On tonight’s episode of Bar Rescue, Jon Taffer and crew are the Chicago community of Portage Park, for a Bar Rescue first – resurrect the Casual Tap, a closed neighborhood bar owned by a burnt-out, local firefighter.
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Casual Tap owner Steve Magana is a full-time firefighter who has been burning the candle from both ends. Magana ended up in a position where he was forced to step away from the bar to deal with a family tragedy, leaving responsibility for daily bar operations up to his staff – resulting in no control and no order. As the stress mounted, Steve became more overbearing and difficult to work for, which led to a drop in customers.
With $700,000 in accumulated debt, and losing over $4,000 every month, Steve found himself torn between his bar and his family – who need him the most. Desperate to find a competent manager, Steve was forced to temporarily shut down the Casual Tap for three months, and call Bar Rescue for help.
Casual Tap Remains Closed
Despite undergoing the Bar Rescue makeover several months ago, the Casual Tap never reopened for regular business, and won’t be open in time for Sunday’s Bar Rescue season premiere episode.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Casual Tap won’t reopen in time for the Bar Rescue episode set to air on July 2, 2017. Magana told the Tribune that “the filming experience was great,” but he’s not ready to reopen the bar. When he is ready, Magana said he plans to reopen the bar “with the layout that was in place before the Bar Rescue” makeover. In the meantime, Steve is taking a vacation.
A Closer Look
- Here’s Casual Tap owner Steve Magana’s personal Facebook page, “Cas Tap.”
- Here’s the Facebook page for Zee Nance, a bartender featured in tonight’s Bar Rescue episode.
- Here’s Lawrence Magana‘s personal Facebook page – where he describes himself as the bar manager at Casual Tap bar. He’s been inactive since 2015.
- Casual Tap Facebook page – last active back in November 2015
Images – Google/YouTube