Stampede Saloon Bar Rescue Update (Whiskey Girl) – Still Open in 2024?

Episode Recap

Whiskey Girl Saloon, later renamed to Stampede Saloon, was a Fort Worth, Texas bar that was featured on Season 6 of Bar Rescue.

Though the Stampede Saloon Bar Rescue episode aired in July 2019, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place a few months earlier.

It was Season 6 Episode 39 and the episode name was “Reckless Roundhouse”.

In this episode, Jon Taffer and his crew visit Whiskey Girl Saloon in Fort Worth, TX.

The bar is primarily owned by Luke Beshera, who’s full time job is a lawyer.

In order to purchase the bar, he also brought on other investors to make the initial purchase.

Luke and his investors opened the bar in 2012, which means it’s been open for about 7 years at the time of the Whiskey Girl Saloon Bar Rescue episode.

However, the bar really never got off the ground after launching, even though it had the help of a mascot named Rick Roundhouse.

After only being open for one month, business began to decline.

Soon, Luke had to cover his partner’s costs.

Luke contacted Fred Barnett and Keith Peterson to become co-owners in the bar since they have experience.

Customers started to leave as Luke got rid of staff members stealing from him.

Luke created a mascot for the bar named Rick Roundhouse to increase revenue.

However, the staff hates Rick Roundhouse. 

The other bar owners are limiting Luke’s presence in the bar because he is disruptive.

In total, the owners have lost over $250,000, which is why they’ve asked Jon Taffer and his crew for help.

They’re also losing a whopping $6,000 per month, so that debt total is going in the wrong direction.

To help save the bar, Jon Taffer brought in expert mixologist Phil Wills.

Jon and mixologist Phil Wills meet at the bar.

The bar is only open two nights a week, so they cannot do anything that night. 

Soon after, Jon Taffer meets with the owners while Phil visits other bars in the neighborhood.

The owners are embarrassed Whiskey Girl Saloon was closed when Jon arrived.

Since the other bars are busy on a Monday night, Jon wonders why their bar isn’t open.

All of the bars Phil visits are crowded and lively. 

Fred tells Jon the bar is busiest on Saturday; he also tells him about Rick Roundhouse, Luke’s alter ego.

Luke is a lawyer, and Jon says he should know better after Jon shows footage of Luke being rude to women at the bar.

The next day at a staff meeting, the employees complained about Rick Roundhouse. 

Luke comes into the bar and introduces himself as Rick to Jon.

Jon shows Luke footage of him being inappropriate with women customers.

He also calls him out to give out free drinks and leave tabs open.

Since he can’t handle the truth, Luke walks out of the bar. 

To prep for the stress test, Phil Wills starts to train the bartenders.

They begin by making margaritas, a popular drink in the area.

Kevin Bledsoe, a BBQ expert, sets up pre-packaged food in the kitchen for the stress test to see if having a kitchen will work.

He shows them how to make a mac and cheese pork meal. 

The bartenders have to sell thirty drinks in thirty minutes.

The bar is overwhelmed when the stress test starts and customers aren’t being served.

The owners are called in to help, but the bartenders still can’t keep up.

The customers loved the food, so Jon decided he would set a kitchen up for the bar. 

After the stress test, the experts continue training up the staff at Whiskey Girl Saloon.

Phil trains the bartenders on a vodka-based cocktail that glitters and is served in a pouch.

Kevin shows the cooks how to make a brisket in a smoker.

Luke meets with his investors and Jon and sets up a payment plan to pay them back. 

While all of that is happening, Jon Taffer’s crew has been hard at work renovating the bar.

As part of the renovations, Jon Taffer renamed it from Whiskey Girl Saloon to Stampede Saloon.

A new DJ booth and an Orange Door Entertainment System featuring over 50,000 songs have been added to the bar.

Beyond that, a new ice machine and POS machines have been gifted to the bar.

The customers come in for the relaunch, and the bartenders make drinks consistent and tasty. 

So were the changes from the Whiskey Girl Saloon Bar Rescue episode a success? Let’s move onto the update portion of the post and talk about whether the bar is still open in 2024.