The Dugout Bar Rescue Update (Press Box) – Still Open Today?

Is Press Box still open today?

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

Season: 5 | View All Season 5 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: March 5, 2017
The Bar's Original Name Was: The Dugout
Press Box Address: 950 W Addison St Chicago, IL 60613

The Press Box Bar Rescue Update

Episode Recap

The Dugout, later renamed to The Press Box, was a Chicago, Illinois bar that was featured on Season 5 of Bar Rescue.

Though the Dugout Bar Rescue episode aired in March 2017, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.

It was Season 5 Episode 16 and the episode name was “Struck Out at the Dugout”.

In this episode, Jon Taffer and his crew head to The Dugout.

The Dugout is a dive bar located right next to Wrigley Field in Chicago, IL.

The owner of the Dugout is Ed Cressy, who is a bit…polarizing, haha.

Ed was originally the landlord of the property, rather than the owner of the bar.

But when the previous owners couldn’t pay, he kicked them out and took over in 2011.

That means he’s been running it for about five years at the time of the Dugout Bar Rescue episode.

The Dugout Owner

The bar follows the baseball season schedule, and when it is over, the customers leave.

It does fine during the baseball season, but loses $30,000 to $40,000 during the off-season. Not a recipe for success.

Emily is a bartender who gets upset with the way Ed runs the bar as he drinks a lot and is overwhelmed. 

The bar is in severe debt and is losing more money every day.

Jon Taffer brings in Phil Wills, a mixologist, and Chef Ryan Scott to help rescue The Dugout.

While watching the footage, the men see Ed and Emily arguing.

They also notice the bar is in a populated area but doesn’t stand out.

That night they have four bartenders working, and one of them is a shot girl. 

The Dugout bartenders

A local sportswriter goes and spies on the bar for Jon.

Him and his friend order a Long Island Iced Tea and a shandy.

The men then notice a big jug of Ed’s signature cocktail called Hot Pussy.

Yeah…no comment.

Emily tells the spies about the drink, and they are less than impressed.

When they ask for a burger, the spies are told they only sell them during game days, so they order a mac and cheese and ranch salad instead. 

The kitchen footage showed unsanitary practices and flies.

Jon has his experts immediately enter the bar and inspect the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Ed is cooking on a very greasy fryer.

Phil makes a bartender make him a fishbowl Long Island, but it tastes terrible.

The bartender then tells Phil they have no recipes or proper training. 

Phil confronts Ed, who is uncaring. Jon then comes into the bar, hoping to get a reaction from Ed.

The kitchen is shut down, and Ryan is made to throw out all of the food left in there.

As Jon Taffer leaves, he is given the middle finger by Ed.

Way to be grateful to the guy trying to save your business.

This almost became another bar where Jon Taffer walked out, joining with O Face Bar, Black Light District, and The Hideaway.

The next day Jon returns to the bar for a meeting.

Mike is introduced.

He cooks part-time at the bar and is Ed’s nephew.

Emily admits that Ed doesn’t do much leading in the bar, and she also reveals she wanted a management position, but Ed won’t accept any help. 

Jon is not ready to renovate the bar due to Ed’s poor attitude.

After the stress test, Jon will decide whether he wants to stay and help the bar.

Phil throws out Ed’s disgusting signature drink, and the staff claps. Ed did not clean the kitchen.

He also put the food thrown away back in the freezer. Mike, Ed’s nephew, is forced to clean. 

Phil tells the staff they need to make simple drinks to get them out faster.

The bartenders and Ed are trained on a whiskey ginger drink.

After the kitchen is cleaned, Ryan shows the staff how to make a Chicago-style hotdog. 

Ed begins to drink at the start of the stress test and is confronted by Phil.

Mike is cooking the food in the kitchen, and since there is no food runner, Ed has to do the job.

Ed gets very confused, but the bar is doing a good job.

The test is shut down because Ed wouldn’t smile and was dragging everyone else down. 

The next day Phil congratulates the bar staff and trains them on making bulk drinks for busy game days.

Emily is scared that Ed will toss out everything Jon has given them during the rescue.

Jon and Ed have a discussion, and Ed leaves.

Jon doesn’t know if he can save the bar and tells the staff to search for new work. 

Jon remodels the bar but does not invite Ed to the relaunch.

As part of the changes, Jon Taffer renames the bar from The Dugout to The Press Box.

Ed comes to the relaunch, and Jon says he will leave and the rest of the staff quit.

The Dugout bartenders quit

Customers are invited in for drinks, but the relaunch is canceled.

