Bar Rescue - Oak Tavern (The Bullpen at Aspen Glen) Update

On tonight's episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are in Sparks, Nevada to try to rescue The Bullpen at Aspen Glen.  The bar is owned by former major league pitcher Danny Serafini.  After his career was over and he went through all of his baseball earnings, he borrowed money from his parents to open a bar.  The bar was supposedly doing $45,000 to $50,000 a month in sales, but has gone downhill and is $300,000 in debt.  A lot of the issues at the bar are due to an out of control staff that drinks and parties on the job.

During the Bar Rescue makeover, The Bullpen was renamed to Oak Tavern and it seems they have kept the new name. Let's take a look at some information, reviews, and updates for Oak Tavern since Bar Rescue came and made all of the changes to the bar:


Positive Reviews:

• "The food and drink menu were perfect....My husband had the vic vegas burger and a beer on tap. The price was right and we left feeling completely satisfied! We will definitely be back!! Also the bartender was very friendly and easy to talk to."
• "First off, the place looks alot better than before. The bar rescue thing seemed to really help, although the place still reeks of smoke and is not well lit. The burgers they serve are awesome,probably one of the best burgers in reno or sparks...They do not allow smoking inside up until 8pm. Definitely will be back. Lunch special from 12 to 3 is 20 percent off the burgers. If you were here before when it was the bullpen, it has totally changed for the good. Give them a try"
• "We had a blast!! Most bars in reno dont have great tasting, unique cocktails, oak tavern had this amazing "Smoke" cocktail that I must have had 4 of! Coming from San Francisco, where we're spoiled with really great mixologists at every bar, we were so excited to find a place with delicious drinks, and really nice staff. Would recommend to anyone in the area or traveling to!"
• "The new food and cocktail created by Bar Rescue are fantastic. I especially like the new burgers mixed with pork....We are non smoker and this bar is a smoking bar but no one can smoke until after 8pm when everyone has already eaten....To accommodate  all the customers the owners and Bar Rescue installed state of art smoke eaters. The smoke eaters really do the trick...I would highly recommend this local bar and restaurant."

Negative Reviews:

• "I'm only rating the as a one star because of the staff..... We were so disappointed...... The ambiance of the bar was nice but that's where it ends... We ordered drinks and food..... Our drinks arrived quick.... The food not so much...... My husband ordered a burger and requested it medium... I ordered a cold chicken sandwich...... We waited over 30 minutes for our dinner... My husbands burger was from a frozen patty and was beyond well done! Needless to say we won't be back!!!! Our waitress was good and that's why I feel it was worth 1 star without her it would be worth zero stars!!!!"
• "Since the makeover not much has changed when it comes to the clientile and the customer service.  The inside is much improved with wooden accents and an open feel that makes you want to stay awhile.  Other than that it still has the same Smokey dive bar feel as before the renovation."

*Reviews from Yelp


Other News and Related Links:

• The Bar Rescue makeover happened in March 2015.

Photo - Facebook

• Here are 2 preview videos of the episode from the Spike TV website - Intro, Bartender Breathlyzer
• Here is the old Bullpen at Aspen Glen Facebook Page and here is a Bartender's of the Bullpen Facebook Page.
• Here is the new Oak Tavern Facebook Page 
• A message posted after the Bar Rescue makeover was posted on their Facebook pages and is pictured to the right.
• Here are the Facebook Pages of Danny (Owner), Erin (Danny's wife), Tara (Bartender), Jessica (Bartender), Wynter (Bartender) and Hannah (Bartender).
• Here is a video of Jon Taffer speaking to the crowd during the makeover telling everyone how real Bar Rescue is.
• Erin and Danny were at the Nightclub and Bar Convention in Las Vegas which is run by Jon Taffer. (Link)
• In an interview with the local news, Danny said the bar is non-smoking until 9pm and there has been a lot of positive feedback from the community since the Bar Rescue makeover.
• Danny Serafin was a first round draft pick in 1992 and here are his Major League stats.
• Danny was suspended for 50 games by MLB for testing positive for steroids in 2007.  He claims the steroids were still in his system from playing in Japan and were prescribed by a doctor. 

Conclusion:

The reviews for Oak Tavern have been mostly positive with people complementing the food and the cocktails.  It seems like the smokiness inside the bar was an issue that was addressed by changing rules to not allow smoking during the day and by installing smoke eaters in the bar.  The bar has kept the Oak Tavern name and seem to be very happy with the Bar Rescue makeover.


*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.