(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 8 | View All Season 8 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: April 24, 2022
The Bar's Original Name Was: Sandtown Pub
JJ's Chicken Bar Address: 5819 Campbellton Rd Ste 202- 203 Atlanta, GA 30331
Episode Recap
Sandtown Pub, briefly renamed to JJ’s Chicken Bar, was an Atlanta, Georgia bar that was featured on Season 8 of Bar Rescue.
Though the Sandtown Bar Rescue episode aired in April 2022, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that in December 2021.
It was Season 8 Episode 18 and the episode name was “Quick-Sandtown Rescue”.
In this episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer visits the Sandtown Pub in Atlanta, GA.
The bar is located on Campbellton Rd, a bit to the southwest of the Atlanta downtown area.
Jon Taffer has visited a few Atlanta bars during the second half of Bar Rescue Season 8, in part because Jon opened his own bar in Atlanta called Taffer’s Tavern.
Fredericka Jones, a native of South Carolina, opened Sandtown Pub in 2017 after spending 40 years working in the fast food industry.
That means she’s owned the bar for about half a decade at the time of the Sandtown Bar Rescue visit.
Her past work experience includes well-known names such as Arby’s and Taco Bell. She worked her way up to Store Manager, so she does have lots of management experience.
He father owned his own bar where she worked as a kid which gave her the inspiration to open her own.
In order to open the bar, Fredericka had to invest her life’s savings, so she has a lot riding on its success.
She had no investors or business loans – it’s all her own money.
Unfortunately, Sandtown Pub has been struggling from the beginning.
Fredericka thought that he long experience in the fast food industry would be enough, but she quickly realized that there are a lot of differences between the two.
Most notably because of the alcohol involved.
To help keep the bar afloat, Fredericka had to pull another $65,000 out of her 401k.
Unfortunately, money alone isn’t enough to keep the bar going because there are other problems.
Amber, a server, says that it’s disorganized and staff are more focused on having a party than working, especially when Fredericka isn’t around.
To manage the bar, Fredericka hired her daughter, Amber Jones.
While Fredericka was more relaxed, Amber is more hands-on.
Derrick, the cook, has to stay away to avoid fighting with Amber.
Amber, on the other hand, thinks that Derrick is one of the problems and Fredericka needs to be more strict with him.
Side note – a lot of the reviews for Sandtown Pub do mention that Amber can be a little…abrasive.
Because of this, Fredericka and Amber’s relationship has become strained.
The bar has also had some issues with health inspections.
While this wasn’t covered in the episode, Sandtown Pub failed a health inspection in 2018, receiving a score of just 64 out of 100.
You can view the full report here.
To make matters even worse, Fredericka is in over $200,000 of debt, on top of already having pulled money from her retirement accounts.
Even if Jon Taffer can put in place good systems, that debt is still going to make it difficult to save the bar.
The bar only has about 2-3 months to survive at the time of the Sandtown Bar Rescue episode, which means the pressure is on if Jon Taffer and his crew are going to save the bar.
As part of the rescue, Jon Taffer gave the bar a new exterior and interior.
He also changed the name to JJ’s Famous Chicken Bar, named after Fredericka’s father.
However, the new JJ’s Chicken Bar name wouldn’t last long, as you’ll see in a second.
Fredericka posted a video of the new sign on her Facebook page – you can check it out here.
So was the Sandtown Bar Rescue visit a success? Keep reading to find out what happened next and if the bar is still open in 2024 and beyond.
JJ's Chicken Bar Update - What Happened Next?
Now that I’ve recapped the Sandtown Bar Rescue visit, let’s talk about what happened next after Jon Taffer and his crew left Atlanta, GA.
Overall, Fredericka seems to have enjoyed her experience on Bar Rescue.
She posted about the renovations on her personal Facebook page and the Sandtown Pub Facebook page also had a post announcing the episode.
However, she really did not like the new name. The JJ’s Famous Chicken Bar name pretty much never saw the light of day because she immediately changed it back to Sandtown Pub, but with a new sign.
In a post on the Sandtown Pub Facebook page, they explained why they had to change the name:
couldn’t keep the name !!!
JJs is a wing brand that’s already in ATL and it’s very well know ….
