The Bayou Bar Rescue Update (Fat Balls) – Still Open in 2024?

Episode Recap

Fatballs Sports Bar, later renamed to The Bayou, was a Jacksonville, Florida bar that was featured on Season 6 of Bar Rescue.

Though the Fatballs Bar Rescue episode aired in July 2018, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place long before that in the beginning of 2018.

It was Season 6 Episode 20 and the episode name was “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Fatballs”.

Fatballs Sports Bar and Grill is in Jacksonville, FL. The bar is also spelled Fat Balls Sports Bar sometimes.

I have to say, this is one of the worst names of any bar that I’ve seen on Bar Rescue.

If you agree or disagree, let me know in the comments.

The Fatballs owners are Tony and Nagwa Azer.

After the couple met and married in Egypt, they moved to America and opened the restaurant in 2015.

That means they’ve had the bar for around three years at the time of the Fatballs Bar Rescue visit.

Rumors of poor service and a disgusting name have led to no customers. Miss.

Bonnie, a former manager, tells Bar Rescue she doesn’t understand what the name has to do with being a sports bar. 

Tony doesn’t take accountability for his actions, and the staff is immature and inexperienced.

He also believes how he runs the restaurant will make him successful even though all he does is yell.

One of the bartenders, Krista, doesn’t understand why the bar isn’t functioning after being open for two and a half years.

The owner’s marriage is failing due to the stress of Fatballs. 

The owners are in severe mounting debt.

Chef Jason Santos and bar expert Emily DiLisse join Jon Taffer to help with the rescue.

Emily tells Jon that the bar’s name is a turn-off and would stop her from going into the bar for a drink.

The bar has a nice sized cooking space and bar which impresses Jon.

The bar, though, is empty.

The bartenders at Fatballs are Kristen and Asia.

The servers are Precious and Lexi, with cooks Eric and John in the kitchen.

Jon notices one of the cooks is wearing headphones.

Inside the bar, the staff is playing a game of pool while others apply their makeup since the bar is empty. 

Since there are no customers, Jon Taffer enters the bar and orders food and beverages for ten people.

He threatens everyone with their jobs.

Kristen is hopeful when Jon enters the bar.

Jon asks Tony if he thinks his bartenders will be able to perform well, but Tony says no.

Jon asks Tony if that is his fault, and he says he is too busy to train his staff. 

Jon orders one of the dishes is called The Blue Balls Burger (lol!), and Jon doesn’t think a woman would ever order that burger.

Personally, I try to always avoid blue balls, so I’m not sure if I would order it either.

Jon and Nagwa taste the ten drinks served and deem eight out the bad.

The cooks are struggling with the kitchen.

Finally, Tony admits what he is doing isn’t working well, and Jon tells him to start managing Fat Balls. 

The staff brings Jon his food orders out one at a time, and when Jon tells them he would rather have them all at once, the cook says he will not rush with a big order.

When Jon Taffer asks where his food is, John the cook tells him to be patient.

Since Jon Taffer thinks he was disrespected, he wants John the cook fired.

At first, Tony hesitates, but eventually he does fire John the cook. 

In the kitchen, Jon Taffer sees overcooked food and unsafe practices.

Jon calls Tony lazy and makes him clean the kitchen.

The next day, Jon gathers the owners and staff to find out why the bar is failing.

Jon reads online reviews of the bar, and they are all bad.

They mention things like service and organization as issues. 

Bonnie, a former manager, comes in, and although the staff says she was hard to work with, she was a great manager.

Tony says he had lost his passion when he opened the bar.

Jon tells Tony to channel that anger and make it motivated. 

Now, it’s time to start improving the bar and getting it back on track.

Emily trains the bartenders on how to make a cocktail the right way.

She also teaches them how to make their drinks with less syrup.

Jason trains the kitchen staff on seafood dishes.

The stress test begins.

Within 15 minutes, orders had piled in.

The food and drinks are being sent back by customers. 

You know how it usually goes when it comes to stress tests on Bar Rescue.

Let’s move to the renovations…

As part of the changes, Jon decides to change the theme of the bar to New Orleans.

It goes without saying that Jon Taffer wants to ditch the weird Fat Balls name.

Tony and Nagwa meet with Jon at their home, and he tells Tony he needs to start being a leader.

The bar is renamed to The Bayou to go with the New Orleans them.

The bar looks more modern, and they are gifted a new POS system.

Tony is not yelling at the staff. The night is a success. 

So was the Fat Balls Bar Rescue episode a success? Keep reading our update to learn what happened next and if this Jacksonville, FL bar is still open in 2024 and beyond.