because the Off Base Bar owners sold it to new owners who put in their own concept.

If you want to see updates for some other San Diego Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for Jolt’n Joe’s / Gaslamp Social in San Diego, Sierra Madre Cantina / Kalaveraz Cocina in Escondido, and The Study Lounge / Myerz Pourhouse in El Cajon.

Thanks for reading!


More Information

https://www.yelp.com/biz/off-base-bar-san-diego-3
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Off-Base-Bar/303394376917210


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Last updated: 2023-02-17 06:20

8 thoughts on “Off Base Bar Bar Rescue Update (Filling Station) – Still Open in 2024?”

All comments are the sole opinion of the commenter and are not endorsed by RealityTVUpdates.

  1. Off Base Bar, Some of the Bartenders are cool people and they know there cocktails. They no longer serve food since I started going there.

    By law you are supposed to have Security at all times no matter if it’s busy or not and she shouldnt be cutting peoples hours.

    The bartenders should be allowed to sing Karaoke when they are at the bar unless it’s super busy.

    Telling the staff at the bar that they should bring in 10 to 15 people before they start their shift or they can’t come to work is against the law.

    Since I started going to the bar because of who the Karaoke DJ is, is the reason why go there.

    Yes there are times when it’s slow but she should try to at least do a better job at promoting, if your bartenders are lacking then that means she should spend the time to train them and not fire them over small and lil things.

    By law any bar should have appropriate seating for those who are disabled, about 5 out of 10 times I had to use a bar stool which is very inconvenient for me but a bartender by the nickname of Tenee was so nice and respectful set up a table with low chairs which is perfect for me and my friends amd that’s when I do attend.

    I met the most respectful security Guard by the name of Chris, I believe he only works on Thursday. But in my opinion he knows what he is doing, what Sissy had said to him was rude and she needs an attitude adjustment.

    There has been talk as well in the bar on days when she is there and not at all that a few customers who have made her offers to buy the bar from her but she refuses and says they have no clue on how hard it is to run a bar.

    Reply
    • Thanks for sharing your experience there! It sounds like some things haven’t changed even though the bar is still open.

      Reply
  2. I think that this bogey’s place needs a staff uplift and most of customers are so rude. A few weeks ago there was a customer who brought her friends dog in and it was peeing everywhere.

    Then there was an incident with a customer in the same night, who got booted because she misplaced her keys and started questioning everyone and causing a scene in the end her supposed bestfriend ended up having the keys. Really?!?
    What the hell, what a mess and the food.. Dong get me started, the food cant even contend with the Chamorro Food place, pho place and the mexican place all have better food than the bar

    Now that the Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are looking kinda bleak now that Mike Q is no longer there, my friends and I won’t be returning unless he is brought back and given more days. Sweet kid, I think.

    Last time I was there, he actually played the songs I requested. I believe if you have the #1 Karaoke Veejay in San Diego work their with his Charm and Charisma, then no doubt your place is the place to be.

    Reply
  3. I could have sworn I visited this bar a long time ago around 2015 or 2016 I don’t remember when exactly but I’m about 95% sure it was this bar. The inside lay out, the parking lot, just everything is so similar and even minor details of the front entrance doors. Everything just started coming back to me when I first watched this episode this year.

    Also, I’m pretty sure I played pool with the cook and a few others the whole night I was there and he was REALLY good lol. He was beating everyone in pool, I don’t think I beat him once that entire night although I came close.

    I remember we were trash talking each other a little bit and him jokingly calling me a little shit because I was coming close to winning lol. He said I was actually pretty good though. As soon as I saw the cook that’s when I became almost certain that this was the same place.

    He looks exactly like the guy I played pool with that night, the same mustache, the same smirk on his face, the same bushy eyebrows, the same type of hat, and even the way he tipped his hat in the episode looked extremely familiar.

    I don’t remember the owner sitting in her office though but I was really drunk that whole night and had already started drinking before I even got there so who would remember or even pay attention to such minor details like that in the moment.

    Plus I didn’t know this place was going to be or already was on Bar Rescue at the time if it even was the same place so I’d Imagine minor details like that probably slipped my mind and just didn’t stick in my memory.

    But I was on the fence the whole episode if this was the same bar up until I saw the cook then I just became more convinced that this was very likely the same place. He was such a great guy and just had one of those unforgettable faces.

    I mean the more I saw him in the episode the more I became convinced that this was the same bar and guy I played pool with all those years ago. I still can’t say for certain although I’m about 95% sure but it sucks it’s gone now because I want a rematch.

    Reply

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