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Bar Rescue - Season 10 - Episode 08: Crust Issues
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00:07For over 30 years, John Tapper has traveled the country, saving hundreds of bars from failure and ruin.
00:14Now, he's heading to Kirkwood, Georgia, to attempt to rescue Urban Pie.
00:19For the family, you blew it. For the adult, you blew it.
00:24In 2007, Lisa Curtis opened Urban Pie in Kirkwood, Georgia.
00:29For over a decade, Urban Pie enjoyed success as the neighborhood pizza shop.
00:34Urban Pie used to be a gas station.
00:36When I got it, it was a little white building with metal bars on the windows, a couple pumps.
00:41I feel like Urban Pie is for anyone and everyone, and I welcome everybody.
00:47The neighborhood is very supportive, and for a long time, we packed this place.
00:51I like that.
00:54However, the bar's popularity inspired Lisa to go in on another slice of success.
00:59But that decision was ill-timed.
01:02In 2019, because we were so busy, I wanted to expand.
01:06So after expanding, COVID hit, and I always thought it would pick back up again, and it really just never
01:12did.
01:12Currently, I'm $440,000 in debt.
01:14To make matters worse, the downward trajectory of the bar caused Lisa to begin micromanaging
01:21the staff, leaving them frustrated and resentful.
01:25I have known Lisa for about 20 years.
01:29I love her to death.
01:30I think she is a wonderful human.
01:32But recently, she can be...
01:35We gotta stop having fun here, around there.
01:37...an absolute handful at times.
01:40Jennifer, can you get up?
01:41Uh, pre-bust everything you can, just get it cleared up.
01:44Have you checked with the poker people, see if they need anything?
01:46I don't think we should do a bunch of dough.
01:48Make your rounds all the way through out here.
01:49Due to Lisa's newfound micromanaging tendencies, she started turning away staff.
01:56I can't find anybody to do the job that I want them to do, and it's hard to pay somebody
02:00when you're not doing great business.
02:02The turnover rate has been crazy.
02:04I've seen her drive a lot of good people from front of house to back of house out of here.
02:10And with the high turnover rate, untrained staff and inconsistent service became the norm.
02:16I have to throw a lot of people to the wolves, because I don't think people get the proper
02:20training here.
02:20There is a checklist for cleaning and closing the bar, but nobody follows it.
02:26Here is kind of crazy looking, and leaks.
02:29We get leaks underneath the sinks.
02:31The ovens work when they want to work, honestly.
02:33So we'll be cooking.
02:35We don't know.
02:35Next thing you know, like, pizza's cooking weird, looking there, and it's off.
02:39I think as time's gone on and she's lost customers and money, she's just kind of, like, lost herself.
02:46But, I mean, I just don't have help that I need.
02:48I'm very frustrated.
02:50With an ineffective owner, a high turnover rate, and a failure to draw in new customers,
02:56Lisa is close to losing everything she's worked for.
03:00I just sold my last bit of stocks.
03:03I mean, the last thing I have is my dad's truck.
03:05With only a few months until closing, Lisa has decided to pull back the doors, bust open
03:11the books, and make a call for help to bar rescue.
03:14I pray to God that John Taffer shows up and does what he does best, because everything's a lot.
03:31Tasha, Rob, good to see you guys.
03:32Good to see you, John.
03:33Welcome to Kirkwood, Georgia.
03:35We're about a half a mile out of Atlanta.
03:37Average income of well over $100,000 per household.
03:41Right.
03:41And a median age of 37.
03:43So this is a younger, pretty affluent, pretty hip community.
03:47Yeah.
03:48And when you think of an affluent, hip community, and you see the outside of that place, what
03:53do you think?
03:54Chaos.
03:55Childish.
03:56I have Tasha Lacerda with me, a great mixologist who knows how to put together the right beverage
04:01program for this bar.
04:03And then, is that supposed to be a slice of pizza right there?
04:05I think so.
04:06It's their mascot.
04:07Looks like that dude Bob.
04:09Oh, it does.
04:10And I have a great pizza chef with me from Long Island, Rob Cervoni.
04:15The whole place looks terrible from the outside to the inside.
04:18Looks like the entire bar is a server station.
04:21Yeah, the water's done.
04:23I'm going to let that sit.
04:24Yeah, sit for a little bit longer.
04:25This and this.
04:26This and this.
04:27Yeah.
04:27There's Lisa.
04:29She's the owner.
04:30And here's what's shocking.
04:31Lisa's in debt.
04:34$440,000.
04:36She's losing $8,000 a month and she has enough money to make it three more months.
04:41So, she is at the end of her rope and she's completely failing.
04:47And there's Kira.
04:49She's one of your bartenders, Tosh.
04:51Okay.
04:51That's Q.
04:52He's our kitchen manager.
04:54And that's Caleb.
04:55Okay.
04:56He's the cook.
04:57Look at the pizza ovens.
04:59Those ovens look like they went to war.
05:01That concerns me when you see that kind of care or lack of it.
05:05Yeah.
05:06On the ovens.
05:07Then move to fryers.
05:08Look at that, chef.
05:09This thing's floating in the top.
05:11They're going to get someone sick with that.
05:12That is disgusting.
05:15Always use wax paper.
05:16We only use foil for it to go.
05:19Oh, yeah.
05:19For the wings.
05:19Yeah.
05:19Heard that?
05:20So, it seems like there hasn't been a lot of training back there.
05:22If she has to tell them that.
05:24Right.
05:25Bring the basket to you.
05:26Always bring the basket to you.
05:28And I sprinkle a little bit of the seasoning salt on it.
05:31Very little.
05:32Why is she giving them step-by-step instructions for these items?
05:35What we can do here is lemon pepper.
05:38Let me just take five of these hot ones that my hands are on fire with.
05:43Went back there.
05:44Didn't wash your hands.
05:45No coaching.
05:46No gloves.
