(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 6 | View All Season 6 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: June 24, 2018
The Bar's Original Name Was: Phish Heads
Phish Tales Address: 1445 SW Main Blvd Ste 170 Lake City, FL 32025
Episode Recap
Phish Heads, later renamed Phish Tales, was a Lake City, Florida bar featured on Season 6 of Bar Rescue.
Though the Phish Heads Bar Rescue episode aired in June 2018, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that at the beginning of 2018.
It was Episode 15 of Season 6 and the official episode name was “Phishing for Answers”.
Owned by Phillip and Toni Crenshaw, Phish Heads is located in Lake City, Florida.
They bought the bar in 1999, and it was the first one to open in the area.
At first, they were making $2,000,000 a year!
That’s incredible, and they probably wouldn’t be on Bar Rescue if that were still the case.
They hired their son James as the general manager in 2009.
Phish Heads then suffered from his inexperience.
The staff doesn’t respect James, and the bar is losing about $5,000 per month at the time of the visit from Jon Taffer.
Despite that, Phillip and Toni will not terminate their son.
Jon arrives with Aaron McCargo Jr and mixologist Mia Mastroianni.
The bar is in a bad location, and the interior is dated.
Jon sends in local country radio DJ and his friend for recon.
There is no specialty drink menu, so the two men order old-fashioned.
James is heard arguing with a server and his mother, which is a bit awkward for the customers and other staff members.
The bartenders do not pour properly.
And although the beer is good, the food is terrible.
James is continually disrespectful, so Jon enters the bar, fed up with his behavior.
Jon lets James know that no one respects him.
James acts like a brat, and Jon then puts him in his place.
He puts him through boot camp.
James blames the staff for Phish Heads’ problem.
James and his parents apologize to staff because of the toxic work culture.
Mia tells them that the way they pour their drinks is not correct and that they need a signature drink menu.
James cleans up then practices making a margarita with Mia.
The kitchen staff uses steak weights, so they are taught how to make burgers without the outdated tools.
Jon starts the stress test and gives the customers glow sticks.
When they are unsatisfied, the staff will take away a glow stick.
By the end of the service, only three glowsticks are left.
The bar is slow, and 12 tickets are dumped at once.
Customers leave after 45 minutes of receiving no food and drinks.
However, at least James did step up during the stress test.
Mia takes the staff through a specialty cocktail made in coconut tiki mugs.
While that’s happening, Aaron teaches the kitchen staff how to make a fish taco.
James tells Jon he is committed to changing for the sake of the bar.
James even arrives to work in a full suit, looking like a leader.
Jon renamed the bar from Phish Heads to Phish Tales to honor the future while still paying homage to the past.
It’s spelled Phish Tales – not Fish Tales like some people think.
In addition to the name, Jon also renovates the bar to give it more color and all new equipment, at no cost to the Phish Heads owners.
Four harbor touch POS systems are installed in the newly renovated bar.
The bartenders struggle during the relaunch.
Eventually, they catch up, and food and drinks are out on time.
Jon Taffer leaves a signed glowstick mounted on the wall.
So was the Phish Heads Bar Rescue episode a long-term success?
Keep reading to learn what happened next and if this Lake City FL bar is still open in 2024.
Phish Tales Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Bar Rescue Phish Tales episode, let’s talk about what happened to the bar after Jon Taffer and his crew left Lake City FL.
After Jon’s changes, things seem to be going much better at the bar.
Sales are up more than 30% and the owners are saving the profits for their retirement.
Unlike many other bars, they also kept the new name from Jon Taffer, Phish Tales.
James is still staying serious and acting as a manager.
There are many positive reviews online.
Is Phish Tales from Bar Rescue still open?
As of 2023, Phish Tales is still open and serving customers in Lake City, Florida.
The reviews for the bar are excellent, with a 4.5 star rating on Yelp and a 4.4 star rating on Google Reviews.
Phish Tales doesn’t seem to be very active on social media, but there is an official Phish Tales Lake City website that has a menu and some other information.
Here’s part of the menu to give you an idea of the prices:
And here’s what the Phish Tales Lake City FL location looks like in the most recent Google Maps street view update:
Finally, let’s take a look at some reviews of the bar.
Phish Tales reviews after Bar Rescue
As I mentioned above, the Phish Tales reviews are quite good.
It definitely has better ratings than most of the other bars that have appeared on Bar Rescue.
