Air Date: July 12, 2015
Season 4, Episode 25 – It’s Always Sunny in Portland
Location: Portland, OR
Description: Tempers ignite in this Portland bar, when Jon Taffer and his experts face off with a stubborn chef, while an owner is ready to cut the cord as his over-bearing stepdaughter and business partner berates her staff.
The Story
Jon Taffer and the crew head to Oregon to rescue Six Point Inn, a family-owned bar located in a small blue-collar neighborhood of St. John in northern Portland. As one of the only bars in the neighborhood, the business was successful upon opening its doors in 2009, generating $30,000 in revenue a month. Business owner, Oleg Pilipenko, decided to shift his focus to opening other businesses and left his inexperienced stepdaughter, Sunny, in control of the bar’s daily operations. Sunny’s resentment with Oleg created a toxic work environment, which led to declining staff morale and chasing customers away. With an absent owner and a crumbling family relationship, Six Point Inn began to fail, leaving the bar with $1,000,000 in debt.
The Recon
Jon enlisted the help of local social media bloggers to do recon at the bar, which is supposedly known for their breakfast items such as Bloody Mary’s and biscuits and gravy. During the recon, the microwavable gravy left the bloggers extremely unimpressed. The drinks were described as “too boozy” and a blogger stated that it was “one of the more regrettable things I’ve ever drank.” The verdict? Thumbs down – in order for Six Point Inn to succeed, they would need to come up with a better menu to stand out from the competition.
The Rescue
The business’s name “Six Point Inn” was misleading and made it seem more like a hotel than a bar. Jon Taffer renamed it to Over Easy Bar and Breakfast and gave it a fresh coat of paint to brighten up the exterior. Inside the bar, Jon placed the focus on local, fresh ingredients (important to the young, Portland demographic) by bringing in an eye-catching wall display of fresh oranges and coffee beans. Jon moved the eating area to a brightly lit dining room with windows, separate from the darker bar area.
Taffer Tips
• Garnering the support of your social media bloggers is free marketing. At the touch of a button, their words can reach over 100,000 people. Bloggers can make or break a bar’s reputation.
• Breakfast houses needs natural lighting. Dark lighting is more conducive for drinking.
• Muddling extracts the juices and oils from the fruits and herbs. Ice does NOT help the muddling process and only waters down the drink.
• Having an amazing garnish elevates the value of the drink. When you see a cocktail that looks sexy and expensive, you’re willing to pay money for that cocktail.
• Repurposing your ingredients for multiple dishes keeps your food cost low.
Updates
Eight weeks after the re-launch, beverage sales are up 30% and food sales were up 65%. Sunny and Oleg are working like a team to manage the bar, but Sal has gone back to his old gravy.
Yelp Reviews
• “The bar has recently been remodeled and looks great. Tasty food with decent prices. The Bloody Mary’s are made from scratch and are very good. Breakfast served all day, which is yummy. Our waitress was very friendly. Definitely go back again!” Tiffany L.
• What really makes this place pop is the breakfast. The handmade Bloody Mary’s were fresh, spicy, and delicious. The prices are great too!
Featured Cocktail: The Java Rum
Ingredients
Rim glass with sugar
Dash of high proof rum
Dash of cinnamon
¾ oz. Captain Morgan White Rum
¾ oz. coffee liqueur
6 oz. hot coffee
Top: vanilla heavy cream
Garnish: Doughnut hole
Directions
Rim a coffee mug with sugar. Add a dash of high proof rum and a dash of cinnamon. Add coffee liqueur and rum. Add coffee and top off with vanilla heavy cream. Garnish with donut hole.