(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 3 | View All Season 3 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: February 24, 2013
The Bar's Original Name Was: TJ Quills
The Annex Address: 7600 Maple St New Orleans, LA 70118
Episode Recap
TJ Quills, later renamed The Annex, was a New Orleans, Louisiana bar that was featured on Season 3 of Bar Rescue.
Though the The Annex Bar Rescue episode aired in February 2013, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that in 2013.
It was Season 3 Episode 3 and the episode name was “Bro’s Got to Geaux!” .
Located in New Orleans, LA, TJ Quills is owned by Darian Blanchard.
It’s located near Loyola University and is a popular hang with students at the college.
Darian bought the bar in 2012 but quickly gained a bad reputation for serving high school students.
They have been raided by police many times. He has been fined and will face closure if it happens again.
Darian’s friends come into the bar and are rowdy.
The owner is too afraid to tell his friends to quiet down, so he lets them do whatever they want. It’s kind of like a big ‘ole frat party.
He won’t speak up, so the party atmosphere grows more every day. The staff even drink while on the job.
At the time of the TJ Quills Bar Rescue visit, the bar is $400,000 in debt and is three months away from closing for good.
Elayne Duke, head mixologist, and Chef Duffy join Jon for the recon.
Jon also calls in six sorority sisters to spy on the bar, which fits well with the bar’s frat-like atmosphere.
He gives one of the ladies a fake ID to test the staff, and she is immediately let in.
Jon told the sorority girls to misbehave and take shots with the bartender.
There are creepy men in the bar freaking them out, so they leave.
Jon comes in and yells at Darian for allowing the staff to drink while on the clock.
Matt, the bartender, will be fired if he drinks one more time.
The owner and Jon meet to discuss the fake ID incident.
This is a big deal as it could lead to the bar being shut down, especially given the previous issues.
The following day, Jon returns to talk with the staff.
He teaches them the difference between fake IDs and real IDs.
Jon introduces Elayne and is shocked at the sexist reaction towards her.
She then tests the bar on making drinks, and nothing they do is right.
Finally, she shows them the right way to make a daiquiri.
The stress test begins after Matt and fellow staff member Spellman are trained on the new equipment in the kitchen.
Jon does the fake ID test again, and the bouncer lets the faux ID holder in the bar.
Russell, the manager, promptly fires the security guard.
The kitchen is confused during the stress test, and Lyle, the bartender, has a bad attitude that is causing female patrons to leave.
Jon shuts down the stress test and tells Lyle to change his attitude.
Spellman left for a drink during the stress test, and Russell fired him.
He said he was sad to see him go, but he had to do what his job required.
Lyle isn’t given time to change as he is fired too.
It’s pretty much a big ‘ole firing party, which shows how many issues there were with the staff at TJ Quills.
Jon brings Darian’s mom in, and the two of them discuss the finances.
While that’s happening, Chef Duffy shows the staff the new menu, and Elayne trains them on new drinks like The Hamlet and The Odyssey.
After the bar is renovated, Jon renames it The Annex to get away from the reputation that TJ Quills had.
There are new POS terminals, and the security guards are catching fake IDs right away.
Russell jumps in to help when the bar struggles.
So was the TJ Quills Bar Rescue episode a long-term success? Keep reading to learn what happened next and if this New Orleans bar is still open in 2024.
The Annex Update - What Happened Next?
Six weeks after The Annex Bar Rescue visit, the sales and revenue at the bar were way up, which is helping Darian manage the bar’s debt.
So would it last? Let’s talk about the biggest question on your mind…
Is The Annex from Bar Rescue still open?
As of 2023, The Annex is still open and serving customers in New Orleans.
However, they’ve returned to using the old TJ Quills name and no longer go by The Annex, which is the name that Jon Taffer gave the bar.
In fact, Darian went back to using the TJ Quills name pretty much as soon as Jon Taffer left the building, so that’s one change that definitely didn’t stick.
Here’s what the TJ Quills New Orleans location looks like in the most recent Google Maps street view picture:
The bar is still very active on Facebook using the TJ Quills name, regularly posting specials and events.
As you’d expect from a college bar, a lot of the specials revolve around cheap drinks:
However, there have been some issues at the bar.
In October 2021, the Loyola University Police Department “raided” TJ Quills over allegations from a number of students about drink spiking.
TJ Quills was only one bar that was investigated out of multiple bars, so it wasn’t an issue that was specific to TJ Quills.
I also don’t think that TJ Quills shut down temporarily as a result, as it seems like the bar was cleared.
Additionally, after reviewing the bar footage, there was no evidence of staff or anyone else spiking drinks, according to TJ Quills’ lawyer.
