On tonight's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Hollywood Beach, Florida to try to rescue Toucan's Oceanside Bar & Grill. The bar is co-owned by friends Jamie and John, and they have already survived multiple hurricanes. Jamie recently lost a son and things started to go downhill at the bar. They are supposedly $250,000 in debt and about 5 months from having to close. To top it all off, there are rats in the kitchen of the bar.During the Bar Rescue makeover, Toucan's Oceanside Bar and Grill was renamed to Bonny & Read's. The bar seems to have embraced the name and still goes by Bonny & Read's. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Bonny & Read's since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar:
Positive Reviews:
- "The experience was great! We went to the boardwalk looking for dinner with a view, and got a spot 10 feet from the beach. The food was excellent and our server couldn't have been more pleasant."
- "This is a no frills place on the beach with standard bar food and some standout dishes....A hard working, friendly staff. Reasonable prices for this area. Worth a visit."
- "Boasts "Best Bloody Mary on the beach". It was good.... Staff was very friendly and service was quick."
- "Watched a few games here yesterday and a had a great experience. If your a local this place is for you. Prices a fair and the the staff is friendly."
Negative Reviews:
- "I went to Toucans before Bar Rescue and apparently after. It was a dive yes but a good dive. I always loved going in there. I recently went in and saw there were some changes but it honestly looked like some kmart make-over. Plus, the service SUCKED. I mean SUCKED. It was much better before...Sometimes a dive is just supposed to be a dive."
- "We went there with a party of 8 with high hopes because of the show Bar Rescue. This place is terrible. We waited forever for food and we tried to be as patient as possible...The manager was half drunk and not helpful at all. He was rude and unapologetic for his awful restaurant. I wouldn't send my worst enemy there! Don't go, if you want to enjoy a meal!"
- "Slow service. Wimpy salad, and my peel n' eat shrimp was papery and wicked dry. I am going to feed the leftovers to the Pelicans"
- "Since they did bar rescue they are now over priced cant smoke inside etc etc..They will lose the locals and the tourists are here for 3 months im sure they wont get them in not for what they are charging...Like management dont like new bartender..."
Other News and Links:
- The Bar Rescue makeover happened in November 2014.
- Here are preview videos of the episode from the Spike TV website - Video 1 (Intro), Video 2 (rats), Video 3 (stress test). They just happened to have cameras on the floor to film the rats....
- Here is the Bonny & Read's Facebook page and Twitter page. Here is the old Toucan's Facebook page.
- Here is the Bonny & Read's website, which is pretty well done and has a food menu, drink menu, a detailed about us section, and a description of the legend of Bonny and Read.
- Here are the Facebook pages of Jamie, John, Tara, and Kali
- Here are the last 3 restaurant inspection reports for Toucan's Oceanside Bar and Grill. The latest one in September 2014 had 13 violations, with just one being high priority.
- Bar owner Jamie's son, Jamie IV, was murdered in December 2013. Jamie IV was arrested in November 2013 for failing to appear in court on a possession of methamphetamine charge. He turned into a confidential informant for the Polk County Narcotics Team and did a controlled drug deal. When the dealers found out he was an informant, they beat him to death and dumped his body in the woods (Article with details). The picture of Jamie IV from the local paper vs. the mug shot in the Oregon article is very different and shows what meth can do to people.
Conclusion:
The bar has kept the name of Bonny & Read's and has created new websites and Facebook pages with the new name. So they appear happy with the name change and will probably keep it long-term.
The reviews since the Bar Rescue makeover have been mixed, with people both complementing and complaining about the service. A few of the negative reviews seem like regulars who do not like the Bar Rescue makeover for changing their bar.
*To see how all of the bars from Bar Rescue are doing, go to the Bar Rescue Update page, and also Like us on Facebook or Follow Us on Twitter to stay up to date with all things involving Bar Rescue.