Second Line Bar Rescue Update (Speakeasy) – Still Open in 2024?

Is The Second Line Co still open today?

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

Season: 5 | View All Season 5 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: March 19, 2017
The Bar's Original Name Was: Speakeasy
The Second Line Co Address: 4345 Williams Blvd Ste F-1 Kenner, LA 70065

second line co update bar rescue

Episode Recap

Speakeasy Bar & Grill, later renamed to The Second Line Co, was a Kenner, Louisiana bar that was featured on Season 5 of Bar Rescue.

Though the Speakeasy Bar Rescue episode aired in March 2017, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place around half a year before that in October 2016.

It was Season 5 Episode 18 and the episode name was “All Twerk and No Pay Makes Taffer Shut It Down”.

In this episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer is in Kenner, LA (basically New Orleans) to try and rescue the failing Speakeasy Bar & Grill.

The Speakeasy bar was originally owned by Keith Bellaci.

Keith Bellaci Speakeasy owner on Bar Rescue

Keith originally purchased the bar in 2006, which means he’d owned it for more than a decade at the time of the Speakeasy Bar Rescue visit.

Keith had managed some bars in the past so he figured he could strike out his own and become a success.

For the first few years, business was good. 

The bar also helped him meet Amanda, who originally helped behind the bar before marrying Keith later on.

They both retired from the bar after their marriage and sold the bar.

However, it appears that they weren’t ready to get out of the bar business, as they ended up repurchasing the bar in 2015.

It reminds me of the Sopranos line “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in” haha.

This time, they did so with the help of Amanda’s mother, named Barbara.

Now, Keith and Amanda Bellaci share ownership of the bar with Amanda’s mother.

The couple thought the bar would still be profitable, but they quickly discovered that wasn’t the case.

Amanda Bellaci Speakeasy owner on Bar Rescue

If Amanda’s horrible twerking behavior is any indication, the couple also don’t seem to take the bar seriously as a business.

At the time of Jon’s visit, the Speakeasy Bar & Grill is losing a stomach-churning $5,000 per month.

Tack that on to the fact that the bar is already $250,000 in debt, and things don’t look good for Speakeasy.

Overall, they have a lot riding on Jon Taffer’s visit and the Speakeasy Bar Rescue episode being a success.

As an added bonus, the bartenders can’t even make simple drinks during Jon’s recon session.

The bartenders don’t even have the tools they need to make drinks, relying on awkward workarounds like mixing drinks in plastic cups.

To help upgrade the bar, Jon Taffer called on expert mixologist Ashley Clarke (who was a bartender in the Fort One / The Roc Bar Rescue episode) and chef Aaron McCargo.

When investigating Speakeasy, they discover that it’s filthy.

Jon is furious with the state of the kitchen.

Speakeasy Bar Rescue dirty kitchen

Jon Taffer asks them to clean the kitchen overnight before Jon gets further with the rescue.

However, it’s still dirty the next day, so Jon Taffer has to send in his own cleaning crew.

At this time, Jon calls a meeting with the owners and really lays into them about not being committed enough to make Speakeasy Bar and Grill a success.

Before and after the stress test, the experts work on training up the bar and kitchen staff.

Jon Taffer also works on coming up with a new concept for the bar and renovating it.

As usual, Jon changed the name of the bar during his rescue attempt, renaming it from Speakeasy to the Second Line Co.

He also trains up the staff and adds some new drinks.

So was the Second Line Bar Rescue episode a success?

Keep reading my update to learn what happened and if this Kenner, LA bar is still open in 2024 and beyond.

The Second Line Co Update - What Happened Next?

Now that we’ve recapped the Second Line Co Bar Rescue episode, let’s talk about what happened to the bar after Jon Taffer and his crew left Kenner, LA.

First, let’s talk about the name.

If Yelp is any indication, the owners haven’t fully embraced the name change, as the Yelp still goes by the old name of Speakeasy Bar & Grill.

They also have Facebook pages for both bar names and seem to post on both.

So who knows how they act in person.

You can view the Facebook page for Second Line Co here, and the Facebook page for Speakeasy Bar & Grill here.

Eventually, they did ditch Jon Taffer’s name and go back to the original Speakeasy Bar and Grill name.

One change they have stuck with, though, is Jon’s decision to make Speakeasy / Second Line Co non-smoking.

Is Second Line Co still open after Bar Rescue?

Second Line Co closed for good in December 2017, which was around 9 months after the Second Line Bar Rescue episode aired on TV and a little over a year after the actual visit from Jon Taffer.

At that time, the bar was doing business as Speakeasy Bar and Grill, rather than the Second Line Co name that Jon Taffer gave it.

For a time, the old Speakeasy Kenner, LA location is occupied by a bar/hookah lounge named Area 504.

You can check out the Facebook page for the new bar here.

However, it seems like Area 504 has moved to a different location as of 2024, as its Facebook page now lists it as being in Harvey LA.