The name of this Community is call Sandtown that were the name came from originally …
we keep everything else …
glad you liked the show
Here’s a screenshot of the Facebook post in case it gets deleted:
So it appears that Jon Taffer kind of dropped the ball since JJ’s Chicken Bar might’ve had legal troubles if they kept the name.
The bar also seems to be doing much better in terms of health inspections, though these improvements already happened before Bar Rescue.
While it failed in 2018 with a score of 64/100, it passed its latest 2020 report with a score of 97.
You can see the most recent health inspection here.
Is Sandtown Pub from Bar Rescue still open?
As of my most recent check in 2024, Sandtown Pub is still open and serving customers in Atlanta, GA.
It’s doing so under the original Sandtown Pub name, after having immediately ditched the JJ’s Chicken Bar name that Jon Taffer gave it.
They host a lot of events at the bar and also seem to be very active in the community.
For example, they post about community clean up days to clean the neighborhood, teen empowerment, community outreach with police, and more.
They even had Stacey Abrams speak at the bar. Stacy is a candidate for the Georgia Governor position, if you’re not familiar.
Here’s a picture of a Facebook post that shows Fredericka with Stacey Abrams speaking:
I think it’s great that the bar tries to have a positive effect on the community.
The bar also has karaoke, jazz nights, fifty cent wing nights on Wednesdays, and other regular events.
When I’m updating this post again in August 2024, I see that the bar is still very active on the SandTown Pub Facebook page, regularly posting about lots of events and specials.
Here’s what the bar’s location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view – you can see that it’s right next door to a Subway:
SandTown Pub reviews after Bar Rescue
Unfortunately, though, reviews for the bar don’t seem to have improved much after Bar Rescue as you’ll still see a lot of people having negative experiences with the food and service.
The bar’s overall ratings are 2.5 stars on 115+ Yelp reviews and 3.6 stars on 800+ Google Reviews.
Here are a sampling of reviews from Yelp and Google Reviews that occurred after the Sandtown Bar Rescue visit.
Two star Yelp review:
I’ve been here several times for food and cocktails.
My husband and I have taken our parents, friends, and family to eat here because we live in the neighborhood.
We don’t have many places to eat in the area, so in spite of the horrible service we have received approximately 75% of the time, we still patronize this business because it’s convenient.
We were happy to have our one and only neighborhood pub.
Plus, on a good day the food a decent.
Today was the final straw for me.
My guests from out of town and I walked in, and I got the bartender’s attention to let her know that we were heading to the patio.
We sat at our table for 20 minutes. Not one server came outside.
We quietly walked out and went to Eclipse di Luna on Miami Circle.
Two star Google review:
The Dj was the bomb but music was too loud.
I could hardly hear the ppl sitting with me.
I ordered a Henny Margarita. Because she didn’t ask, I told her I wanted a sugar rim.
So then she asked me if I wanted my “drink in a glass.” Ummm, yes!
My husband ordered an alcohol beverage along with a Coke.
He thought he would get a fountain drink, but they brought out a Coke in a bottle.
My food was good. I ordered the 10 wings and Catfish.
But the food came in to-go containers.
Really???
The wings could have been fried a little harder.
The floor was slippery.
But the DJ was bomb!
Five star Google review:
Very great food everything was made fresh.
My waiter was the bomb and the manager even came by our table to check on us.
Three star Google review:
This used to be me and my husband go to spot to come to after work when we first started dating.
Drinks are great.
I see they have made some updates as far as adding new booths, paint , wallpaper and tables.
Food wise, Is a big disappointment.
No effort at all put into the food.
I would compare it to food that you would get from a concession stand at a high school basketball game.
The turkeys burger is pretty good. Nachos are a big no no! Wings are decent.
Three star Yelp review:
Ordered wings and fries.
The wings need seasoning but weren’t uneatable.
Season the wings and cook them a tad longer and they’d be great.
The fries were mushy.
I brought it to the attention of the cashier and she brought out fries that were perfectly cooked.
That tells me that if they slow down to make sure that every order is A1, this place could be a decent establishment for the area.
Overall, it seems like Sandtown Pub is still having issues with the quality of its food and service.
People do seem to like the music, though, even if they didn’t enjoy the overall experience.
If you’re in the Atlanta area and you want to give it a shot, you can learn more at the official Sandtown Pub website.
