(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 7 | View All Season 7 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: June 7, 2020
The Bar's Original Name Was: Silver Dollar
Silver Dollar Address: 341 3rd Ave Chula Vista, CA 91910
Episode Recap
Silver Dollar was a Chula Vista, California bar that was featured on Season 7 of Bar Rescue.
Though the Silver Dollar Bar Rescue episode aired in June 2020, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.
It was Season 7 Episode 13 and the episode name was “A Silver Dollar Saved Is a Silver Dollar Earned”.
Silver Dollar is a bar in Chula Vista, CA.
If you’re not familiar with California geography, Chula Vista is part of the San Diego metropolitan area and it’s right by the border with Mexico.
In fact, it’s only about a 20 minute drive from Chula Vista to Tijuana, Mexico.
Mike Tegardine Jr and Sr own the Silver Dollar bar, which has been around for ninety years. That’s a lot of history!
Mike Jr dreamed of owning a bar of his own.
His father invested in the bar as a silent partner.
The bar was starting to gain success when the father and son began clashing.
The stress of the bar is affecting Mike Jr and Mike Sr’s relationship and Mike Jr’s marriage with his wife, Norma.
Derrick Turner joins Jon Taffer for the recon.
The two look at the dated bar and think it looks like a dive bar.
Christina, a mixologist, spies on the bar with Derrick.
The two want to see the bartender’s skills.
Norma meets with Jon in the SUV to give him a rundown on the bar.
Candy and Sam are introduced, who Norma says are good bartenders.
At the bar, Derrick is told they have no cocktail menu.
The spies order a Tom Collins and a martini.
Derrick tells the bartender that the Tom Collins is sweet.
Mike Sr is caught drinking at the bar, and it looks as if he is drunk.
Norma tells Jon that her husband and father-in-law used to be good friends, but now they fight.
The fighting is affecting her relationship with her father-in-law as well.
Jon Taffer and Norma go back into the bar, where Jon reads Norma’s letter to Bar Rescue out loud.
Mike Jr tells Jon that he no longer lives in the same home as Norma, which shocks his father.
His father had no idea their marriage was in that much trouble.
Jon returns the next day.
Mike Jr wants to run the bar by himself, but his father is afraid of the mounting debt, which is another reason why the Silver Dollar Bar Rescue episode exists.
The bar doesn’t serve food, but they do serve bar snacks.
The staff tells Jon that the tensions between the owners are apparent to the customers, making it awkward.
Derrick arrives and tells the owners his opinion about their lack of a cocktail menu.
While inspecting the bar, Derrick finds bugs in the alcohol bottles and dirt.
Bugs in the alcohol bottles is, unfortunately, not that rare to see on a Bar Rescue episode.
This bug-filled alcohol probably has happened in several other bars on the show, including Bonny and Read’s / Toucans, Panic Room / Tonic Lounge, and Headhunters / Metal and Lace (that’s definitely not the complete list).
After the bar is cleaned, the employees learn how to make a Tom Collins properly.
The stress test begins. Jon will be tracking how many drinks are dumped during the stress test.
Even though they only offer a limited number of drinks, the bartenders immediately have to discard two.
The bar soon runs out of glasses and ice, and the customers lose their patience because of the long wait.
After the test, Jon Taffer compliments Mike Sr for his support during the stress test.
Mike Jr also congratulates his father.
Now, it’s time to get to work on improving the bar and fixing what went wrong during the stress test.
Derrick shows the staff how to make a negroni.
Jon sends Mike Sr and Mike Jr to a fancy restaurant for dinner while the bar is remodeled.
Mike Sr also finally gives permission for Mike Jr to run the bar.
After improving the relationship between father and sun, the newly renovated bar is revealed.
Because the bar has such a rich history, Jon Taffer decided to stick with the original Silver Dollar name.
It has been updated while still keeping the historic feel.
There is a food delivery service area for the Italian restaurant to deliver food to the bar.
There are Harbor Touch POS systems and Skytabs for payments.
Customers wait less than thirty minutes for their food during the relaunch, which is a huge improvement.
Everyone is pleased, and the family hugs Jon before he leaves.
