Island Bar & Grill

What happened after

Renamed Island Lounge after its Bar Rescue makeover; closed in March 2018 after the city revoked its liquor license following a shooting outside the bar by a bouncer. The closure and license revocation were reported by CBS News Chicago, including the owner's claim that racial bias was involved.

Closure date on record: 2018-03

What happened on the show

A novice owner had opened a bar to support his sister, who had suffered severe brain injury in a car crash, but staffing it with inexperienced family members had turned it into a money pit. At Island Bar and Grill in Blue Island, Illinois, the good intentions behind the business could not overcome the inexperience running it, and Taffer and his experts were called in. The episode marked two firsts and lasts: the experts watched the recon instead of Taffer, and it was the final appearance of chef Aaron McCargo Jr. Taffer reopened the venue as Island Lounge, a modernized rebrand meant to give the well-meaning owner a functional operation, betting that real structure could turn a money pit born of family loyalty into a business that could actually support his sister.

After the cameras left

Island Bar and Grill, rebranded Island Lounge, closed in March 2018, only shortly after its makeover. The city revoked its liquor license following a shooting outside the bar by a bouncer, a closure and revocation reported by CBS News Chicago, including the owner's claim that racial bias was involved. That independent, non-tracker source puts the closure at high confidence. The novice owner's bar, opened to support his brain-injured sister, did not survive: a violent incident and the lost license ended it within months of the rescue.