Jon went after exchanging curse words with Ed. 

So yeah, it was definitely one of the more entertaining Bar Rescue episodes in terms of the drama factor.

Now, let’s get an update on the Press Box.

This is one of the more complicated Bar Rescue updates we’ve encountered, so you’ll definitely want to read what happened next.

Press Box Update - What Happened Next?

Now that we’ve recapped the Dugout Bar Rescue visit, let’s talk about what happened next after Jon Taffer and his crew left Chicago, IL.

However, what happened next is a complicated story, so let’s break it down.

But first, it’s worth noting that the Pussy Shot is back at the bar, which should give you a pretty good idea of how the rest of this update is going to go!

Is The Press Box from Bar Rescue still open?

As of my most recent check, The Press Box / The Dugout is still open.

However, it’s doing so under the original The Dugout name, rather than the new concept from Jon Taffer.

After the episode, owner Eddie Cressy moved The Press Box into a new location upstairs, while opting to change the lower location back to its original name of The Dugout.

Here’s what The Dugout Chicago location looks like in the most recent Google Maps street view update:

Now, The Press Box is marked as closed on Yelp, while The Dugout is still open.

Apparently Ed did keep the Press Box sign, though.

Maybe that’s to help people who saw the Bar Rescue episode.

The Dugout doesn’t have very many Yelp reviews, but so far they’re sitting at a mediocre 3-stars.

One reviewer said it appears like the owner still doesn’t care about running a great bar, while another reviewer gave it 5-stars.

I’ll share some examples of reviews below.

The owner was also candid about his experience with Bar Rescue, saying the following:

It was a complete nightmare, what he put me through.

He accused the Bar Rescue crew of using low quality paint and said he’s already removed some of the new food menus from the menu.

Though the owner was unhappy, Emily, one of the bartenders, was happy with the Bar Rescue crew.

She posted this on Facebook during the episode’s premier:

I want to thank bar rescues entire team for everything.

I bitched a lot when I worked at the dugout and i feel bad for every person that had to hear about it every time they were around me.

It made me miserable because I was working for this guy, doing everything I could thinking of, to get told I’m doing one thing right and all I ever got was the negative.

When rescue came in what it was for me was a confirmation that I wasn’t crazy, stupid, or hat I wasn’t trying hard enough.

Ask anyone who talked to me when I worked there I almost drove myself crazy thinking I was failing at something I felt I was so good at.

When in actuality I was making him more money then the off season before.

Sales went from around 800 to 1000 on Fridays and Saturdays to 1200-1400.

Which for a 99 occupancy bar in a charming dingy basement I’m was proud of.

I love my job I get paid to talk and celebrate with people in the best city there is and right in the heart of #wrigleyville.

Here’s a screenshot of the Facebook post in case it gets deleted:

Emily post after Dugout Bar Rescue episode

Per the comments, Emily has moved on from working at The Dugout and now works nearby at another baseball themed bar named Sluggers. Or at least she did for a time…

Despite the owner’s unhappiness, for now it appears that The Dugout is still open.

However, they did experience some more issues in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.

The bar was caught on camera flouting the health regulations, though Ed Cressy responded and said that he wasn’t actually breaking any rules.

You can see a piece from the local news about this in the video below:

Press Box / The Dugout reviews

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

3 star review from May 2021:

I expected what I saw on Bar Rescue and that’s what I got.

I’m a huge Bar Rescue fan and I just had to come to the Dugout to experience it for myself.

Saw Ed drinking at the bar just like on the show, our bartender was super sweet but the drinks were definitely horrible.

I’m a little surprised that he kept the name The Dugout but also kept “Box Press” sign.

I definitely would not come back but it was fun to experience.

3 star review from March 2021:

My husband and I came here on business.

We stayed in Oak Brook but traveled to this bar and we were not disappointed.

We had the most memorable time, the owner chatted with us and I must say, he is not the villain portrayed on Bar Rescue.

We own Real estate in Chicago and we plan to always stop in when our itinerary permits.

I recommend you try the money shot and the rizzo.

The bartender named Stephanie was polite and fun.

There is no judgment at this establishment

3 star review from March 2017:

Went to the Dug Out tonight, Saturday, 3/25/17.

Had a great experience.

The Bar Rescue episode caused us to go there.

We met Ed and his staff and they were great.

Ed was a great host and is nothing like the Bar Rescue made him out to be.

The place was clean, the beer was ice cold and affordable and we had a great time.

It is interesting that so many reviewers say Ed is a nice guy – it’s a good reminder that Bar Rescue is a reality TV show and the producers can make people look however they want.

