(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 4 | View All Season 4 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: August 23, 2015
The Bar's Original Name Was: Myerz PourHouse
The Study Lounge Address: 1678 Greenfield Dr El Cajon, CA 92021
Episode Recap
Myerz PourHouse , later renamed The Study Lounge, was an El Cajon, California bar that was featured on Season 4 of Bar Rescue.
Though the The Study Bar Rescue episode aired in August 2015, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.
It was Season 4 Episode 30 and the episode name was “Jon Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost”.
Jeremy Myers owns the bar Jon is visiting, Myerz Pourhouse.
Jeremy Myers used to be in the coast guard, but he’s now taken off his life jacket and moved into the hospitality industry.
The bar is located in El Cajon, California, which isn’t too far east from San Diego.
In 2011, Jeremy bought the bar with money left to him by his father.
At first, the bar was successful, but then Jeremy became scared of it and said it was haunted.
Jeremy has even bought in ghost hunters to check if a ghost haunts the hotel.
This is why the Myerz PourHouse Bar Rescue episode is named “Jon Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost”.
He shows a bunch of security footage of the “ghost” doing things.
Jeremy also bought microphones and other equipment to talk with the ghost.
Lisamarie Joyce, an expert mixologist, helps Jon rescue the bar.
Both Jon and Lisamarie say they do not like the bar’s name as it sounds like “poor house”, which isn’t a good connotation for a bar.
Matt and Jordan, podcasters, will recon the bar to get a feel for how it functions.
As the spies order their drinks, they ask about the bar’s history.
They are told that in the 1980s, someone was thought to have died in the bar.
Many staff members do not want to talk about their ghostly experiences.
The bar staff does not know how to make a good drink. They keep overpouring.
The top of the bar is disorganized and filthy.
Two bartenders, Nina and Nicole, are too scared to stay at the bar alone at night.
Jon comes in and thinks the ghost stories are silly. I have to say that I agree with him…
The following day the staff meet with Jon and talk about their ghost stories.
Jeremy is very scared while the staff members share their stories.
Jon informs them they gave away almost $7,000 dollars in alcohol by overpouring.
Maybe the ghosts drank the thousands in lost liquor? Could be!
Lisamarie is introduced, and she trains the bar staff on how to pour.
Jon brings in Kettle One Vodka during the stress test and wants to send a worker to a brewery. Product placement, anyone?
They will compete during the stress test in thirty-minute intervals. They will work shifts.
Nina and Paul compete against Derek and Nicole.
Jon then ends the stress test.
A psychic comes in to rid the bar of the ghost.
Jeremy stays that evening to close the bar by himself and face his fears.
Paul and Derek are chosen to go to the Kettle One brewery along with Lisamarie.
The bar is remodeled, and the staff gathers to see it.
Jon changed the name from Myerz PourHouse to The Study Lounge.
The bar is now warm and cozy, which fits with the study theme.
There are two new POS systems, a glass washer, an ice machine, and a spooky bookshelf that throws a book off to scare people.
The bar is opened, and the bar staff is very excited.
Nicole has really improved as a bartender.
Jeremy interacts well with the customers, and Derek does excellent as a bartender.
The Study Lounge Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Study Bar Rescue episode, let’s talk about what happened after Jon Taffer and his crew left El Cajon, CA.
Six weeks after Jon Taffer’s visit, the sales at the bar are up by 30%, which is great for business.
The “ghost” is also gone. I guess the pyschic worked? Either way, there are no more hauntings going on.
Jeremy also trusted Jon Taffer’s expertise and stuck with the new The Study Lounge name instead of changing it back to the old name like some other owners featured on Bar Rescue.
Is The Study from Bar Rescue still open?
As of 2023, The Study Lounge is still open and serving customers in El Cajon, CA.
Reviews are good but not great, with a 3.5 star rating on Yelp but a 4.4 star rating on Google Reviews.
The recent Yelp reviews are generally positive, with a few of the negative ones being angry viewers who clearly didn’t actually visit the bar.
Some legit reviewers do criticize the service, but you’ll see a lot of people complimenting the cocktails.
Here’s a Google Maps street view shot of the Study Lounge El Cajon location as of December 2021, to give you an idea of what the bar looks like now:
And here’s a sampling of reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer, to give you an idea of the bar’s service…
5 star Yelp review from September 2015:
Came here cause we love bar rescue.
Thanks Paul for the bomb ass signature drinks the chargers won and its my friends birthday.
Paula made us free shooters!
Its perfectly packed and the air conditioning feels nice!
