In my most favorite episode of Bar Rescue ever, Jon meets the first owner in almost 250 episodes who takes personal responsibility for the sorry state of his bar and offers the man a hearty handshake for his amazing accomplishment. Still, Jon has some harsh but true criticisms for the decisions aspiring entrepreneur J Ambroise, owner of One11 in Boca Raton, Florida, made when designing his upscale supper club that doubles as a nightlife hotspot. Although J has experience as a successful music producer, the dream for, and reality of, his establishment are miles apart, and for Jon to help, he must scrutinize every inch of the difference.

“I wanted to have more of an upscale supper club vibe where you could come in and eat, and after you’re done eating, the tables go out, the lights go down, music up, and just party the night away. There is nothing like this in Boca Raton,” J proclaims. While his vision is innovative, it’s also muddled because J tries to attract crowds with techniques he used as a music promoter. Primarily he relies on theme nights, which confuses One11’s identity and turns off more customers than it brings in.

I mistakenly think that because Jon has been more subdued this season, because he understands J’s vision, and because J is more likeable than most of the owners on Bar Rescue and is actually hustling while he works, trying to make the place successful, Jon will go easy on him. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

Jon does understand and even appreciates J’s vision, and he will help him get there, but not before he doles out one hell of a public lashing for all the mistakes J has made with the poor execution of his dream.

Jon starts with questioning J’s wardrobe choices. J is wearing jeans and a gray sweatshirt. He kind of skulks around when he walks, too, so I see where Jon is coming from. For an upscale establishment, the owner should look the part. Jon makes it clear to J that the part he looks like he’s playing is busboy, and Jon is not happy about it.

Then Jon offers a scathing critique of all of J’s choices. My hope is that someone wanting to own a bar sees this episode and adjusts their plans based on Jon’s denunciation of every single choice J made so that he didn’t suffer through Jon’s lashing in vain, and all of the knowledge Jon drops in these two minutes has more than just entertainment value.

Jon is sitting next to the two young women he sent in for recon. “So these are your target customer, correct?”

J replies, “Yes.”

Jon continues, “Upscale…Boca Raton…fit the neighborhood, right?”

“Right.”

“So, they come here. They get a cocktail that sucks. You go in the kitchen; they blew the food in front of you. You walk back there and stand in front of that fryer. Did you see the color of the grease in that fryer?”

J admits, “Yes, I did.”

“It’s disgusting. When was the last time it was changed?”

J thinks for a second then shakes his head. “There is nothing to say.”

“There is nothing to say,” Jon confirms. “You blew it, right?”

Not really needing J’s answer, Jon moves on to the bar’s layout. “This is, by the way, the worst floor plan I have ever seen in almost 40 years in this business. From a seating plan, two girls sit here. Now they control this entire space. So two people are now using six people’s worth of space. Here’s the restaurant bar industry: It’s called sales per foot. You have to generate a certain amount of money per foot. In order to generate the money per foot, you have to have a certain amount of people per foot in the space. You don’t have people. You have frickin’ walls. EVERYWHERE! So you can’t even get enough people in here to generate the revenue to make the money, even if you did fill it up. Then the shitty food comes out with the shitty drink dropped off by Mr. Busboy, the owner.”

Then the show cuts to commercial. The transition isn’t subtle and while I ponder it, I notice I am holding my breath. I wonder if I was sympathizing with Jon because he had to be out of breath, too, from passionately gesticulating to emphasize his points. Before the next scene starts, I have a little chuckle at the thought of Jon teaching cardio classes based on his famous freak outs during Bar Rescue. I would love a class like that.

Jon’s New York accent breaks into my imaginings as abruptly as it left for commercial, and I feel immediately sorry for J. “The shitty food comes out with the shitty drink dropped off by Mr. Busboy, the owner. You have no frickin’ chance of succeeding. ZERO! How much you losing a month? Let them hear it.”

“Thirty thousand.” The sound effects reinforce the ominous nature of J’s answer.

“How much in debt are you over this? How much you put into it?”

J stutters a bit, “Eight fifty.”

“Eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars you put into this piece of shit and then you completely disrespect your own money. The first thing you’ve got to do is clean your frickin’ kitchen because it’s disgusting back there. Go back there and get that place clean. When I come back tomorrow, if this place is clean, kitchen and bar, I will help your ass. If you don’t clean it, I don’t come.”

“Okay. I’ll go deal with it now,” J tells Jon. He has an amazing attitude. During his confessional, he looks like he’s oozing joy because Jon is going to help him, and I swear he welcomed that dress down because it signaled change is coming. J’s approach to the situation influences me to be optimistic, and I begin to think his is going to be a success story.

I am excited to see how Jon brings J’s vision to life, and I am not normally that anticipatory about the remodel part of the show since I watch reruns repeatedly and already know what happens. It’s nice seeing a new episode and being invested in the concept and design aspects of Jon’s work again.

The more Jon delves into the operations of One11, the clearer it becomes that J’s stubbornness and lack of industry knowledge are at the root of many problems. J’s resistance to listening to and investing in his employee’s ideas and his misplaced confidence are barriers to any meaningful change. He tries at one point to blame the problems on Covid, but Jon, being the excuse hater he is, shuts him down immediately.  “Stop that excuse. That was years ago,” he tells J.

J is a little perplexing because his work ethic is great and he doesn’t drink or hit on the women in the bar or other things that are typically problematic owner behaviors yet his place is failing. Jon tries to ferret out the cause. He asks Kat, the manager, if J listens to her.

“When I feel like he’s wrong, there is a discussion, and it’s just a lot of ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, we’ll get to it.’ There’s so much that could be done,” she confesses.

“But yet he picked you as manager. You’d think he’d listen.” Jon brings up a good point, I think. Then he asks J outright, “How come you don’t?”

J explains himself. “I look at it as if it seems like it costs extra money that has to come out of my pocket, I just put it aside.”

Jon doesn’t like J’s logic. “It’s interesting that you’ll spend $850,000 on this, I’m gonna say it, piece of shit. But when your staff comes to you with an enthusiastic idea, THAT, you don’t want to spend money on. So I’m gonna ask you this question. ‘Why are we failing?’”

J has been listening to Jon’s critique and admits, “We’re failing because I think I’m not doing the right things.”

This response surprises Jon and he reaches his hand out to J, stating, “I’ve asked an owner why they’re failing 249 times. Never once did they look at me and say, ‘I’m failing because of me.’ You just said that to me.”

“I’m not doing the right things,” J tells him.

“You got a team you believe in?” Jon asks, visibly more relaxed now.

“Yes, I do.”

“So if I train them and train you, you ready to step up?”

“I’m ready to step up.”

Jon’s intervention, although harsh, is effective, and he’s ready to get to work training the staff and transforming J’s dreams for One11 into reality.

During the stress test that evening, Jon watches closely as customers flood in, testing the limits of the staff and the procedures. It’s been a while since an establishment has seemed crowded during stress test, and J’s place is packed. J struggles to step into his leadership role, though, and the stress test is, unsurprisingly, a mix of successes and failures—mostly failures—highlighting areas that still need improvement but also showcasing the potential of a revamped One11, especially with the new upscale cocktails and food offerings.

My mouth waters every time Rex, the cook, cuts into a crispy chicken tikka masala, and I am reminded why Chef Michael Ferraro is Jon’s favorite chef because that big ol’ crispy chicken patty he created looks absolutely delicious. Rex is even able to keep ticket times under 12 minutes, which makes Jon, by his own admission, “a happy guy.”

In typical fashion, Jon sets up a plan to improve the systems at One11. He meets with J to talk to him about leadership since J is a “winner,” as Jon puts it, having been successful as a music producer. Jon knows J has a good attitude, work ethic, and pride. He just needs to jump start J’s enthusiasm with some old-fashioned mentoring and encouragement.

In the one-on-one with J and his son Jose, Jon encourages J to lean on his employees. “The definition of management, to me, is the achieving of objectives through others. So, if you want a drink perfect, you have to achieve it through them. You can’t make every drink yourself. You can’t make all the food yourself. So you HAVE to achieve this through them.”

