barBar Rescue · Season 9, Episode 6 · Aired March 31, 2024
Arnold's
St. Augustine, Florida
It is still up and running.
What happened after
Confirmed via direct fetch of the official site: daily 11am open, weekly Steak Night and Karaoke Night events listed.
What happened on the show
Arnold's in St. Augustine came in for Taffer's standard intervention. The room went through the show's arc of scrutiny, confrontation and renovation, aimed at giving a struggling bar a viable future in a competitive Florida destination town. Taffer kept the Arnold's name through the makeover, a signal that the identity was worth preserving once the operation was tightened, betting that a disciplined business behind the existing name could keep the room drawing a crowd. The reveal handed the owner a refreshed operation and a clearer path forward, with the familiar test of whether the changes would hold once the cameras left, the bar leaning on assets like a large dance floor to pull in the St. Augustine crowd. A St. Augustine bar in a tourist-heavy destination town, it had steady foot traffic to convert, and the rescue worked to give the owner the operation needed to capitalize on it.
After the cameras left
Arnold's is still open, name intact. A direct fetch of the official site confirms daily 11 a.m. opening and weekly Steak Night and Karaoke Night events, which puts the open call at high confidence. Owner Philip Smith purchased the bar in 2022, and the venue advertises the largest dance floor in St. Augustine. The room kept its original identity through the rescue and its doors open, landing this one among the survivors of the ninth season, a Florida bar that leaned on its space and its events to hold a crowd after the makeover.
Sources
Confidence: high. Last checked 2026-07-19.