Black Light District Before Bar Rescue
In 2012 Dave Franich decided to switch gears from being a construction worker to a bar owner. Lucky for him a local dive bar named Max Steiners was in the market although its asking price of $110,000 was too steep, causing Franich to recruit his good friend Gabe Lopez as an investor. Franich steered the bar’s direction towards punk rock and named it Black Light District Rock & Roll Lounge.
However, the concept failed to attract the local demographic as Black Light only appealed to the fans of the genre. The ear-piercing noise gathered complaints instead of profits and Franich looked down on those who didn’t enjoy the loud blasts. He also didn’t help his employees and instead focused on the music and entertainment aspect of Black Light as he lacked knowledge in terms of bar operations. This misaligned focus eventually led to problems in equipment and sanitation that were never taken care of.
Black Light struggled to make money and the dire financial situation will eventually put employees out of work and Lopez’s investments down the drain. With time running out Franich decided to call for Jon Taffer and Bar Rescue for help.
Black Light District on Bar Rescue
The Problems
Black Light District’s outdoor signage lacked indication of the bar’s music genre, while the sign on the bar’s side that was supposed to say “cocktails” only said “ails” due to neglect. The interior had torn stools, filth on the corners, and a questionable scent lingered in the air. When the punk rock band played live music the volume of the sound system was jacked up way too high to compensate for the worn out speakers, making the performance an intolerable auditory nightmare and a risk of permanent ear damage to those inside.
Some of the liquor bottles on the bar had inconsistent pour spouts attached, while some had none at all. This led to almost $4,100 worth of losses in a week due to overpouring. Black Light had no food items due to the lack of a kitchen and some of the bartenders were optimistic that Franich might decide to include one in the future. Bacteria and flies settled in the drains beneath the counters and the appalling scent during recon came from a dead mouse underneath the cash register.
While the employees busied themselves at work Franich loitered behind the counter and made remarks towards patrons like calling Taffer’s recon spies “kooks”. The owner was very adamant when it came to the talk of changing the bar’s concept and had absolutely no respect towards those who didn’t share his views on punk rock, even if it was punk rocker and recon spy Joe Escalante. He was so into punk rock that he was willing to let Taffer walk out just to preserve the concept even if it meant reds on his income.
During the stress test the bartenders struggled with overpouring and more than a dozen cocktails were wasted due to this. Taffer brought in a band to perform that night and when the music blared Franich became inattentive towards his duties behind the counter. Only the owner enjoyed the music as the bad acoustics caused several patrons to walk out of Black Light. On a positive note the bartenders eventually picked up the pace and were able to whip out decent drinks. After the stress test Lopez and the employees all shared the same negative sentiments towards Franich. He took those words as criticism and told the employees that they should appreciate the effort he exerted during that night.
The Solutions
Expert bartender Phil Wills was the ideal man for the rescue as he had experience in bartending and the live music business. The disgusting revelations he uncovered in the bar area forced Taffer to have the place cleaned up by Franich alone. Wills provided the bar with new pour spouts and taught the bartenders how to properly pour by counting. He also came up with simple cocktails namely The LBC Crown and The Royal Vandal which were easy to make as the new music venue concept demanded drinks that were made quickly. Franich was quick to judge these new drinks, insisting that the clientele preferred hard liquor and not Taffer’s “mixed-freakin’ drink”.
Black Light’s stage was set in a corner which was a bad position as an excessive amount of soundwaves were reflected by the dense materials of the walls. Taffer installed low density foam pads on the walls as these materials reflected only 20% of sound which effectively reduced reverberation and improved sound quality. The back wall was installed with black lights and splashed in fluorescent paint to make the area stand out.
Taffer sat one on one with Franich in an attempt to get the owner on the same beat. Franich said that he wasn’t supportive of the changes as he wanted a kitchen despite again lacking knowledge on how to run one. He was too blinded with negativity that he failed to see the potential of Taffer’s changes.
The Transformation
Of course no transformation took place as Franich told Taffer to go home. Black Light was already halfway through renovations with some of the changes already installed and the walls inside and outside adorned with a fresh new coat of paint.
Franich explained that the bar only wanted the needed upgrades from the rescue and that Taffer didn’t know what he was talking about. The Bar Rescue host bid his farewell to the employees who were waiting outside and told them that Franich planned to revert all the changes once the show was done. Taffer fulfilled his wishes by having the show’s crew return to the bar and take away everything they installed.
Black Light District Now In 2024 – The After Bar Rescue Update
Black Light District remained opened after the episode aired. However, they received a huge amount of negative reviews on Yelp and Facebook, with many commenting about Dave’s poor attitude. To make matters worse, whoever managed their page responded to some of the comments, calling the reviewers fans of “John Crapper.”
In August 2016, just a few months after the episode aired, an employee named Sarah revealed in a Facebook post that while Dave believed Bar Rescue paid her to leave the bar, it was her that made the decision as she was tired of fighting for the business.
Despite all the negative press, the bar seemed to do quite well for a while. Not only did they welcome other genres (they would have regular hip hop shows and reggae nights) but they also partnered with Gordo’s Rockin’ Tacos; they even landed a highlight on their website.
However, that didn’t last long. They eventually closed in July 2018, just two years after being featured on Bar Rescue, but not without a final parting message on their Facebook page. In it, they told Bar Rescue fans that bashed the bar to “screw off”. They also wrote that “bars like [theirs] aren’t made for everyone.”
If anything, that didn’t help with their already iffy reputation. To this day, they remain one of the most infamous bars to have been featured on Bar Rescue as they’re one of only a few that Jon Taffer walked out on without helping. By the time they closed down, they had a measly two-star rating on Yelp and a 2.2-star rating on Google, with many of the reviews mirroring what others had previously written on their Facebook page.
Some also mentioned that the owner and staff seemed to be racist as they were heard muttering racist comments under their breath. Many also felt that their music was too loud, something that could have been attributed to the quality of their sound system.
Needless to say, people weren’t surprised when they finally closed their doors in 2018. Some even questioned why it took so long.
As of 2024, their former location has been turned into a bar called Supply & Demand, which is owned by a husband and wife team. And unlike Black Light District, they have many positive reviews on Google, with many praising them for their food and service. Not only that but their live music also seems to be much better, judging from what people have written about their experiences.
What is Dave up to nowadays? We’re not too sure. Since the bar closed down, he’s pretty much been off the radar, which given what people had previously said about his attitude, might be a good thing.
Only a clueless douchebag (or 21 year old nube) would tell a 30 year veteran of the REAL punk industry that, because he’s wearing a sweater, he isn’t “hardcore” (as if wearing a douche wife beater is). That guy made millions as a member of an actual punk band and an entertainment attorney. And your POS dump is in the red every month while your rich parents probably pay your bills. This guy is the biggest whiny fool and has probably lived off of his parents his whole life. P.S. The bands that were playing on the show were not even close to being punk. Someone who actually knows real punk music would know that.