Final thoughts on The Dugout / Press Box

Overall, The Dugout seems to still be a success, even if it’s not using the name that Jon Taffer gave it.

It does have a pretty great location, so I think it would be hard for any bar to fail.

Still, you have to give credit to Ed for keeping the bar open.

I also thought it was interesting how some reviewers said Ed is nicer in person.

I find it hard to believe that all of Ed’s abrasiveness is just reality TV editing, but who knows.

That wraps up my update for The Dugout / The Press Box.

If you want to see some other Chicago Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for Clear / Underground Wonder Bar, The Abbey Pub / The Green Room, and Casual Tap.

And if you want to share your thoughts on the episode, you can do so using the comments section below.

Thanks for reading!


More Information

https://www.yelp.com/biz/press-box-chicago-3
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-dugout-chicago


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Last updated: 2024-03-10 09:34

38 thoughts on “The Dugout Bar Rescue Update (Press Box) – Still Open Today?”

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

    • THe one named Emily got a job at another bar nearby. It’s called Sluggers. I guess everyone loves baseball puns in Wrigleyville

      Reply
  1. Just watched the episode. As a restaurant manager and bartender for 32 years, I’ve seen a lot of great owners, and a handful of owners who were nothing more than assholes. This owner, however, needs a good bat-beating.

    Reply
  2. There is a reason why this man Ed is alone, has horrible service in his bar and restaurant, He has no friends who would be friends with that doorknob. He used poor Emily and treated her like crap. I find it interesting that all during the show he kept saying he Never wanted to be in the bar business, I think he said “i want to learn how to run 15 bars from a boat in Costa Rica” He must have a TON of money because he has to keep these places alive and if they only have 3 stars he is not rolling in the dough. Why open another bar if you cannot get the first one right? I hope that Jessica and the other cute bartenders left him hanging so he had to make drinks. Can you just see how miserable he would be. He was actually have to interact with people.
    If I was headed to a game at Wrigley the Press Box and the Dugout would be two bars I would not set my foot in. I wouldn’t put a penny in that guys pocket. He is a idiot/moron.

    Reply
  3. The owner is a complete idiot. I was a bartender for a number of years and never had an owner or manager that was as much a sad sack as this guy. The bar rescue people should have bought the bar and then reopened it and sholwd the guy what a successful bar looks like. My thought is that he would not realize it. The guy needs to be in a back office doing books. He should never be allowed near people or have anything to do with the bar operations. Hell one bar I ran, I found that on Saturday nights, we had a fair number of people that were Star Trek fans and we had 2 big screen tv’s. So I created some theme drinks, The Vulcan Nerve Pinch, Romulan Ale and a couple others. Saturday nights were normally slow night because in our small town everyone usually went to clubs in the nearby big city. My bar became very busy on Saturday nights because the Trekkies started telling their friends and bringing them in and it included a lot of girls. For about a year, until the bar closed (owner’s other businesses put him into bankruptcy), we were the place to go on Saturday nights in our town.

    Reply
  4. This is bar rescue’s version of kitchen nightmare’s amy’s baking company. Jon should have found jobs for the employees and refused to fix this guy’s bar. He’s not just a tool he’s a lazy self efacing moron. The closest he’ll ever get to a “hot pussy” is the shot he sells by the same name. He’s just as ignorant as the owners of the pirate bar in silver spring maryland.

    Reply
  5. Yes I watch the episode of bar rescue. I was very disappointed and how the owner represented his self. As a complete idiot. His staff was he out andstand,he made them feel like they were dirt and he on was walking. John I wish that you had not remodeled his bar but one thing is for sure, he’s was sitting in the dark drinking alone ,andby his self. I hope all the waitresses get a great new job a great new boss and a great New Life. Because one thing’s for sure you all put up with that a****** and you deserve to have someone treat you like a human being.

    Reply
  6. For me, this is just another example of how totally fake Bar Rescue really is. In the real world, Taffer would have walked out of the situation without providing any assistance or a remodeling make over. If the show was not fake and he did decide to help, at the very least, Taffer should have had the owner (who is a complete drunken idiot) sign a binding agreement clearly stating that the bar would be run by a competent and experienced manager and the owner would confine himself strictly to the day to day administrative duties as far away from the general public as possible.

    Reply
  7. This was one of the most saddest episodes I probably have ever seen. And not sad as in unhappy sad. Sad as in pathetic sad. That owner was horrible.