05:48All right.
05:48So, we got this, this, this.
05:50Let me go see what they want.
05:51She seems like a micromanager.
05:53Instead of training them properly the first time.
05:55Right.
05:56She's directing it.
05:57Yeah.
05:57How we doing, y'all?
05:58Welcome in.
06:00Here you go, honey.
06:01So, for Recon, I got two of the biggest food influencers in the entire state.
06:06Oh, okay.
06:06Kristen Truitt has almost a half a million followers.
06:09Wow.
06:09I also have Angie Green, who's another big food influencer.
06:13So, I wanted them to come here, order some pizza, order some drinks, and let's see what
06:17some of the biggest influencers in the city think of this place.
06:20Can I get you started with something to drink?
06:22I think I want to do Respect Your Elder.
06:24Okay.
06:24Awesome.
06:25I got you.
06:25And for you?
06:26Old Fashioned.
06:27Okay.
06:29Oh, my God, John.
06:31So, the Old Fashioned is coming out of a can.
06:36It just looks terrible.
06:38The color's all wrong.
06:39It's cloudy.
06:40How much more are you paying for that drink in a can versus making it yourself?
06:44It's ridiculous.
06:45She's chewing up her own property.
06:48Look at how she shakes.
06:50This is a $14 cocktail.
06:51This is a signature cocktail.
06:53Here we go.
06:57Oh.
06:58Man, I don't know.
06:59I'm not a fan of this cane.
07:01Face says everything.
07:03It's not good.
07:04It's not fresh.
07:05It doesn't have any freshings to it.
07:07Can we put...
07:07We could put our order in?
07:08Yeah, baby, I got you.
07:09Give me just a sec.
07:10Here.
07:10What you are.
07:11Oh, you got it, Lisa?
07:12I'm going to do the margarita pizza.
07:14Excellent, George.
07:15I think I want to do one of the calozone.
07:17I want spinach, pepperoni, and Italian sausage.
07:24I just want to make sure I do it right.
07:26She's very nice.
07:27She tries to do well.
07:30Yes, ma'am.
07:30The calozone and the pizza goes together.
07:33That's okay.
07:33Oh, man.
07:34Is that chicken?
07:35No, that's dough.
07:36Now, what would make it wrinkle like that?
07:38I've never seen that in all my years, Rob.
07:40So, the wrinkling is because it was in a plastic bag,
07:43which means that they are buying frozen dough balls.
07:47Honestly, Q looks like he knows his way around the kitchen a little bit.
07:51He's stretching it professionally.
07:53The sauce doesn't look terribly bad.
07:55It's just coming out of a can.
07:57There's probably no recipe to it.
07:59Bagged cheese, pre-cut cheese.
08:00Yep.
08:01Filled with cellulose and anti-caking powder.
08:04He's overdoing the cheese.
08:05Yeah.
08:05Heavy, heavy hand with the cheese, and the spinach is not going to cook.
08:09Nothing inside of that calzone is going to cook.
08:12Are these the remake lemon?
08:15No.
08:16Are these a remake?
08:18What's going in the trash?
08:20That was the leftover pasta.
08:22Someone did.
08:23That was the wrong order.
08:25So, that chicken Alfredo was just sent back.
08:27Yeah.
08:28So, so far, we've seen one order wrong, one order sent back.
08:32Terrible.
08:33I think you and I should go in.
08:35Let's sit down with our recon spies.
08:36Let's eat together.
08:37And let's see what this is about.
08:39I'm game.
08:39Let's go do it.
08:45Let's go do it.
08:46Have a hug?
08:46Oh, I want to eat the sauce over here.
08:48Got a little honey.
08:49Hi.
08:52Have a hug?
08:54What I'd like to do is take this food to a table over there.
08:58Let's sit down and eat it all together.
08:59I was honestly a little scared to see John,
09:03just because he looked really mad when he walked in.
09:05Like, he was not happy.
09:06So even when I was helping Lisa bring the food out
09:08and their drinks out, I knew it was not going to go very well.
09:12The smell of the pie isn't bad.
09:14They got fresh basil on top.
09:16Which gives a lot to it.
09:17Gives a lot to it.
09:18Two different types of cheeses, I see.
09:20But with this store-bought dough.
09:22The flop.
09:23Just extreme amount of flop.
09:25Heavy amount of cheese.
09:26There's chunks of raw tomato on here,
09:28and they're not Italian tomatoes.
09:30They're just regular beefsteak tomato.
09:32To me, it's just a pizza.
09:34It doesn't have a margarita personality to it at all.
09:36Not at all.
09:37What do you think of the cheese?
09:38A traditional margarita pie has fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella.
09:43This is a bagged cheese.
09:44I could taste the cakiness of the cheese.
09:48And then on top of that, the bottom is, quite frankly, it's burnt.
09:52Yeah.
09:52How would you rate this pizza as an Atlanta pizza on a scale of 1 to 10?
09:584 for me.
09:594?
10:00Yeah.
10:01I think you're being a little generous.
10:03What's your number?
10:04I would probably say a 3.
10:06I'm done.
10:07You didn't even eat it.
10:09I know.
10:11I'm hungry, too.
10:12So are you a pizza guy?
10:14You love pizza?
10:14Yeah.
10:15You love pizza.
10:16So normally you would have whiffed that down?
10:17Yeah.
10:18Right, yeah.
10:19Cut into that calzone for me.
10:21Tell me what you think.
10:21That already looks kind of dry.
10:23Look at that calzone.
10:24The sausage is just bagged.
10:26It's dry.
10:27Too much cheese.
10:29Too much pepperoni.
10:30The spinach is raw.
10:31As you open it up, you can see it's still raw.
10:34Oh, my God.
10:35This is dough.
10:36That's not cheese.
10:37This is raw dough.
10:39Oh, oh, no.
10:40Here it is.
10:41You take shit and put it into an oven, you're going to get shit out.