Here’s a sampling of reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…
5 star Yelp review from May 2022:
I’ve been going here since I moved to Lake City 14 years ago and it’s only gotten better since.
I’ve never had a bad meal at Phish Tales/Heads.
It’s incredibly good service is fast the food is fresh theirs almost nothing bad to say about it.
The menu is long and has a wide variety of options to choose from which ultimately help to give you a better sense of what you want from the restaurant and what you enjoy.
All of the waiters and waitresses are incredibly nice and they treat you not as customers but as friends.
All around this place is absolutely amazing and anyone stopping by Lake City should give it a chance.
4 star review from April 2019:
Not only do they have cheapest wings in town, but the best tasting.
Been going here for years, way before they changed their name, now called Phish Tales…
(Watch the transformation on Bar Rescue).
I’m pretty much a home body now, but can’t resist ordering food to go…
My favs are the garlic Parmesan wings with medium hot sauce.
Or the grilled with sweet heat, the fish finger basket, crab dip, salad with buffalo chicken bites, and loaded phish scales.
Tons of choices on the menu.
And there mixed drinks are always good and the beers are cold.
Too bad that they aren’t available for to go orders
5 star Yelp review from November 2020:
What a fun place.
Hidden in a strip mall in Lake City.
Party of 8 sat at the bar!
The experience was great!
Oysters delicious and beer was cold.
Pretty off the beaten path of draft beers.
They were delicious!
We will be back!
3 star review from April 2018:
My family and I have eaten here quite a few times over the years.
I have to say unfortunately, this past visit we were pretty disappointed.
I found out before our last visit that the show bar rescue came in and made some changes including the name.
I don’t think that any if these changes are working in their favor.
Firstly, why the name change??
Everyone knows Phish Heads.
It was a great name.
Secondly, although in the past the food has always been very good and reasonably priced that is not so much the case anymore.
…
4 star review from April 2022:
Traveling from Tallahassee, my wife and I stopped by Phish Tales for dinner.
We were greeted at the door but a very large manager who welcomed us to the restaurant.
Our waitress was extremely friendly and provided excellent service from her greeting to delivering the check when we were ready to leave.
The food was very good, we had wings, fried shrimp and delicious sides.
I highly recommend this restaurant for their food and service.
Overall, this is definitely a Bar Rescue success story.
Congratulations to Phillip, Toni, and James on the success of Phish Tales after Bar Rescue.
If you want to see some other nearby Florida Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for The Bayou in Jacksonville, Sydney in Jacksonville Beach, and Cap’N Odie’s in Atlantic Beach.
Or, you can check out my full list of all 26+ Bar Rescue episodes in Florida, as of 2024.
It’s the second-most popular state on the show.
And if you want to share your thoughts on the Phish Heads rescue, you can do so using the comments section below.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/phish-tales-lake-city-2https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34360-d517696-r601933485-Phish_Heads-Lake_City_Florida.html
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Last updated: 2023-06-21 05:53
Just watched this episode. So happy to see they are survivors. Love this show and really would like to meet Jon one day. I am 66 years old and retired. Love spending mornings watching Bar Rescue. Hate when after Jon leaves and the owners decide to change things then flop. GREAT SHOW!
This was a great show, one of the better ones. Glad to see their son step up to the plate and take some of the responsibility of running the place and by the looks of the reviews the place is doing well!
Congratulations folks!
I love this show. I just wanted to say that if I had the opportunity to open a bar or a restaurant, I would love to have Jon Taffer help me open it right and hire the right staff. What a opportunity that would be. Thanks
We enjoyed this episode, but also we wanted to let you know we think you do an amazing job reporting on Bar Rescue…thank you,
David
Just watched this episode:
When their lazy fa* slob son smacked that waitress in her breast, I nearly fell on the floor. Then uses the “C” word and everyone puts up with that disgusting, immature, sick behavior?? And that so called man is married and has a baby? Who would marry that??
I wouldn’t step foot in that phish hole. Disgraceful, shameful.
I’m so glad Phish Tales is going strong!! Glad Jim stepped up to the plate when he had to to save the barn I plan on stopping by, should I be in the area! Great job!!
The blonde bartender with the half shaved haircut is SO F-ing sexy!
For her, I would pull open the doors, throw open the books, and make a call. And ESRI.
Fred, that was perfect. I actually laughed outloud!
#ESRI