Additionally, TJ Quills is cooperating with the investigation.
I’m not saying TJ Quills did anything wrong here – I’m just reporting the news.
TJ Quills also ran into some trouble with the city over alleged violations of Covid-19 health restrictions.
You can learn more about both issues in this article from Nola.com or this article from the local Fox affiliate (which includes a video).
Here’s a quote from a neighboring business owner, who throws a little shade on TJ Quills:
I think amongst the community the places that are problem spots or known violators have been violators for quite some time…
I think all we can really ask for as business owners in general that we have consistent enforcement across-the-board so there’s a level of expectation as to what the rules of the rule road are
Overall, I would say a lot of these are normal things for a college bar…but TJ Quills does seem to push the limits a bit.
TJ Quills reviews after Bar Rescue
While the bar is still open, the reviews are pretty mediocre as it has just a 3 star rating on Yelp and a 3.5 star rating on Facebook.
Overall, college kids seem to like it, while everyone else seems to hate it haha.
Here’s a sampling of a few reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…
5 star review from April 2021:
Omg I love tj quills me and all my friends have the best time here!
The bartender are so attentive and the venue is so conducive to a fun time!
Definitely would recommend.
5 star review from March 2021:
cute fun spot with a lotttt of college kids. was here on a wednesday night and the place was bumpin.
I wouldn’t expect strong drinks here bc they want you to keep buying more (my vodka soda was watery) but it’s just a casual place not somewhere that specializes in cocktails.
Overall I liked it and the street it’s on is cool.
1 star review from January 2014:
I used to come here frequently when it was TJs before the bar rescue ordeal.
Apparently not a damn thing has changed.
We went out looking to watch the saints game and this was the only place with seating available; now I know why.
Same story as on bar rescue: what looked like the owners were sitting at the bar taking shots with all of the employees what seemed like every 10 minutes.
There was maybe a total if twenty people in this place and it still took 10 minutes to get a drink because the employees were too busy playing with each other and taking shots.
Let me also mention that when I checked my bank statement the next morning, these people added $4 to the all ready generous-enough tip that I gave them.
2 star review from March 2013:
Let me start by saying, I am very familiar with this place pre “Bar Rescue” (ie Raven and Quill’s days), and it literally could only get better.
That said, it didn’t really get better.
It’s still a happening spot for high school kids, and/or all of Kenner in it’s Ed Hardy, spiked hair glory.
They’re still practically giving the alcohol away (hello, Beat the clock, and $2 anything specials), and still giving off creepy, uncomfortable vibes.
If you’re on Maple, try Bruno’s across the street or Philips further down.
Unless you’re trying to holler at 16 year old Cabrini girls.
Overall, the TJ Quills owners didn’t really seem to keep much of what Jon Taffer showed them. But despite that, it’s still open almost a decade later, so it’s hard to argue with the results.
Jon Taffer visited another New Orleans bar just a couple of weeks earlier in Season 3 Episode 1.
That bar, Spirits on Bourbon, is also still open. So far, Jon had a good run in New Orleans in Season 3 of Bar Rescue.
If you want to see some other Louisiana Bar Rescue episodes, you can also check out my updates for Second Line Co / Speakeasy in Kenner and Desi Romano’s Sports Bar in Chalmette.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tj-quills-new-orleans-2https://www.facebook.com/tjquills/
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Last updated: 2023-01-23 06:31
It’s one of my favorite episodes, I can’t believe that they didn’t keep the name. Jon can fix many things, but you can’t fix stupid.
If Jon Taffer could fix stupid the success rate would definitely be a lot higher haha.
This is why fake tough guys and alcoholics shouldn’t run a business. This placed was always doomed to be a shady frat den, think “Animal House” without the energy and charm.
Exactly! Not business owner running the frat house!
Great Episode. Kind of separating the Wheat and Tares as far as employees go.
Kind of botched things by slipping back to their ways. Glad they are still open, really believed in the owner. But if he stuck with the name and theme he’d be in better shape.
Still a boy owning this place!
if you can’t take an opportunity of a lifetime for a much better tommorrow then shut the b”” “h down.
Agree!
Nothing like a bar that looks like it’s run by washed up frat boys trying to cling to their college years. Jons changes were definitely for the better.
Disrespectful to not keep the name John Tapper renamed it. Just proves this place is still run by a Boy, just F-ing dumb, got that??
Can’t believe this place is still open I figured after John left, they go back to their old ways and they did, and it only be a matter of time before they close the doors
The bar is pretty low for college bars. As long as they have cheap drinks they have a chance.
Pretty sad I hope he’s mom got her money back
This is 😢, dumb dumb dumb, you could of been a MILLIONAIRE!! DUMBASSES