10:44You will get someone severely sick with that.
10:52You take shit and put it into an oven, you're going to get shit out.
10:55You will get someone severely sick with that.
10:58They hate everything on the table.
11:00They really do.
11:02All right, guys.
11:03I'm going to go talk to you.
11:03I got a lot of work to do.
11:05Lisa seems like a very nice person.
11:07She interacts with her customers.
11:09She interacts with her staff.
11:10The problem is her product stinks.
11:13Lisa?
11:13Yes, sir.
11:14Can we talk?
11:15Yes, sir.
11:19Come stand here with me.
11:21Is this hip?
11:24I don't even know anymore.
11:26This looks like a children's play area.
11:28So right from the get-go, would you expect there to be great pizza in here?
11:33Probably not.
11:34You expecting great drinks?
11:35Probably not.
11:36You expecting any drinks?
11:38With children?
11:39No, probably not.
11:40I've never looked at it that way.
11:41And then I look at the food that you're making in the back.
11:43That frozen pizza dough is horrible.
11:45That, your pizza didn't look good.
11:47I wish I'd have made that.
11:48Well, those are two of the biggest food influencers in Atlanta.
11:50They gave you a four out of ten.
11:52I don't think my pizza sucks.
11:53If I were cooking, it'd be different.
11:55I agree.
11:55Lisa, you're feeding garbage to people.
11:59Your cheese is out of a bag.
12:00When you buy shredded cheese, you know there's wood in it.
12:03They call it cellulase.
12:04That's how it keeps its shape.
12:06If you cut it yourself, it's natural cheese.
12:09You strike me as the kind of person who doesn't want to give shit to your customers.
12:13Well, I don't, and I don't want to eat wood.
12:15Bingo.
12:15So, we have to fix this and take this to the next level.
12:19Okay.
12:20All right.
12:20You know, I've run it this way for a long time, but John Tavern, he knows a lot more than
12:25I do.
12:26Okay, let's go to work.
12:27I'll see you tomorrow.
12:28So, I'll do whatever it takes.
12:30I am here to improve.
12:37So, how was last night?
12:39Was it crazy?
12:40It was nerve-wracking for sure.
12:42Yeah?
12:42Seeing John, he definitely was not happy when he walked into the building.
12:45You know, the food was just kind of sad.
12:48Yeah, par, par food at best.
12:50Right.
12:50Well, I was awake at 6 a.m. this morning.
12:53Couldn't sleep because I know changes need to be made, but I'm super nervous for whatever
12:58he's going to do, but it's just, it's nerve-wracking.
13:01Overall, he wants to help Urban Pie, and I'm super grateful.
13:08Last night when I saw Lisa, I saw a nice woman who seems to care, but is blind as to
13:13what
13:13her business is doing.
13:15This business doesn't target children or adults.
13:18It targets nobody.
13:20Hey, guys.
13:21Hello.
13:22Why don't you guys grab a seat?
13:23I'll go behind the bar.
13:24Our business is eroding.
13:26It's falling apart.
13:27Today, we need to talk about that.
13:31Hi.
13:32Hi.
13:32Hello.
13:33We met.
13:34We did?
13:35We didn't.
13:36Hi, I'm Jennifer.
13:36Hey, Jennifer.
13:37What do you do here?
13:38I'm a server, and sometimes I bartend.
13:40Okay.
13:41Hi.
13:41Hello.
13:42I'm Kira.
13:42I saw you working last night.
13:43Yes, I was working.
13:44I was bartending.
13:45You've got a great personality.
13:46People really like you behind the bar.
13:48How long have you been here?
13:49I've been here for over a month now.
13:50Oh, so new.
13:51Yeah.
13:52I, like, just recently started.
13:53What kind of training did you get when you started?
13:55It was very little.
13:56I kind of was bouncing all over with a couple different people, but then I kind of was just
14:01thrown.
14:02If the two of you made me a margarita, would they be the same?
14:05No.
14:05Yeah, probably not.
14:06I mean, we do have, hidden under the POS system, a piece of paper that, like, shows the
14:11recipes for our cocktails.
14:12So if I want to make a drink and I don't know the recipe, I got to pull it all
14:17out.
14:17Yeah.
14:18I got to move all this.
14:20Yeah.
14:21And come over here.
14:22And here it is.
14:24It's not very accessible, but if I'm going to be honest, not a lot of people order anything
14:29off of that cocktail menu.
14:30And I try to suggest something else, because me personally, I don't think the drinks are
14:35that good.
14:37Gotcha.
14:38Hi.
14:39My name's Caleb.
14:39Caleb.
14:40And how long have you been here?
14:41Uh, let's see.
14:42This is day number six.
14:43Oh, so you're pretty new, too.
14:45Brand spanking.
14:46Gotcha.
14:46Have you worked in a restaurant before?
14:47Oh, yes, sir.
14:48I ran a kitchen for about a year and a half.
14:49So you're an experienced kitchen guy.
14:51I know a thing or two.
14:52Yes, sir.
14:52Well, where's Q, the other kitchen guy?
14:54He just called out today.
14:56He's busy.
14:57And does this happen often?
14:58Yes.
14:58All the time.
14:59I'm going to be honest with you.
15:00I just haven't had the manpower to fire Q if I wanted to.
15:04He's got us right up this high.
15:06I get that.
15:06But that's under your leadership.
15:08I...
15:08The worst managers I've ever seen blame their employees.
15:12Well...
15:12Because they are you.
15:15And I struggle with this, because you're a sweetheart, I think.
15:19We care about her, right?
15:21Yes.
15:21But yet we have a chaotic mess on our hands, with you trying to micromanage your staff instead
15:27of properly training them.
15:28As a result, we have turnover.
15:30We lose people all the time.
15:32Right?
15:33So I want to challenge your decision-making, because you're smarter than this.
15:37I want you to actually look at me and tell me, John, what I'm doing isn't working.