There’s also a Sandtown Pub food truck that you can book for events.
What happened to Fredericka Jones from Sandtown Pub?
Fredericka is still the owner of Sandtown Pub.
If you want to connect with her, you can find her Facebook page here.
She posted about the Bar Rescue renovations here.
Jon Taffer has visited a few Atlanta area bars on the second half of Season 8, which makes sense given that he opened Taffer’s Tavern in Atlanta.
If you want to see those episodes, check out these posts:
If you want to see some Georgia Bar Rescue episodes from other seasons, you can check out these posts:
And if you want to share your thoughts on the bar or the episode, you can do so using the comments section below.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/sandtown-pub-atlantahttps://www.facebook.com/SandTownPub
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And don't forget to check out all of the other Bar Rescue updates.
Last updated: 2024-08-17 05:20
It sucks that they didn’t keep Taffer’s name but I guess I can kind of see why they did it if there’s already a JJ’s chicken place in Atlanta. Taffer should’ve known that.
So far the second half of Season 8 hasn’t had a great record for keeping Taffer’s changes.
For example, Stadium Club went back to Gilly’s and then Ace’s Sports Hangar sold itself right after the visit.
It’s not one location.. It’s MANY! https://jjfishchickenga.com/locations/
It’s like changing the name to McDonald’s Gourmet Hamburgers
or Waffle House Grill and Bar.
Don’t joke – I wouldn’t be surprised if the next Irish pub on Bar Rescue gets renamed to McDonald’s.
Waffle House Grill and Bar…hahaha good one!!
Sounds like a great concept actually lol, a bar based on chicken and waffles, what better lmao. Like this jj’s it wouldn’t be able to be sued, is confusing when search tho.
The other place is named JJFISH & CHICKEN, Originally From Chicago is on the signage that looks completely different than Taffer’s design.
No one could confuse the place in my opinion.
How could a business succeed with a cook that has such a terrible attitude.
True it’s tough to do. Need to make a change.
And can’t fry chicken. Yikes
I think if Fredericka follows Jon Taffers advice & keeps a close eye & tight reign on things she’ll be the success she strives to be.
If she gets ride of two losers in the kitchen she would do a lot better
Has anyone Google mapped this? It looks like it’s signage is The Tavern @ 🤷♀️
The Google Maps street view picture is very old (from all the way back in 2016). SandTown Pub only opened in 2017, which is why you don’t see it in the Google Maps picture.
Also, it’s a strip mall type setup, so there are multiple businesses at that address. I think The Tavern is another tenant in the same complex.
Can’t wait…. to never patronize this place.
Apparently Fredericka is weak owner ,& falls into this mindset Family & Friends First ,&The Business 2nd . I’ve never ever heard of a Bar Losing 25K Monthly has to be a National record..That speaks volumes.
Tony…I couldn’t agree with you more. Get rid of those two cooks and hire some one who will help your business … not hurt it. I’m surprised she hired the nasty one back. Frederickica needs to get rid of them both. I mean…how hard is it to fry pickles??
I would stay far away from this place as long as those two knuckleheads are in the kitchen. Would love to know if they are still around. How anyone could hire someone who acts like that, no less keep them employed, is beyond me.
I had to literally LOL at the review that said she ordered a margarita and the bartender ask her if she wanted it in a glass.
Funniest thing I’ve read today! My answer would’ve been “no just pour it in my hands”
Gives me shades of the movie “I’m gonna get you sucka”
Got some real brainpower working there
JJ’s Chicken Bar is not even close to JJFish & Chicken Originally From Chicago, in my opinion.
Even the signage is completely different, i do not see how a person could confuse the two.
I thought the name change was great in honoring Fredericka’s father.
I hope that she was able to get rid of her high debt and is doing well business wise.
She seems incompetent to me after all that Jon tougher did for her! Get a manager in the place and let him run it that has experience and those food and management of food by the code of the area and the country and common sense
Half the comments as well as remarks from the staff are pure gibberish, is English the first language of any of these people??
Fried pickles/wings and VERY sugary drinks, no wonder we have a diabetes and obesity epidemic in this country!
“This used to be me and my husband go to spot after we first start dating.”
OR:
“This used to be my husband’s and my go-to spot after we first started dating.”