barBar Rescue · Season 7, Episode 9 · Aired April 26, 2020
Rob Ben's Restaurant & Lounge
Emeryville, California
It rebranded and carried on. It now goes by Rob Ben's Neighborhood Soul.
What happened after
Renamed Rob Ben's Neighborhood Soul after its Bar Rescue makeover; now owned by NFL player Marshawn Lynch and operating as a soul-food restaurant/bar with an active Yelp presence (4.0/5, 306 reviews).
What happened on the show
Rob Ben's Restaurant and Lounge in Emeryville received Taffer's standard intervention, a recon of the operation, a confrontation over its problems, a stress test of the staff, and a renovation aimed at giving the room a viable identity. The rescue worked to steady a struggling restaurant and bar in the competitive Bay Area market. The venue emerged with a refreshed concept as Rob Ben's Neighborhood Soul, leaning into a soul-food identity, betting that a clearer concept and a disciplined operation could turn the room around, with the usual open question of whether the changes would hold once the cameras left the East Bay. The competitive East Bay dining scene demanded a clear identity, and a soul-food concept gave the Emeryville room a lane it could genuinely own.
After the cameras left
Rob Ben's Neighborhood Soul stuck and is still operating, with a notable owner attached. The rebranded soul-food restaurant and bar at 3627 San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville is now owned by NFL running back Marshawn Lynch and maintains an active Yelp presence, rated 4.0 across more than 300 reviews, which puts the status at high confidence as a renamed survivor. The room kept its Rob Ben's Neighborhood Soul identity and its doors open, the Lynch ownership and tribute angle independently well documented, landing this one firmly among the survivors.
Sources
Confidence: high. Last checked 2026-07-19.
What is there now
Street imagery via Google Maps. Location approximate.