15:41John, what I'm doing is not working.
15:43Okay.
15:43So here's what we need to do.
15:45We need to empower Caleb, get him entrenched in that kitchen, so you're empowered to make
15:51the decisions that you need to make without anyone holding you hostage.
15:55Yes.
15:55Right?
15:55And that's an opportunity that you can provide to her that'll make you feel good, right?
15:59Absolutely.
16:00Okay.
16:00We have a sincere guy here.
16:02You guys are in, right?
16:03Mm-hmm.
16:04100%.
16:04We'll do what it takes to make this successful?
16:06Absolutely.
16:06So we got to start.
16:07You with me, guys?
16:08Correct.
16:09Okay.
16:10I went through the books, as I do, because I'm trying to help you, because I went through
16:14all the books.
16:16Now, how many times you return things to the kitchen?
16:20I saw three last night.
16:22Um...
16:22Right?
16:23Yes, sir.
16:23Three come back last night.
16:25And we only put out, like, six.
16:26Yeah.
16:26So 50% of what we put out last night came back.
16:29So that's an issue, right?
16:31Yes.
16:31Let me tell you something interesting.
16:32The median household income here is about $120,000 a year.
16:36For America, it's $62,000.
16:39Big difference, right?
16:40Almost twice the national income.
16:42The median age here is about 37.
16:45So this is a younger, affluent, pretty hip community, isn't it?
16:50Wouldn't you like that clientele to come in here and spend more money?
16:53Yeah.
16:54Okay.
16:54Is a young, affluent, hip person going to sit in front of this?
17:00No.
17:01No.
17:01The problem is that when you walk into a bar and you see things like this, it just sends
17:05the message that this is not an adult bar.
17:07Yeah.
17:08It's not a serious bar.
17:10It's not a place where I would get a great drink.
17:12Yeah.
17:12But yet I stood outside with you last night looking at the sponge dude on the wall.
17:18Looks like the cartoon character, right?
17:20This looks like a children's playground.
17:23Is a young, hip, affluent person going to go past the child playground outside and walk
17:29through the front door?
17:30It's not happening.
17:31Okay, let's reverse it.
17:33Let's say the kid walked through the front door and stares in a beer tap.
17:36Right.
17:37For the family, you blew it, right?
17:40For the adult, you blew it.
17:42Either way, you blew it.
17:57We're failing in the entire presentation of who and what we are.
18:01How did this get beneath you?
18:04I'm just, I'm exhausted.
18:06You know, I'm trying to work all the time.
18:08I'm trying to hold the kitchen together and my kitchen manager shows up when he wants to
18:12and it's just tough.
18:13I just kind of just hope to hope things will change without making the change.
18:18And are things going to change if you don't make the change?
18:20Yeah.
18:21No, no, no.
18:22It's time to be honest for a moment.
18:25Tell them how much money you're losing a month.
18:29$8,000.
18:32$8,000 a month.
18:34Tell them what you lost.
18:38$440,000.
18:40You're about to lose your dad's truck?
18:42Yep.
18:43He built that thing himself.
18:45He worked on it for 20 years.
18:47That's all I've got left of my dad.
18:49She's down to nothing.
18:51You have enough money for how many months?
18:53Two.
18:53Two months and we're done.
18:55So listen to me.
18:56Life has knocked you down.
18:59I'm here to lift you up.
19:01So we've got to go to work, guys.
19:03Let me bring my experts in.
19:05Tasha, Rob, two of my favorite experts.
19:08Tasha and I have been working together for years.
19:10Tasha's great at putting together a good cocktail menu that will target this community.
19:14Rob is one of the best pizza chefs in America.
19:17He's won awards.
19:18He's extremely talented.
19:20He can elevate us to that next level.
19:22So we've got a lot of work to do, guys.
19:23Yep.
19:24We've got to up this bar and we've got to up this food product to the next level.
19:27Absolutely.
19:28All right, guys.
19:28We've got to go to work.
19:29Let's do it.
19:29Let's do it.
19:31Carpe diem.
19:32I think Lisa gets it.
19:34She has an open mind.
19:35She sees her shortcomings.
19:37Now the issue is, does she have the incentive to change them?
19:41And that has to start.
19:43I've got to start changing her mindset as well as her restaurant.
19:54Hey, everyone.
19:54What's up?
19:55Hey.
19:56I do notice a new face in the crowd.
19:58What's your name, hon?
19:59My name is Jeremy.
20:00Jeremy.
20:00So good to meet you.
20:01What do you do at the bar, Jeremy?
20:02So I've worked for Lisa for quite a few years.
20:04I went to bartending school when I was 17.
20:06I've worked in many of craft cocktail bars and I've always wanted to help her out with craft
20:09menus.
20:10So I'm excited to see what you want to up.
20:11Okay, cool.
20:12So yesterday I watched people come in and order some drinks off of your
20:16specialty craft cocktail menu.
20:18I almost fell out of my chair when Kira had to go get a canned cocktail from the fridge.
20:24It's a big red flag and we're in a cool hipster neighborhood and it's trendy.
20:27Then we bust out a canned cocktail.
20:30It just diminishes the experience.
20:32What I would like to do is show you and let you experience the difference between a canned
20:36cocktail and a handmade craft cocktail.
20:38So the infamous old fashioned.
20:42And I want Lisa to tell me which one is which.
20:45We're going to do a straw test.
20:49All right.
20:50Now you tell me.
20:52Which one is from a can and which one is from my hand?
20:56I think that's the can.
20:58I think she's wrong.
20:59You think she's wrong?
20:59I think she's wrong.
21:00I think the lighter one is the real one because it's delusion.
21:02100%.
21:02I agree too.
21:03And I've poured those and they do.
21:04They're really dark in the can.
21:06Bing, bing, bing, bing.
21:07This was made from scratch.