    Reply
  8. I think the issue with this guy is that he thinks he’s ENTITLED to free labor and has no problem abusing women into giving him this free labor (the cornerstone of capitalism). Many ppl think that owning a business is people giving you money and you don’t have to do any WORK. You can’t pay minimum wage to a bartender and then bully them into doing a bar manager job for free. Supremacy and misogyny at it’s best. The place is a disaster & everyone hates you, but you still think you’re The Man?? That’s like medical level delusion. If John Taffer can’t break your ba**s & get through to you, you KNOW you’re bats**t crazy

    Reply
  9. The owner of The Dugout is a misogynistic, abusive, mentally deranged DICK! I am shocked that John Taffer & Bar Rescue would help him. A much more suitable outcome would have been to see John tell him: ” F U I’m not fixing your bar, LOSER!” We as viewers would have loved that & it would have been justice for this UNGRATEFUL LOSER. Do not reward bad behavior Bar Rescue!!!

    Reply
  10. The owner would be smart if the hire manager run the bar while he can sit back at home let all $ rolling in then be grumpy at the bar.

    Reply
  11. Just so sad. I love Jon Taffer. I feel his apathy in toughest situations. I’m sickened by Ed’s calling for help and the overall beyond disrespect!! I’m a case m anger and struggle with those with mental illness that take a step forward in recovery/stabilization and 2/3 steps back. It’s hard to support persons that ask for help, sabotage themselves, in spite of the greatest support presented!! It’s painful to witness. I love the work that Jon and his amazing staff does! I’m a former bartender, trained, certified, and find it hard to tip reasonably to poor attitudes, over pourer and those that feel obligated to my tip supporting poor service! Sometimes, I wonder if I got back behind that bar, which I served, singly, 160 persons on Band night, slinging, smiling and serving! What would I do today? Come on people, service with attention, smile, authentic, efficiency, validation and everything ❤️ else that makes a person feels…welcomed. wow! I’m battling, currently with disrespectful bartenders..disagreeing with hubby’s tip, to disrespectful bartender to me, his wife. I’m torn due to I’m a Treasurer in this private club. Bartenders are working only for tips. Earn it! ‘Nuff said. I’m grateful fir Jon and his team’s work and heart. I’m sad, nearing crying for the ungratefulness. Service business earns $$$ for service, not obligation. Side note: I’m near done dining out due to a pattern of gastrointestinal side effects. I can see why, it’s not me it’s criss contamination and that handle food cross contaminate, cutting corners and not checking/managing dates. It saddens me. Money is getting tighter. I’m challenged to eat out due food quality, price, and service fee.

    Bark as you will. Bottom line, I appreciate Bar Rescue!!! Lead me to ine in Maine or NH! I love you Jon Taffer and Staff!!@

    Reply
    • Ignore my typos and grammar errors. I did not proof read. Focus on content. YAY! Bar Rescue and your work, hence Puerto Rico saves! And COVID re-rescues! The VFW!!! Amazing, heartfelt. Tear-eyes rescues! It is not “only tv” I’m smiling at Bat Rescue’s charity!

      Wish I could do more, but I’ve got many hone issues, working 2 jobs and transporting a teen to college 3x a week and dance 2x. Waiting for that next Maine driver’s test re-examina!! Been since 8/24/2022!!! It is 9/22/2022. She failed due not entering an intersection at a red light, making a left turn – half way. An optional strategic maneuver. She was feathering the gas pedal. Cautiously for the the left. Officer spoke, “faster”, hence failing exam – verbal instruction. Welcome to Maine – York County!

      Love & light, Brothers and sisters

      Reply
    • Idiots like Ed comes along every day. He’s a complete failure at trying to run a bar. Hey look all he wanted was a new renovation on his bar so that makes him a manipulator not a bar owner. He needs to buy him an attitude.

      Reply
  12. Jon taffer is saving your bar Mr big shot you drunken fool do not care your employes all you want do respect bartenders learn to make drinks and coctails

    Reply
  13. There are a lot of reality shows I believe are fake and this is one of them. People who visited the bar after the episode aired had nothing but good things to say about the owner. Why would anyone believe everything they see on tv and not believe people who have had face to face experience with the owner and the staff. Besides that every bar I have ever been to myself the owner is always drinking along with the staff. Nature of the beast!

    Reply
    • As someone who has studied media in university and worked on productions, they can only work and edit what is provided to them. It is extremely easy to fake reviews on Google or Yelp. I worked for a company in the past that paid for fake Glassdoor reviews. The fact that he had something on his menu called a “Pussy Shot” is a major red flag. I heard he also had other shots with similar names like “money shot”. The man is obviously a pig.

      Reply

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