(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 5 | View All Season 5 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: August 6, 2017
The Bar's Original Name Was: Liquid Lounge
Tidal Bay Beach Bar Address: 3522 E Anaheim St Long Beach, CA 90804
Episode Recap
Tidal Bay Beach Bar, originally Liquid Lounge, is a Long Beach, California bar featured on Season 5 of Bar Rescue.
The Liquid Lounge Bar Rescue episode aired in August 2017, but the actual visit from Jon Taffer took place earlier.
It was Season 5 Episode 26 and the episode name was “Silence of the Ants”.
In this episode, Jon Taffer heads to Liquid Lounge in Long Beach, CA.
Rob McCarthy owns Liquid Lounge.
Rob has owned the restaurant since 2010, which means he’s owned it for around seven years at the time of the Liquid Lounge Bar Rescue episode.
Rob has over 30 years of experience in the bar industry and has always wanted to open his bar.
After his parents died, Rob invested his inheritance into the Liquid Lounge.
Three years after purchasing the bar, Liquid Lounge was raking in over $650,000.00 in sales, which ain’t too shabby.
However, things would start going down hill after that, which is why Liquid Lounge was in need of a visit from Jon Taffer by the time 2017 rolled around.
The bar had been cited for fruit flies in the bar, and it appeared in the local newspaper.
The place is crumbling and falling apart, but Rob is not fixing any problems.
The bartender, Lola, tries to help Rob by volunteering her husband to resolve maintenance issues.
Liquid Lounge is now $270,000.00 in debt.
To make matters worse, Rob has sold his house.
The bar is really the last thing he has, which is why he doesn’t want to go down without a fight.
Jon arrives with Rob Floyd, a master chef. He brings along Tiffany Derry to assist.
Footage of Liquid Lounge shows an unkempt bar.
The food in the kitchen isn’t stored cleanly.
Jon brings his daughter Sam along with him to do recon.
Flies are all over her drink, and the kitchen is disgusting.
Jon cannot allow his daughter to eat there, so he goes in to stop her.
Jon stops Sam from eating there before she gets sick. As the bar doesn’t clean the soda guns correctly, they are dirty and smelly.
Rob needs to step up his game to see Liquid Lounge’s success. Lola is in tears over the whole ordeal.
Jon tells the staff to clean the bar. He says if it is not cleaned by the time he comes back tomorrow, he is leaving.
With Jon, you know that’s not an idle threat – he’ll definitely leave a bar if the owner won’t put in the work.
Jon discovers one part of the wall covered in fruit flies and calls an exterminator, while Rob Floyd begins to train the staff on making consistently good cocktails.
Rob Floyd shows them the proper way to shake drinks and make a Long Island Iced Tea.
Side note – I absolutely love Long Island Iced Teas – you won’t find an easier way to get a buzz going!
Tiffany Derry offers the staff simple and cost-effective meals like Shrimp Poppers.
The recipes will be used during the stress test.
Jon tells the owner, Rob, to help out behind the bar or kitchen.
Lola is nervous and keeps messing up drink orders.
Many people have gotten their drinks, but no one has paid yet.
Rob McCarthy takes control, but the food is cold, and customers aren’t happy.
Jon tells the staff to stop and shut down the stress test.
He appreciates the staff’s loyalty, but the restaurant holds them back.
Jon begins training immediately.
The renovations on the Liquid Lounge have already begun.
The staff has been taken off-site to a training kitchen.
Rob McCarthy realizes he needs to keep Jon’s changes and be consistent. Jon brings in brand ambassador Eric Tecoksky.
He works for Jack Daniels and teaches the staff more about the brand.
Rob Floyd then teaches them a Jack Daniels cocktail called The Weekender.
Side note – this is totally product placement. Jon Taffer has to pay for those renovations somehow, and these product placements from brands like Jack Daniels are one way to do it.
The Liquid Lounge is making progress with its customer service. The staff loves all of the renovations.
As part of the renovation, Jon also renamed the bar from Liquid Lounge to Tidal Bay Beach Bar, though a lot of people just refer to it as Tidal Bar.
They are now ready to work.
Jon has installed 3 POS systems and new soda guns.
Everyone is prepared for the grand opening, which runs smoothly and efficiently.
So was the Liquid Lounge Bar Rescue visit a success? Let’s find out…
Tidal Bay Beach Bar Update - What Happened Next?
Now that we’ve recapped the Tidal Bay Bar Rescue episode, let’s talk about what happened to the bar after Jon Taffer and his crew left Long Beach, CA.
Soon after the changes and rebranding to Tidal Bay Beach Bar, the bars sales have increased by 20% and business seems to be doing much better.
Rob also decided to stick with Jon Taffer’s new bar name, Tidal Bay Beach Bar, rather than going back to the old name like a lot of the bars that appear on Bar Rescue.
However, the good times would not last…
Is Liquid Lounge from Bar Rescue still open?