21:09I was very surprised that the one that she made from scratch tasted so much better.
21:13I think over the years I've just bought the can items because they were quick and easy.
21:17But seeing the difference today was amazing.
21:20So I thought it would be super cool to have our signature old fashioned that stands out
21:26against all the regular old fashions that are out there in the world.
21:28What we did is we infused this rum with banana chips.
21:32We're doing three ounces.
21:34Simple syrup.
21:35About a half an ounce.
21:36We're going to mix up our bitters.
21:38Ango.
21:38Three dashes.
21:39Three dashes of our chocolate bitters.
21:44We're going to top it with a little banana chip.
21:47There we have our banana rum old fashioned.
21:51All right, y'all.
21:51We have stress test tonight, which means we have a lot more training to do.
21:54You with me?
21:55Yeah, let's do it.
21:56So Q is not here today.
21:58The show must go on.
21:59Caleb, what kind of experience do you have in the kitchen?
22:01So I've got some decent experience, but always can learn a lot more.
22:05Great, great.
22:06Last night, the calzone was a disaster.
22:09So what me and John came up with was a fried calzone.
22:13First thing we're going to do is go down with our cheese.
22:16A 50-50 blend of low moisture mozzarella and provolone.
22:20Italian cooking is simple ingredients and you let the ingredients shine.
22:25If you use high-end ingredients, you don't need to go crazy.
22:29Then we're going to take our mortadella.
22:31Then we take our ricotta.
22:33Two dollops.
22:33Seal it up.
22:34Cut off that excess edge.
22:36So we're going to go into the fryer now.
22:37The best part of frying the calzone is that we're going to ensure that we're never going
22:41to have raw dough on the inside.
22:43The gas inside the dough is going to build up on the inside.
22:46It's going to make it float to the top.
22:47That's when you take your ladle and you just baste it a little bit.
22:50We're going to go down with some beautiful fresh basil, crumbled pistachios, and some grated
22:57sheep's milk pecorino.
22:58So as a dipping sauce for this is my Long Island vodka sauce.
23:02An easy, quick way to get out a really delicious food item.
23:07Tonight is the stress test.
23:09We've got a lot of training to do.
23:10Are you guys ready?
23:12Yes, we can be.
23:25Okay, guys, we open in a couple of minutes.
23:27So what is your plan for staffing tonight?
23:29So Jennifer's our server and you have two bartenders.
23:32Okay.
23:32So chef, how long to get a pizza out?
23:34We're looking at about eight minutes right now, probably about five minutes on a calzone.
23:39So we'll see how they handle it.
23:41Okay, okay.
23:42All right, let's go for it.
23:43I'm just nervous and stressed because my kitchen manager didn't show.
23:46So I would like to impress John, but we'll see.
23:49Hey, guys, bring it on.
23:51Give us some stress.
23:52Let's go.
23:53Come on in.
23:56Well, we just filled up.
23:57That's crazy.
23:58Don't you gentlemen start with something?
23:59Definitely.
24:00My name is Kira.
24:01I'll be taking care of y'all.
24:02What are we getting to drink?
24:03What are we thinking?
24:05So you're working out of this well?
24:06Which one are you working on?
24:07We're only using one well.
24:08Oh, okay.
24:08Because there's no way we're putting it on.
24:09Oh, yeah, I got you.
24:10So I'll just work to the side.
24:11We'll just share.
24:12All right, cool.
24:13Who's got their phones?
24:14Put on your stopwatch.
24:16I want to see how long it takes you guys to get your drinks, how long it takes you to
24:19get
24:19your food.
24:20Okay, let's see how they're doing.
24:22Here we go.
24:23First ticket, guys.
24:24First ticket.
24:25One small cheese pizza.
24:26One small cheese.
24:27Do you want a spoon for that ricotta instead of that spatula?
24:30It's over in the silver container if you want to get one.
24:37Don't start with ice.
24:39Ice glass.
24:40Use your mixing glass for building.
24:42Yes.
24:45On the bar.
24:46Good drinks?
24:46Yeah.
24:47Excellent.
24:48I just feel like this is very chaotic right now.
24:52Right behind you.
24:53I see how it was you, right?
24:55I see how it was me.
24:56Old-fashioned, coming right up.
24:57We got one drink out, John.
24:59One drink out.
25:00You going to share with everybody?
25:03Right now, I'm at three and a half minutes.
25:04Three minutes, huh?
25:06Tell me what you think.
25:07Excellent.
25:09All right, we're off to a start, guys.
25:10Who's thirsty?
25:13Come on, guys.
25:14Let's do this quickly.
25:15I want to see this bar served in ten minutes.
25:17That's all it should take.
25:18I'm shaking so bad right now.
25:20Keep it on the bar, Jeremy.
25:22Small cheese, small pepper, calzone.
25:24Your first ticket for your calzone.
25:25Let's fold that older, and then take it and shape it.
25:29Heard that.
25:29Here we go.
25:30Now, let's drop that in the fryer.
25:32All right?
25:33Come on, drop them.
25:34I need my board back.
25:35Let's check those pizzas.
25:37You better turn.
25:38Check the bottom.
25:39Always check the bottom of your pizzas.
25:41White, golden, brown.
25:42Yeah, we're white on the bottom, okay?
25:44Very white on the bottom.
25:45It's probably not cooking.
25:46We might want to transfer my way out of it.
25:47We're going to switch to that oven.
25:49You could actually do that now.
25:50Heard that.
25:51What do we got, guys?
25:52Talk to me, chef.
25:53Why are we changing ovens?
25:54Is this a hotter oven?
25:55The oven's not working.
25:56So how many functioning ovens do we have now?
25:58One deck.
25:59One deck.
25:59One deck.
26:00Keep it on the bar, Jeremy.
26:02Put it on the bar, on the bar, on the bar.
26:03Put your glass on the bar.
26:05I know it's crowded.
26:06Keep it on the bar.