I’m not sure what’s occupying the old location as of 2024.

If you’re a local and you know what’s going on, please let me know in the comments section below.

Here’s what the old The Second Line New Orleans bar location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view (February 2022):

Second Line Co reviews after Bar Rescue

At the time that The Second Line Co closed, reviews were ok but not great.

It had a 3 star rating on its Yelp page and a 4.2 star rating on Google Reviews.

Here are a few example reviews that were written after the Second Line Co Bar Rescue episode happened.

2 star review from 2017:

Learned about this place on the current Bar Rescue episode last night.

Anticipation ran high but the menu has been greatly reduced from one listed online.

Item I wanted today was deleted although listed on present very short menu at the bar.

Bartender Jessica was the best part of in-house experience.

Take-out order of jambalaya quesadillas was very good, but they discontinued the advertised sauce, adding to my disappointment.

Hope the on-line menus and hard copy will be redone soon.

Looking forward to trying the hamburger and wings.

5 star review from November 2017:

This place is amazing.

The atmosphere is just right.

The bartender is the friendliest and nicest person ever.

She is VERY knowledgeable and such great personality.

The food was delicious! We got a hamburger and it was amazing!

I got a blue moon draft and the mug was perfectly frosted.

I also ordered a margarita, and the bartender made it from scratch!

It was delicious!!

Final thoughts on Second Line Co

Overall, this one, unfortunately, has to go on Jon Taffer’s failure list, though it’s not really his fault because the owners didn’t stick with his concept.

Taffer can do his best, but nothing is going to work if the owners won’t listen.

Unfortunately, that seems to be a common theme for the show, as a lot of owners don’t stick with the concept that Jon Taffer gives them.

That wraps up my update and thoughts on the episode.

If you want to see some other Bar Rescue New Orleans episodes, you can check out my updates for Spirits on Bourbon on Bourbon St, Desi Romano’s Sports Bar in Chalmette, and TJ Quills / The Annex in New Orleans.

All three of those bars stayed open for a long time – The Second Line Co Bar Rescue visit was Jon’s only failure in New Orleans.

However, Spirits on Bourbon has now closed as of 2024 (after a succesful run of over a decade).

For another Bar Rescue Louisiana episode, you can also check out Big Mike’s Sports Bar in Baton Rouge.

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

As always – thanks for reading!


More Information

https://www.yelp.com/biz/speakeasy-bar-and-grill-kenner
https://www.facebook.com/speakeasykenner/


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Last updated: 2024-03-01 08:39

16 thoughts on “Second Line Bar Rescue Update (Speakeasy) – Still Open in 2024?”

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

  1. Should have kept the name Taffer gave it, confusion not good.

    How can people review a company with two names?

    I watched the show, new name and look was Wonderful .

    Reply
  2. I loved the name that Jon gave them it made the place better warm the place up and the food look like it brought the customers in they should had left the name. P S. Are the owners still married

    Reply
    • Exactly. Skankin all over the place w her husband and mother in the room? Yer not fixing anything w someone like that. She’s a 35 y o woman w kids, just sooo embarassing. Her kids will watch that episode, so will their friends. Surely she knew that. I’m pretty far from puritanical, but zero respect for her.

      Reply
    • They appear to be divorced. Keith has a profile picture with his kids on Facebook. Amanda has a picture on both her Instagram and Tiktok that are very revealing. Both of their behaviors scream “separated/single.” Keith works as an operations manager for a tree service in Kenner, where he also has his listed address. Amanda doesn’t have her occupation listed but her mailing address shows Metrarie, LA.

      https://www.tiktok.com/@manda.bellaci?_t=8c1fw5W15uU&_r=1

      – all information obtained through lawful OSINT investigation

      Reply
  3. Apparently, they don’t change their clothes very often around there
    They had the same clothes on until opening night.
    I’m not sure what John thought. He was going to accomplish with a couple of owners and wouldn’t even clean their own kitchen for the sake of a remodel. If I was John I just walked right out and left them there.

    Reply
      • HGTV producers also have competitors wear the same clothes in shows like Rock the Block. It allows producers more flexibility in editing the story they decide to tell.

        Reply
    • That’s what I was thinking. If one doesn’t care about their own bar enough to clean it like Jon told them to then why should Jon even care to give them help.

      Reply
  4. You know, I’ve only disagreed with Jon a couple times while watching the show, but this is definitely one of those times. I’m not sure what happened in the kitchen that first night, but I would have started to back off once that owner was sent into a full-on anxiety and panic attack.

    When a person starts calling out “I need my anxiety meds” that’s not good.

    Reply
    • Not like any anxiety or panic attack I’ve seen in ER or practice! Stress of owning bar would’ve contributed, not partying and twerking about helps heart rate any! She was fine! If had meds for anxiety, shouldn’t be drinking. Water and comfort helped, I saw an act! I’ve seen extreme cases, she wasn’t one. Serious game to play!

      Reply

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