4 star Yelp review from November 2015:
I was excited to try this bar after I saw it on bar rescue.
I’m from El Cajon but have been living in Los Angeles for a while now so my bar expectations are higher than most.
First off I’d like to mention the fact that I’ve never noticed this place before although I’ve driven by it countless times (Thanks Bar Rescue).
It’s one of those local places that you just have to know about.
The outside is not very inviting but I like the remodel of the inside.
It doesn’t scream El Cajon, although the chargers posters remind you that you’re still in east county.
The bartenders were friendly, drinks were cheap, and the place seemed clean.
The music was a little loud making it difficult to have a conversation and it was a slightly older crowd but overall I had a good time.
I will definitely be back next time I’m in town.
2 star Yelp review from August 2015:
So I finally went to check it out after the bar rescue episode aired.
Staff great, but what a joke!
Carpet in a bar is a joke and the great Jon Taffer should have realized that.
Can’t compare it to the old bar but was not impressed with the theme considering the closest college is quite a drive.
At least there was plenty of friendly locals but east county has much more to offer than books and a lounge chair to smoke your pipe
Overall, The Study Lounge is definitely on Jon Taffer’s success list for now.
But if anything changes, you can be sure that I will update this post.
If you want to see some other nearby San Diego Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for La Luz / Caribe in Bonita, Silver Dollar in Chula Vista, Off Base Bar / Filling Station Pub in San Diego, and Way Point Saloon / Molly Malone’s in Ramona.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
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Last updated: 2023-02-02 06:37
Well it seems like bar rescue owners do way better than restaurant impossible. That one is like the Kiss of death…
I guess that’s why it’s impossible haha. The show’s name is accurate.
I don’t see how a small dive bar in a strip mall can have a ghost issue. And I don’t understand why the played up the “college town” aspect. The nearest major college is 11-12 miles away, so this is not a college town.
You don’t see how a dive bar in a strip mall can have a ghost issue?
lol, why not? Do ghosts prefer the regular mall? Or do they just haunt houses? Maybe the ghost was confused because the sign said Myerz Pour House. Lmao…. I’m course why you don’t see this happening at this specific type of place….
We went and had an Awesome ghostly experience. Highly Recommended..
(Insert sarcasm here)
Just one little comment on the information in this show. When Jon is talking about this bar pouring a lot of vodka he makes them switch brands to “Ketel One”. After The Netherlands introduced “Jenever” to Britain they came up with the name “Gin” for simular booze. But Jenever is not Vodka. Not even close. Besides it both tasting like alcohol the method of making it is different and so are the ingredients.
Wow, was surprised to see they are still open in 2023. Good for them. Guess he paid back his family by now (I hope)?
Jeremy ended up selling the bar a few years ago – and whoever the new owner is, has changed its name. (Can’t remember what they renamed it as – but I saw its new sign as I was driving through there about 3 weeks ago.)
Its still called the study
There are a few things wrong with this article. Jeremy didn’t get money left to him by his father, there is no “hotel” that is part of this show, there were no psychics brought in, but there were mediums brought in to help the ghost crossover. There wasn’t a mention of the bar being filthy in fact the Bar Rescue show had bought a new ice maker for the bar assuming they would find the existing ice maker in bad shape or having mold or dirt etc, during the filming of that part Jon nor Lisamarie could find any mold or and part of the ice maker to be dirty, since they already acquired the new ice machine is was presented and gifted to the bar anyway, if there were anything wrong with the old one don’t you think they would’ve aired that? They’re not going to show them going into the ice machine ave not finding anything wrong with it, then giving us a new one anyway. As for Nina??? There isn’t a bartender named Nina, her name is Lina. The bar was sold in 2018 and the new owner did not change the name and he doesn’t plan to. Was there ever a mention that this was a college town bar? Negative… the books simply was chosen for the fact that Jon linked the hauntings and a quiet study together because they go hand and hand, also because this wasn’t something El Cajon had and gave customers something new and different from anything else in El Cajon. I think it was a great choice and the people that initially didn’t like it have changed their minds. Overall it was a great success and continues to be successful. The new owner Dave is a really down to earth approachable guy and I wish him continued success. Cheers!
Thank you for the update!!
I live in the Netherlands. Actually half an hour drive from the Ketel One distillery. Never been there, sad to say. Anyway, it is true that Ketel One originally only made “jenever”, but they added wodka to their portfolio for commercial reasons.
Great to see these guys in Schiedam. Happy that the bar is still open. Seemed like a decent rescue.