26:08Okay, first of all, I got to tell you, you never pour a drink holding the glass in your
26:12hand.
26:12Here's why.
26:13You're standing here pouring the drink.
26:14You bump into his arm.
26:16That glass breaks and goes in the ice bin, and we're out of business.
26:20We got to pour hot water in there, drain the ice bin, and start over again.
26:23You're always pour with it on the bar.
26:26It hurts.
26:27We still have no food out here.
26:28I can't understand it.
26:29What does your stopwatch say for me?
26:31We're about nine minutes.
26:31I've got you.
26:32Okay, but that was when you ordered the pizza.
26:34That's when I ordered the pizza.
26:34Yes, from the pizza.
26:35Caleb, we got to be a little bit faster with the basil, my friend.
26:38Let's get that cut.
26:39Let's get that out.
26:40You also have the calzone that's waiting to go with that pizza.
26:44When you put that up there, can you grab me a plate and place that for me?
26:47Sorry.
26:49Come on, guys.
26:49Let's serve this bar.
26:50We got one, two, three, four, five.
26:52We're almost halfway there.
26:53It's a small bar.
26:55Keep going.
26:55Keep going.
26:56Your old-fashioned are dying, Jeremy.
26:58They're dying.
26:59You have a strainer for the old-fashioned.
27:00I'm sorry.
27:01Oh, we got drink tickets, guys.
27:04Drink tickets?
27:05Come on, guys.
27:06We're not going quick enough here.
27:07They're good, but they're not fast.
27:10Oh, my God.
27:14Come on, guys.
27:15We're not going quick enough here.
27:16They're good, but they're not fast.
27:18Right behind, right behind.
27:20Ticket.
27:21Ticket.
27:22Underneath the plate.
27:23Let's get it out.
27:24Order up.
27:24Order up?
27:25Order up.
27:26You guys ordered drinks, right?
27:28Yeah.
27:28You didn't get them.
27:30The bar is so small that the bartenders, they're tripping over each other behind the bar.
27:34But pizzas came out before drinks came out and other tables.
27:38With a facility this small, that shouldn't happen.
27:40Here's the problem, Lisa, so you know what's going on.
27:43That table all got their pizza, not one of them got their drinks.
27:46Oh, wow.
27:47So the bar is falling way behind the kitchen.
27:49Our timing is off.
27:50Okay, come with me.
27:51But the fact of the matter is, as long as Lisa's in that kitchen, micromanaging her staff,
27:56she can't see what's happening in the front of the house.
27:59And she can't run her business.
28:01Somehow, we have to create a kitchen manager, get Lisa back in the front of the house,
28:05and put the systems in place so this place can be successful.
28:08Hey, everybody, this is Lisa.
28:11Hey!
28:14Lisa owns this place.
28:17You've been here how many years?
28:1818 and a half.
28:1918 and a half years.
28:21Been the center of this community.
28:22I want you guys to come back on Friday.
28:25Urban Pie is going to become hip again.
28:27I feel really good that Caleb stepped up.
28:30But my takeaway with John is the fact that he noticed I had no structure in place.
28:34Thanks for coming.
28:38After tonight, it gave me the inspiration and the drive to want to get out there and learn
28:43as much as I can for Friday night.
28:45I want to really show him up Friday night.
28:50We've had worse stress tests.
28:52Honestly.
28:53Yeah.
28:53True.
28:53Yeah.
28:54The fact is, the biggest problem here is this place, this infantile children's playground.
28:59And if you take a look at where we are, look at all the bars, all the competition.
29:05So we need to revamp and redo their entire cocktail program.
29:09I agree.
29:09You got some good ideas?
29:10I do.
29:11Okay.
29:11I'm excited.
29:12Excellent.
29:12Some female-oriented cocktails?
29:13You know I do.
29:14Absolutely.
29:15Chef, same thing.
29:16How do we make their pizza special?
29:18How do we do something to make it unique?
29:19We're going to use some artisanal flowers imported from Italy, some tomatoes imported from Italy.
29:25I want to bring Italy to Atlanta.
29:27All natural products.
29:28This is an affluent area.
29:29They're conscious of what they're eating.
29:31Yeah.
29:31I want to make certain that the menu is reflective of those things.
29:34Because all of those things add to the value of what we're doing.
29:37But if the guest doesn't know it, it doesn't mean anything.
29:39Yeah.
29:39Yeah.
29:39So let's put that in a menu.
29:41Absolutely.
29:41Explaining how our ingredients come from Italy and how they're best of best.
29:45Absolutely.
29:45All right, guys.
29:46So we got a menu to put together.
29:47Mm-hmm.
29:48We got to figure out what we're going to be selling, a cocktail menu to put together.
29:51So I'll tell you what.
29:52I'll buy the coffee.
29:54Okay?
29:54We're up to it.
29:55Let's go do it.
29:56Let's go do it.
29:57Let's go do it.
30:09Well, the good news is it's a pretty small area inside.
30:12Yeah.
30:12The kitchen isn't that bad, right?
30:14We got to get the ovens calibrated, get the ovens cleaned up a little bit.
30:17But the equipment isn't bad.
30:18Today, I'm going to make for you a New York-style queen margarita pizza.
30:23You got to create a second workstation behind the bar.
30:27Right now, they sort of have a station and a half, right?
30:29Exactly right.
30:29We are going to do a classic martini, Bill.
30:32We did put a little spin on it.
30:34And then we got to come up with something for this back bar, because right now, you walk
30:37in, and the first thing you see are those tables.
30:39It's awful rough.
30:40Yeah.
30:40We're going to start with a quarter of an ounce of olive juice, a quarter ounce pickled
30:44onion juice, a quarter ounce of our casino sherry, a quarter ounce of our driver move,
30:48an ounce and a half of our vodka, our saline to round it all out.
30:52Let's just stir this.
