Bungalow Bar before Bar Rescue
In 2008 Bungalow Bar in Far Rockaway, New York had a change in management as brothers Dee and Terence Tubridy succeeded their father Dan who helmed the bar for 30 straight years. They also took in their brothers Martin and Sean plus childhood pal Ryan as employees and co-owners. The bar was a choice haunt for summer getaways thanks to its prime location near the beach, and could rake in $100 grand in a good week despite the frequent infighting between the owners.
Things took a sharp turn in October 2012 when Bungalow Bar was among the establishments devastated by the wrath of Hurricane Sandy. In a span of six months the owners drained their money in repairs and utilities, and lost even more in revenue as they couldn’t reopen for even a single hour. Click here for footage of the hurricane’s destruction of the bar.
With summer looming around the corner the Tubridy brothers have resorted to asking for help in order to resurrect Bungalow Bar back to its former glory.
Bungalow Bar on Bar Rescue
Taffer arrived at the Bungalow Bar with construction expert Sal Ferro and the two immediately noticed that, despite the $250 grand spent in rebuilding, it was very far from reopening. Virtually everything was unusable and Taffer had a very long list of things that needed be fixed which ranged from the boat dock to the bar’s very floor, and that’s just on the outside bar as the inside bar had twice as many repairs needed. In the kitchen virtually none of the equipment survived as the neck-deep water submerged everything for several days until mold and rot kicked in. The first day of the rescue was then spent in hauling the equipment out of the kitchen and cleaning up the interior.
The next day Taffer convened with the owners and asked them about their preferences regarding the new bar’s colors and theme. Given the tension between the men it wasn’t surprising to see them disagree with each other’s opinions until they eventually settled to a nautical theme with white and blue hues. Afterwards Taffer gathered the bar’s staff who were unemployed and introduced them to the experts who will hone their rusty skills namely chef Nick Liberato and mixologists Elayne Duff and Peter O’Connor. The experts and the employees headed to an offsite location in Manhattan where they underwent training in preparation for a stress test.
Customers poured in to the bar and the brothers were evenly distributed to different responsibilities. The employees displayed commendable service with a few errors due to the long lack of practice, but Ryan moved at a snail’s pace behind the counter. Taffer relayed Ryan’s lead-footed work to Dee and suggested that, if their friend won’t improve in training, he will be axed. Later on Taffer was forced to swap Ryan with Martin and the decision proved to be effective as each man thrived in their new tasks. In the kitchen the cooks struggled to create a perfect round of fish tacos as the orders piled up. Despite having a rough start the owners and employees of Bungalow Bar managed to keep up the pace and survive the stress test with not too many errors.
The following morning the expert bartenders introduced a trio of cocktails for the new menu, while in the kitchen Liberato introduced light and colorful dishes plus the bar’s famed fish tacos was revamped. Back in the Bungalow Bar’s location Ferro helmed the reconstruction project which was smooth sailing until the weather decided to be uncooperative. Rain poured for 20 straight hours and further delayed the repairs and the rescue’s deadline. Taffer visited the site and found out that a lot of systems were still not functional and reminded Ferro that they only had less than a day to finish everything.
With the bar hours away before the deadline Taffer sent the owners to radio station WFAN to promote the Bungalow Bar’s reopening in the program Boomer & Carton. In the reconstruction site Taffer himself helped in the efforts as they were already past deadline.
During the grand reveal the Bungalow Bar was now known as Bungalow Bar & Restaurant with the white and blue colors and the nautical theme present virtually everywhere. The bar looked very inviting from the outside, the back deck was incredibly relaxing with the barnacle-covered ramp restored for seafaring patrons, and a mural was created as dedication to the country’s fortitude in times of disaster. The bar counter now had a waterproof POS system, new LED lighting, and a Guinness tap system. The inside bar was decked with huge ceiling fans, frosty machines, a wall-mounted jukebox, and the kitchen completely revived with new equipment.
Taffer’s last surprise for Bungalow Bar & Restaurant came in the form of Steve Smith and Brad Bohannan, the proprietors of Spirits on Bourbon which was rescued in a past episode. The two introduced a novelty cup (just like what Taffer did to them during their rescue) that lights up when the button on its bottom was pressed, thus calling the attention of bartenders for a refill. They also brought in t-shirts and a donation of $5,000 for the bar.
The owners welcomed customers to their resurrected bar and the employees survived the initial onslaught by sticking to their training with smiles on their faces despite the pressure. People loved the blinking cups and the food and drink items were praiseworthy. After a parting gift from the owners Taffer left the premises with Bungalow Bar & Grill once again standing stronger than ever.
Bungalow Bar Now in 2018 – The After Bar Rescue Update
A month after the relaunch Bungalow Bar & Grill reported a 20% spike in sales.
Bungalow Bar & Restaurant hosted events like live music, trivia and wine days, themed dinners, and an art gallery. They also offer home delivery for nearby residents.
The bar maintains an active Facebook and Twitter page, and here is their Yelp. You can also visit their official website at http://ingoodcompany.com/bungalow/.