J agrees with Jon’s point of view, but he surprises Jon with his answer to Jon’s question, “Has this week been what you thought it would be?” when he says, “Oh, no, no, no. Not at all.” Then J explains, “I just thought you was gonna come in and not do all the screaming, but I needed it. I needed to get that fire lit so I can get moving. It’s your passion. And the same thing with me with my passion. When I see an artist or someone that I’m working with isn’t doing what they need to do, I’m gonna scream. I’m gonna shout. Because you know what? Either you’re with me or you’re not. Here’s the door.”

I don’t believe another owner has ever articulated Jon’s perspective back to him so clearly. And Jon sees it, too. “Bingo!” he says, “That’s the deal. That’s how you protect your money. That’s how you make a legacy.”

As they talk, I can see Jon getting more impressed with J, and it warms my heart because it seems like J is truly a good guy in a bad place, and it’s heart-warming to know he’s getting some much needed—and desired—help from the world’s leading hospitality expert.

Jon especially seems to appreciate the relationship between J and Jose and hopes to be able to get them into a better financial spot so J can spend more time with his family during “Sunday Fundays,” which I find a bit amusing since the promo for Bar Rescue this season has Jon asking, “What’s scarier than Sundays?” Apparently, Jon and J live in different worlds on Sundays.

J sets the scene for the rest of the rescue, telling us, “It’s been a big learning experience for me. I’m gonna train the rest of the day, and I’m gonna make sure that I make Jon very proud.” I believe him.

Jon discusses some of the difficulties he’s facing with One11, like possibly replacing the entire floor. In one scene, he and Production Designer, Laura Rhoades, discuss choosing the perfect paint color for the new concept.

I confess, I have personally put a concerted effort into “enjoying” the product promotion in the show over the years because I love that Jon really wants to set owners up for success, and product promotion supports that goal, even though I totally hate it and have to really work at tolerating it. This week offers a new and creative Benjamin Moore product promotion. It’s hysterical, and I remind myself that there have been times that I’ve seen Bar Rescue listed as a comedy on IMDB because of the absurd situations Jon encounters, his or the owner’s antics, and, I’m guessing, the bizarre awkwardness of weaving product promotion into a conversation, even if the conversation is about the product. I’m amazed at the pangs of embarrassment I can feel while watching a TV show.

At the reveal, J continues to make me laugh by telling Jon, “I thought you were out of your mind.” But then, like almost all the owners, J realized Jon knows what he’s talking about and began to trust him and allow Jon to influence him both professionally and personally. The end result is a totally revamped and revitalized Boca Luna, a luxe lounge, aka the upscale supper club that turns into a night club that J always dreamed about owning.

The transformation of One11 into Boca Luna is undeniable. The establishment boasts new equipment, an efficient layout, and a renewed focus on cleanliness and proper practices. The bar area, now inviting and cohesive, benefitted from tearing down all the unnecessary walls and rethinking the seating plan to enhance the social atmosphere. J looks sharp in his new suit, fully embracing his role as a leader.

Jon’s tough love approach has pushed J out of his comfort zone, teaching him what he needs to succeed in his own endeavor. The remodel, staff retraining, and vibrant, rich-looking navy blue bar area all reflect Jon’s seasoned decision-making skills and create a wonderful impact on the guests.

The episode closes on a hopeful note. As Jon turns to look back at Boca Luna, he tells us, “This one feels good. You know, J was a good guy in a bad place. He was losing money. He didn’t see a way out. He didn’t know what to do, when to do it. Tonight, completely different story. He led this place. He solved problems. He got involved when there were issues. He was a manager.”

The follow-up report reveals that Boca Luna is thriving. The staff is more cohesive, the customer base is growing steadily, the food and cocktails receive praise, and, most importantly, J is making money and spending weekends with his family again.

After a couple of weeks with other hosts, I am relieved that Jon is back at the helm for this one. J’s transformation shows how Jon’s expertise as a businessman, coupled with his remarkable ability to unlock the full potential of individuals, works even for someone who is already a winner at heart. There is no doubt Jon is the best in the business, and no wonder I miss him when he’s not hosting.

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I invite you to consider and share your answers in the Comments: What do you think about Jon’s upscaling of J’s concept for a supper club turns nightclub? Would you like an establishment like that in your community?