30:55So the first thing we're going to do here, we're going to go each corner, just pressing the
30:59gas into the crust.
31:00We got a table here, which really should be back of the house, right?
31:03So we got to either do a little wing wall here to hide that, or create a professional
31:07service station here.
31:08We have a tomato oil, which is our garnish, and we're going to put four drops in there.
31:12Beautiful golden brown color for proper fermentation.
31:15Now let's finish it with some beautiful burrata.
31:19And here we have a pickled martini.
31:21And then how do we get rid of sponge dude?
31:24We cannot leave her with sponge dude.
31:25Of course.
31:26No.
31:27It's okay.
31:27Let's go through it.
31:36Last night had both good and bad.
31:38Lisa knows how to run a kitchen, but she spent too much of her time micromanaging the kitchen
31:43and not enough time focusing on the customers and the front of the house.
31:47Here's what I learned.
31:48I can create a success from Lisa's bar, but I have to talk to Lisa.
31:53What did you learn this week?
31:54I learned that how unorganized I am, how unstructured I am.
32:00I mean, there's so many things that I've let go by the wayside, just thinking it was okay
32:05just because I wasn't making money.
32:06But there's all these little things I could have been doing.
32:09Yeah.
32:09I feel like when you disappoint yourself and you start to let things go, your standards go from here to
32:16here, and eventually they're here.
32:18Yeah.
32:18You lose that motivation each day.
32:20And I let my staff down, I let myself down, the neighborhood down.
32:23Wow.
32:24That's a powerful thing for you to say to yourself, isn't it?
32:26It's all true, though.
32:27Yeah.
32:28The important thing is how you rise from that.
32:31Absolutely.
32:32Because that's sort of bottom, isn't it?
32:34Yep.
32:35Well, you know, there's some reason why we're together.
32:37Absolutely.
32:38I believe that.
32:39And I believe that.
32:39I truly believe that.
32:40So if this is meant to be, what are you going to do with it now?
32:44I can't do everything.
32:45No, you can't.
32:46I think I try to wear every hat because I don't give anybody else credit.
32:50I don't trust very well because I've been screwed so many times.
32:54I'm going to give you the systems.
32:56Let them perform.
32:58This is a chance for you to say, it's time for me to be an owner and cultivate a team
33:03that'll deliver for me.
33:05You have the systems in place to know if something's wrong.
33:08Absolutely.
33:09What do you want to do in the kitchen?
33:11Is Caleb the guy?
33:12I think Caleb's the guy.
33:14He has ambition, he has drive, and he's hungry.
33:16That's good to hear.
33:17Yeah.
33:18So seize this moment.
33:20This is a great new beginning to you, and boy, do you deserve it.
33:23Thank you so much.
33:23I really appreciate you.
33:24But right now, I've got wires hanging off walls, bars half assembled, plumbers on the
33:29floor, everybody in there, and I've got to get back to work.
33:31I love it.
33:32Thank you so much.
33:34Gosh, thank you.
33:35I love you so much.
33:36You have changed my world.
33:38Ah.
33:38We'll see you tomorrow.
33:39Sounds great.
33:40Have a good night.
33:41You do the same.
33:44Before, I didn't want to get out of bed.
33:45I was worn out mentally, physically.
33:47I didn't have faith in myself or my staff.
33:50But now, I feel like John has given me the drive that I need to push through.
33:55I want to be the face of the restaurant.
33:56I want to say hi to every table.
33:58I don't want to have to be bartending or serving or working in the kitchen.
34:01So, tomorrow night's going to be our chance to step up.
34:12Hello.
34:14Hi there.
34:15Hello.
34:15Hi, John.
34:17Hi, Lisa.
34:18Hi.
34:18How are you?
34:18Good.
34:19Good week?
34:20Great week.
34:20Best week of my life.
34:21Really?
34:22Yes.
34:22How come?
34:23Because you're about to change my world.
34:25Yeah, I am.
34:26You are.
34:27Yeah.
34:27Yep.
34:27So, you guys ready to see this?
34:29Yeah.
34:30All right.
34:30Here we go.
34:31One, two, three.
34:34Oh!
34:40One, two, three.
34:43Oh!
34:44Oh, my God.
34:46Oh, my God.
34:49Oh, my God.
34:51Oh, my God.
34:53Oh, my God.
34:55Who remembers the old building?
34:59What do you think?
35:00A little cooler?
35:02Oh, my God.
35:03A whole new beginning.
35:04But this was your dream.
35:06You wanted to be an adult bar and pizza place.
35:09I did.
35:10Well, that's what I gave you.
35:12It's beautiful.
35:12It's stunning.
35:14Signage.
35:15Lighting.
35:16It's a whole new place.
35:18So, you guys ready to see it?
35:19Yes.
35:19Should I let him in?
35:20Yes.
35:21Okay, go.
35:27Oh, shit.
35:28Oh, my God.
35:29Oh, wow.
35:30Is this real?
35:31Oh, my God.
35:32Is this real?
35:34This looks so good.
35:35Is this real?
35:36Oh, my God.
35:37It's beautiful.
35:38That's so beautiful.
35:40Oh, my God.
35:41This is awesome.
35:42This is awesome.
35:44Oh, my God.
35:45Oh, my God.
35:46Look how organized.
35:49Look how organized.
35:51Look down.
35:51And the tables and the chairs, they match?
35:54The outside's gorgeous.
35:55It's sexy.
35:56The bar's fantastic.
35:57This is the best day of my life.
35:58Thank you, Jon Taffer.
35:59What do you think, Lise?
36:01It's fantastic.
36:02Holy crap.
36:03Oh, my God.
36:04Thank you so much.
36:06Come inside.
36:06I want to show you everything we did.
36:07Please.
36:08So, guys, take a look what we did.
36:10We set up a complete separate workstation now.
36:12You guys are not tripping over each other, right?
36:15I got you a brand new POS system.
