To be fair to Jon, he didn't fail to save Headhunters. The actual owner failed to stop being a Resident Evil boss, because he was spawning vile cockroaches every time he took a step.

For him to even be able to save half those bars is amazing fr 💯

Saying John “failed” is not accurate. You can’t blame him for a failing business.

I legit lived about 10 miles from piratz tavern.  Almost all my colleagues at my community college wanted to go there and support pirates. I will say,  that was one that felt like Jon Taffer just hated the area,  and theme.  No one in corporate wants to go to a bar that makes them think of work in the cubicle.  He could have picked a theme more related to the area,  like silver streams bar, or  something relating to Maryland.  Marylanders love Maryland.  The Orioles,  the black eyed Susan,  the flag...

A pirate/ren faire themed bar opened in my town. I predicted it would fail, too specific, but the tourists loved it this summer, even though Montana has nothing to do with the theme 😂, and they’re doing great! I guess my city finally is getting more nerd culture.

I know the location where the Piratz Tavern once was. The bar itself was a typical theme bar in that it appealed to a small specific clientele. There is nothing wrong with that until you consistently lose money and go deep into debt. And that is what happened so the owner, who was living in her parents basement, called Jon for help. You have to be pretty arrogant or hard-headed not to listen to the person you asked for help. Her problem was that even though her bar was failing, she still thought she knew better than Jon. The bar definitely did not blend into the area. Jon's attempt to resurrect the bar was based on the upscale location and the type of people that would be most likely frequent the bar. The fault was entirely with the owner and that idiot husband of hers. So Jon did his part but when they reverted back to the pirate theme the bar was doomed. Still couldn't turn a profit and still hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. And so it is no more.

They never take responsibility, refuse to embrace changes..

The Drunken Donkey in Lewisville, TX (Season 6, Episode 41) with the neon green walls is now permanently closed of October 2025 but they still have a location in The Colony

The Pirate Bar LOOKED busy!

There's a life lesson here...Some people you get to too late to save...others don't want to be saved no matter how much you put in.

Poor little guy didn't even get cleaned up just left to rot in the open😢😢 4:50

Definitely got your dugout/ press box audio/ video mixed up

Ugh 80% of these bars never intended for him to save them but to get their bars updated and upgraded for free so they could sell it or refinance and file bankruptcy! Damn near every bar had the same problem just like Gordon Ramseys restaurant show they had no intention to make it but use them!

Most of these places issues were the sort that a rebrand, or a one time deep clean and some renovation were never going to fix.
Those issues being some mix of owners who did not want to be bothered with the day to day stuff, owners who didn't know what they were doing, or owners who less wanted a money making venture and more wanted a place for them and their friends to hang out.

The pirate tavern was John’s stupidest decision. There was even a reference to it in a later season where the owner was like “I just don’t want him to make this some corporate crap bar”…

I've said it before and I'll say it again 99% of theae places are so far in debt no matter better service and remodeling there's no way out of it. Yes, some of the issues are owners and staff.

I found out long after the fact Taffer rescued a local venue (wasn't on a show).  The attached bar and grill succeded much better than the rest of the venue.  They moved to a better location, and opened a second restaurant.  Both are still open and reasonably popular.

We recently had a heavy metal bar go out of business in my area.  While I loved the decor and theming, the food was always too expensive.

John did a reload of our local VFW- he did an outstanding job!!! 🎉

11:45 this was THE MOST satisfying downfall to watch and I’m glad Jon didn’t help them!