Liquid Lounge / Tidal Bay Beach Bar closed in January 2019 because of issues with their liquor license and the overall debt burden of the bar that existed before Jon Taffer’s visit.
Here, you can see a link to the bar appealing the decision from the California liquor board.
The appeals board hearing happened in November 2018, so I guess the bar lost its liquor license around then.
The bar lost its license because it “failed to comply with a request to examine its books and records”.
As of 2023, the old Tidal Bay Long Beach location is occupied by a new bar called The Bamboo Club.
Reviews for the Bamboo Club are excellent, as it has a 4.5 star rating on its Yelp page.
Here’s what the old Liquid Lounge Long Beach location looks like in the most recent picture from Google Maps street view:
At the time that Tidal Bay closed, the reviews were ok but not great.
It had a 3.5 star rating on Yelp and a 4.0 star rating on Google Reviews.
Here’s a sampling of a few reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…
1 star review from April 2017:
Can I leave negative stars?
When I saw that bar rescue was at the bar I was hopeful that they would make some positive changes.
They killed the bar.
The Liquid Lounge was a great place to go, grab some food and great drink.
While the staff is still wonderful the place is dead.
Bar rescue made this place go belly up!
$3 hike in drink prices, $2 hike in food but the portion size is less than half what it was and less than a dozen people on a Saturday night, new cover charge and 2 drink minimum.
This was my weekly hang out, I will not be back.
On top of that the owners son is a douche bag.
While bar rescue was there he was a real dick to the people waiting in line. He shoved into me, I shoved him back.
He saw my walker and told me my business was not wanted at his bar. Well he gets his wish, the place is terrible!
3 star review from February 2018:
Good service and the drinks weren’t to over poured with liquor. Good prices too.
The only thing that bummed me out was that the bar rescue signature drinks were no longer available but the sign with their recipe was still on the wall, so for that so decided to give Tidal Bay a low rating.
5 star review from November 2017:
My favorite place to go for night life fun!
Drinks are great and worth every penny!
Food is good too, and after Bar Rescue even more new great food items on the menu!
My favorite nights are Monday night football, Taco Tuesdays, Karaoke Wednesday, Thursday, Feel Good Fridays, Karaoke Saturday, Sunday Funday (free pool all day)!
Party at Tidal Bay!
Also, this last two star review was written before Jon Taffer came (November 2015), but I thought it was funny because the reviewer was pretty prescient.
Looks like this bar needs to be on the tv show bar rescue!
Nothing special on the drink prices
If you want to see some other Long Beach Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for Black Light District from Season 4, Lona’s Wardlaw Station from Season 3, and Cirivello’s from Season 4.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tidal-bay-beach-bar-long-beachhttps://www.instagram.com/tidalbaylbc/?hl=en
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Last updated: 2023-01-29 08:22
I just finished watching the episode for the Tidal Bay Beach Bar, and as usual was so impressed with Jon Taffer’s ability to correct, encourage, and give the quidance and help these bar owners need so desperately. My husband and I have considered buying a bar and sandwich, chili/soup business. After seeing how necessary it is for owners to be actively involved, we have decided to enjoy going to various bars/restaurants and not own one. Thank you!!!
I can never understand how a bar can be so dirty and the staff not take it upon themselves to clean it up says a lot about the staff as well as the owner.
How many of these bars are out there that are never seen on shows like bar rescue But work in filth and people drink and eat there.
This guy had 30 years experience in the bar business and couldn’t tell when his own bar was dirty and filthy
Im in Long Beach right now & just watched & it is not yet 12:43 am. You must be in another state…. Assuming you wrote this today
I just posted at 12:09 but it’s time stamped 3:09. So I guess you posted this up to 15 hours ago.
A lot depends on the time zone of the website hosting company, which may not even be in the US…
I see some people blaming failure on Bar Rescue. The only thing they can do is show you the way and provide the tools. What people do after that is on them. No one is going to come in and hold their hand. Must take the responsability on themselves. A week wont change a shitty attitude or a blame shifter.
It was failing before Bar Rescue. Another person buying a business they know nothing about running and hiring employees who are just as clueless.
I agree, bar rescue job is to leave bar in better shape! Most close because landlords or owners legal issues, sell, crime, dealing drugs, murders ECT.. that’s not on us I mean bar rescue right. I’ve worked on 3 volunteered on 2, yea some like stress test are rigged in either direction depending on how goes, lead Jon’s instructions, the filth, human behavior, interactions ECT.. real. Jon uses basic psychological approaches, he does have great company for these people, but it’s TV, lot editing, but all real. Hate when people blame, bar rescue,job always done. Success rate is 100% on bars completed, pre rescue publicity, publicity, $100,000+ avg remodel,training, eventually TV.. I agree with you, and lots people work hard to make it happen.
Shane braddick says great update on the bar thanks guys!
The bar that took over is a tiki bar/restaurant/music venue. Something that was sorely lacking in a city with a ton of great bars. The food is excellent and so are the tiki drinks. There’s not a weekend where this place isn’t packed.