R. Lee’s Bar Rescue Update (Schafer’s Bar) – Still Open in 2024?

Episode Recap

Schafer’s Bar and Grill, later renamed to R. Lee’s, was a Sumner, Washington bar that was featured on Season 5 of Bar Rescue.

Though the R Lees Bar Rescue episode aired in October 2016, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place a few months before that in May 2016.

It was Season 5 Episode 7 and the episode name was “Listen Y’all It’s Sabotage”.

Schafer’s Bar and Grill is located in Sumner, WA.

If you’re not familiar with Washington geography, Sumner is a city of around 10,000 people that’s located just south of Seattle (and near Tacoma).

The bar was originally owned by Jeff Schafer, which is where the Schafer’s Bar and Grill name came from.

In 2010, when the bar first opened, they were very successful. The bar was doing between $1.2 and $1.8 million in sales per year, which is nothing to sneeze at.

After working at the bar for five years, Jeff sold it to Nita Wyatt and Ryan Burke.

However, even though he sold the bar, Jeff stayed on at Schafer’s Bar and Grill as the manager.

The new Schafer’s owners and Jeff often clash as they have different ideas on how to run the bar.

Nita and Ryan now question Jeff and blame him for the bar’s failure (or at least that’s how the Schafer’s Bar Rescue episode made it seem).

To make matters worse, Nita and Ryan are in more than half a million dollars of debt, which is another big reason that the Schafer’s Bar Rescue episode exists.

Expert chef Aaron McCargo and mixologist David Vaughn recon the bar with Jon Taffer.

The camera footage shows the owners, and Jon gives the experts the rundown on the owners and Jeff’s situation.

Nita joins Jon in the command center SUV. She confides to Jon that Jeff was supposed to stay on for a short time during the handover process, but he hasn’t left. 

Bartenders at the bar have to search for recipes on the internet, and a steak is sold for seven dollars.

David and Aaron spy on the bar and order clams and cocktails.

The drink tastes terrible while the clams Aaron ordered aren’t available.

Finally, Aaron and David order a steak, burger, and pork chop. 

Nita and Jon Taffer see the kitchen in the camera footage from the SUV. Jon points out to Nita how dirty the kitchen is.

He reminded her of when Jeff owned the bar; the kitchen was not messy like it is now.

David keeps ordering drinks at the bar, but the bartenders do not know how to make them.

The spies wait over thirty minutes for a burger. 

Lindsey, a bartender, is sick of David asking for drinks she doesn’t know to make, so she walks out.

Nita meets with Lindsey and tries to get her to stay, but it doesn’t work.

Now Nita is angry and takes it out on Ryan. She makes all of the patrons pay and leave. 

The experts go into the kitchen to provide feedback.

Jon Taffer and Nita meet them in the kitchen, where Jon shows Nita all the disrepair and mess.

Jeff has to stay to clean the kitchen with the rest of the staff.

The following day Jon comes back and is impressed with the clean kitchen. 

Jeff admits to every he regrets selling the bar to Nita and Ryan, but he denies trying to sabotage it so he can repurchase it.

He complains that as a manager, he has no control.

Jon thinks Nita should place all of the employees on probation, and although she is hesitant, she agrees.

The staff has one day to prove they want to work at the bar or they will be let go. 

To prep for the stress test, Aaron shows the kitchen staff how to make a tasty steak sandwich.

The new steak sandwich will be added to the menu for the stress test, along with the bar’s old recipe steak sandwich.

Meanwhile, Ryan works the jigger properly at the bar. 

During the stress test, orders are coming in, but the food is sitting in the kitchen window.

One customer has to wait for her meal, and when she tells her server, the customer is notified the item is sold out. She is never offered a replacement.

The test is shut down and it’s time to continue training up the staff.

Ryan and Nita decide to let Jeff go as they still do not trust him.

Jeff accepts the news and hugs the owners as he leaves.

Meanwhile, the experts continue training the staff.

Aaron shows the cook how to make a sloppy joe sandwich in the kitchen, and at the bar, David trains the bartenders on new signature cocktails. 

While all of that’s happening, Jon Taffer and the crew have been hard at work on renovating the bar.

As part of the changes, the bar is renamed R. Lee’s after Nita and Ryan’s son.

The bar now looks more high-end and modern, but Nita is unhappy.

She informs her staff that she will rearrange things when the show is done filming because she wants the bar to be a sports bar.

The owners wish for Jeff to come back, but he refuses unless the former name is put back and the sign changed. 

Jon Taffer tells them Jeff is not serious about committing to the bar, and he is confident the new theme will work for them.

The customers love the unique atmosphere. Nita seems more happy during the relaunch, though I don’t think that’s really accurate.

So was the Schafer’s Bar Rescue episode a success? Keep reading our update to learn what happened and how the bar is doing in 2024.