So would the improvements at Silver Dollar lead to lasting success?
Let’s find out…
Silver Dollar Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Silver Dollar Bar Rescue visit, let’s talk about what happened after Jon Taffer and his crew left Chula Vista, CA.
To start off, Mike Sr. let Norma become a manager and Mike Jr was so busy with the bar that he had to quit his job so that he could fully focus on the bar.
Overall, business seemed to be massively improved, with no signs of that stopping or slowing down.
Is Silver Dollar from Bar Rescue still open?
As of 2023, Silver Dollar is still open and serving customers in Chula Vista, CA.
Silver Dollar did close for a time during the Covid-19 pandemic due to the health restrictions.
However, now that things have relaxed a bit, they are fully reopened and seem to be doing well.
Here’s what the Silver Dollar Chula Vista CA location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view:
Reviews for the bar seem good but not amazing.
It has a 3.5 star rating on the Silver Dollar Yelp page and a 4.1 star rating on Google Reviews.
Here are some recent reviews from 2022 and 2021…
Positive Yelp review:
I like this bar.
Crowd is definitely a little older but for the most part I haven’t had too many issues.
The music is okay but the bartenders are why we keep coming back.
They’re always friendly and try to get to everyone in a timely manner.
The only bad experience Ive had here was one night a couple weeks back and it seemed like a bunch of people having a mini HS reunion.
The crowd was horrible and most of them had a horrible attitude.
I wish the bouncers had definitely done a little more because I almost got punched.
We definitely will be coming back but maybe beware if you’re newer to this bar/area.
Another positive Yelp review:
Came out with a old friend to this place because we didn’t want to go to a brew house.
The service was great and as it got latter it got pretty crowded but not too crowded, still had a great time.
Negative Google Review:
Wouldn’t even open the door and had many customers outside!
Horrible customer service!!
Owner response to the previous review:
Sorry we are at capacity.
I would advise to come earlier.
Thank you.
A lot of the reviews (both positive and negative) talk about how crowded Silver Dollar is, so it seems like the bar is doing very well.
For example, the last negative review I posted deals with someone not being let in because the bar was already full.
Overall, this one seems like a real Bar Rescue success story from a business perspective.
If you’re in the Chula Vista, CA area, check out the Silver Dollar and let us know how it went in the comments.
If you want to see some other nearby Southern California Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for La Luz / Caribe in Bonita, Gaslamp Social in San Diego, and The Study / Myerz Pourhouse in El Cajon.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/silver-dollar-chula-vistahttps://www.facebook.com/Silver-Dollar-217719385052041/
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Last updated: 2023-03-05 10:51
This joint has always been an embarrassment to Chula Vista. The patrons are pathetic locals who relive their high school glory days every weekend like Uncle Rico and the gray-haired Fonz. The saddest part is that Mario Lopez grew up in the neighborhood 35 years ago, and everyone still claims to be his best friend all while reminiscing about “Saved By the Bell.” If you want to feel good about your life choices, belly-up to this bar and look around at the surrounding misery.
Don’t you EVER talk shite about Uncle Rico. Can you peg a moving bicyclist in the talkhole at 40 paces with a ribeye? Huh? Can you throw a football over the Wasatch mtns? Rico would’ve taken state if it wasn’t for haters like u putting him down, negatively influencing his coach. Pocatello was rocking that night, but Rico walked away empty handed because of YOU! You have to live with that for the rest of yer life. Me and Rico living in a crumbling trailer in Blackfoot, all because of you.
Ha! That was an EPIC reply!
This is the first in seven seasons of Bar rescue, that I truly thought an episode was rehearsed. It just didn’t seem natural with the reconciliation between father and son. That said, I am pleased that they continue to be open.
People will do anything to get that free upgrade for their bar. If they have to make up on TV they will, even if they aren’t really feeling it.
The silver dollar got help from jon taffer and it looked nice. I went a couple months ago and I was horrified. It’s a dump I’ll never go back there again,the people are rude service sucks and it does not look good inside at all. It was so dirty in there .
Thanks for sharing your firsthand experience at Silver Dollar!
It’s always cool to hear from people who actually go to the bar in person.