36:17And with the SkyTab, I got you handheld tablets.
36:20And I also got you a subscription to Partender, which is the inventory program.
36:25I got back signs to do the vinyl interior wraps that you see in the back.
36:29I got Replications Unlimited to do the foam brick here on this wall.
36:33Advanced Media Group, 4U TVs.
36:35I like it.
36:36Orlando Foods gave you the Caputo flour and chow tomatoes.
36:40And then we got the ovens calibrated, cleaned up.
36:43I got a city discount to give you a 50-quart spiral mixer.
36:47Oh, wow.
36:47Because now we're making what?
36:49Dough.
36:49Our own dough.
36:50Oh, and how good is it?
36:52It's delicious.
36:53Yeah.
36:53It's so crispy, so good.
36:55One more thing.
36:56Caleb, here you go, buddy.
36:57Hey, that's awesome.
37:00Is that cool?
37:01That's incredible.
37:02Thank you, John.
37:02My pleasure.
37:03You deserved it, buddy.
37:03You're a good guy.
37:05And then we got some nice t-shirts for you guys.
37:08But look at how our logo works now.
37:10So think about when you hear urban pie.
37:13You want a sophisticated environment?
37:14A lot more sophisticated than it was.
37:16We make our own dough.
37:17We import our tomatoes and our flour from Italy.
37:21Guys, we don't mess around here.
37:22We make a serious pie.
37:23Remember that now.
37:25You know, this is not a joke here.
37:27We are serious about our pizza here.
37:30Everybody out there loves you for a reason.
37:32And they loved me when I didn't have good pizza.
37:34So imagine what they're going to love me like now.
37:37So we got a crowd out there.
37:39You ready?
37:40Yes.
37:40Tonight we get them back.
37:42We get them back.
37:43Great.
37:43All right, let's go to work.
37:44Okay.
37:44Let's do it.
37:45Thank you, John.
37:48Welcome, everyone.
37:50Welcome to the new urban pie.
37:53Let's do it.
37:56Hey, y'all.
37:58Hey, nice to see you.
37:59Welcome in.
38:01How are you doing?
38:02Can I get you started with anything to drink?
38:05I've tried all of them.
38:07The rum old-fashioned is really, really good.
38:10You should try it all.
38:11I mean, they're absolutely wonderful.
38:13Okay, we're starting to get tickets in now, all right?
38:17Are we behind?
38:18Lisa, I got an order up completed here.
38:21Bar B-11, all right?
38:22Yep, you got it.
38:23Looks great, guys.
38:26Come through.
38:27How we doing, guys?
38:28Excellent.
38:29Great.
38:29Ticket time is doing good.
38:30We're rocking, aren't we?
38:31Yes, sir.
38:32Yes, sir.
38:32School and calm back here.
38:33That's right.
38:34The way I like it.
38:35Their training really worked.
38:37And, hey, Caleb's a superstar back here, man.
38:40That looks beautiful.
38:41Great job on that, Caleb.
38:42All right, I got to ask, what do you think?
38:44You know, the fresh dough is a little lighter.
38:46Yeah.
38:46It's better.
38:47It is.
38:48It's more airy, isn't it?
38:49Yes, it is.
38:50Excellent.
38:50Glad you enjoyed it.
38:51The tomatoes are from Italy, the flour is from Italy, and the cheese is from Italy.
38:55Oh.
38:55Yeah.
38:56You eat enough of that, you'll start to have an Italian accent.
39:01Enjoy.
39:03Do you need another drink?
39:04You want the same one?
39:07You know, coming into this, I was really nervous, but now that we're actually here, I feel so
39:11much better about it, and I'm very excited.
39:13I wanted to be proud of, you know, working behind the bar, but now I actually feel like,
39:17yeah, this is where I work, and I'm super proud to be here.
39:20How you doing?
39:21Amazing.
39:21This is awesome.
39:22How's the station working well?
39:22It feels much better.
39:23We're not running into each other all the time.
39:25I just want to say thank you, John, so much for helping us out.
39:29Good job, Kara.
39:30Beautiful.
39:31Yay!
39:33See, I found that groove.
39:34I found that groove.
39:35Professional, girl.
39:37We're organized.
39:38Bar is completely served.
39:40Food is coming out.
39:41Yeah, we're rocking.
39:42What a team.
39:43I've got to say I'm impressed.
39:45Peaches came out in minutes.
39:47Bar is already served.
39:49We almost half served the patio.
39:50This is an unbelievable transformation from stress test.
39:54The difference in everything and the food is everything's super fresh.
39:59I feel great.
40:00People are loving the food.
40:01The drinks are great.
40:03It's so delicious.
40:04So tasty.
40:05So good.
40:05Yay!
40:06It's so awesome.
40:07I still have a lot of work to do, but this is a huge step in the right direction.
40:11It's a bar that's going to make money and get me back out of debt.
40:15Enjoy.
40:17Lisa's a good person.
40:19This town loves her.
40:20But she lost sight of losing herself.
40:23Everybody, if you don't know, this is Lisa.
40:25She owns this place.
40:28So do me a favor.
40:29It's a small town.
40:31Come back.
40:31Tell your friends.
40:33Spread the word.
40:33Let's support her, okay?
40:35Let's make her successful.
40:38Okay?
40:39Thanks, everybody.
40:40Good night.
40:40This bar was three months from closing.
40:43She was about to lose her house.
40:44Now, I think she's got a fire back.
40:47She's engaged.
40:48Clearly, she's excited.
40:49And hopefully, she's back on track.
40:52Because she deserves it.
41:21Promotional consideration.
41:23That's for a couple years of skiing.
41:24I'll see you next time.
41:30Give her aइvon.
41:38Let's do it.
41:39Congratulations.
41:39Bye bye bye.
41:393 different wines of the game.
41:40Bye bye.
41:40Bye bye bye.
41:41Bye bye.
41:42Bye bye.
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