While Wisconsin as a whole isn’t lacking in bars and taverns, the national reality show “Bar Rescue” seems to be mostly concentrating on the southern area for its shows.
The show with host Jon Taffer has only visited the state seven times over the past 12 years, including once in Fond du Lac and once in Sheboygan. But the rest of the focus has been on the Milwaukee area.
The “Bar Rescue” premise is simple: Taffer and his crew visit struggling bars, diagnose the underlying issues and renovate both the aesthetics and staffing systems to give the business a boost.
Taffer’s first excursion to Wisconsin happened in 2014, when he filmed episodes at two bars in the state. But both of those establishments have since closed, including one that shut its doors shortly after its episode aired.
The “Bar Rescue” host returned to Wisconsin in 2025, visiting five bars that range from historic family heirlooms to shiny new specialty clubs.
Here’s a look at how each Wisconsin bar featured on “Bar Rescue” has fared since being on the show.
Fond du Lac visit: Top Shelf Sports Bar & Grille became Blue Line Tavern
Air date: March 9, 2025
Top Shelf Sports Bar & Grille opened in 2019 at 90 S. Main St., Fond du Lac, and the Taffer team visited in August 2024. The episode, called “Rock Bottom at Top Shelf,” focused the Fond du Lac tavern’s struggle as the death of the owner’s son hurt their passion to run a bar in a post-pandemic economic environment.
What Bar Rescue did: Taffer’s team provided the Top Shelf staff better training, renovated the interior with hockey memorabilia and set up new sales systems. Taffer also renamed the bar to Blue Line Tavern.
Celebrity highlight: Actor Donnie Wahlberg is also in this episode. He gifted the owners a bottle of the cognac line he invested in during the big renovation reveal.
What happened after: Blue Line Tavern is still going strong as of Aug. 3. The owners kept the Blue Line Tavern name, and its website claims it has the best breakfast and dining in Fond du Lac. Check out their Facebook page for more info on events.
Sheboygan visit: Harbor Lights Coastal Sports Bar
Air date: March 2, 2025
Harbor Lights, a Civil War-era building and bar, is one of the oldest ever featured during the entire run of “Bar Rescue,” not just the Wisconsin features.
Notably, Taffer was absent from this episode. Instead, restauranteur and reality television chef Spike Mendelsohn was in charge of the renovation.
Harbor Lights exchanged hands a few times from 2002 to 2013 until current owner Dave Nennig took over in 2015.
Nennig and Mendelsohn butted heads throughout the episode, titled “Lights Out in the Harbor.” Bar staff in the episode portrayed Nennig as disrespectful, aggressive and opposed to changes.
Harbor Lights received some coastal themed renovations and added “Coastal Sports Bar” to its name.
At the end of the episode, producers noted Nennig was “unhappy” with the visit and changes. The Harbor Lights website only mentions the restaurant was featured on the show.
What happened after: As of Aug. 3, the bar is still open in the same Sheboygan building.
Y-Not III or Nick’s House, Milwaukee
Air date: Dec. 7, 2014
The first Wisconsin bar featured on Taffer’s “Bar Rescue” was Y-Not III on Kenilworth Place in Milwaukee. The “Bar Rescue” episode was titled “Spoiled Brat Party.”
Taffer took issue with then-owner Nick DePalma’s general irresponsibility and lack of unique tavern character.
Part of Taffer’s rescue plan transformed the Y-Not legacy tavern into Nick’s House, a 1970s-themed bar that served a staggering list of Smirnoff-branded cocktails.
What happened after: Y-Not III closed in 2016 after the building was sold and then demolished. Urban Milwaukee reported the building owners wanted to “tear it down for a sculpture garden.”
As of Aug. 3, 2026, the lot appears to be a gravel square with three plant boxes, according to Google Maps.
Y-Not III was a spinoff of the original tavern Y-Not II, opened by Tony DePalma in 1971. Y-Not II is still open on Milwaukee’s East Side and celebrated 55 years in business this May. Y-Not empire founder DePalma died in May at 86 years old.
Interlude II: Bar & Grill, Kenosha
Air date: Feb. 23, 2025
Interlude II: Bar & Grill in Kenosha appeared on “Bar Rescue” on March 2, 2025. Owner Jimmy Pruett took over operations in 1993 after his father maintained the bar since 1963.
Taffer got on Pruett for a lack of drink options, marketing and trained bartenders. Interlude II lacked a draft tap and soda guns when Taffer visited, instead serving all beverages from shots, cans and bottles.
“Bar Rescue” fans online also took issue with Pruett’s use of frozen pizzas for a majority of food service. But at least one commenter on the “Bar Rescue” subreddit understood frozen pizza is a classic Wisconsin bar move.
Taffer’s team renovated the building’s exterior, added a better kitchen and brought in some new restaurant furniture for better seating.
In a rare move for Taffer, the renovation did not change Interlude II’s name. The “Bar Rescue” team added “Bar & Grill” to the end but otherwise left the 1963 name alone.
What happened after: Not much, as Interlude II is still up and running as of Aug. 3. The owners heavily promoted their feature on the show and new renovations in the months following their “Bar Rescue” episode.
Tropic on Water, Milwaukee
Air date: June 2, 2025
The latest Wisconsin visit from “Bar Rescue” happened at a Water Street club called Tropic.
Celebrity highlight: Former Milwaukee Bucks player Bobby Portis Jr., whom Taffer called “one of the best forwards in the game,” appears in the episode to help Taffer with the recon job for the bar.
Portis and Taffer both told owner Hyacinth Nembhardt that her staff were unwelcoming and too laid back for bartending work. They also criticized Nembhardt for giving her nine-month-pregnant daughter too much staffing power given her lack of experience running a bar.
The “Bar Rescue” team work heavily on the family’s interpersonal dynamics with the business. They bring in bar trainers and renovate the interior to be a more welcoming space for both staff and customers.
Taffer suggested changing the bar’s name to Montego Bay Beach Club, but Nembhardt chose not to keep the name by the time the episode aired.
What happened after: Tropic on Water remains open. Nembhardt’s sister location, Concoctions, opened about the same time as Tropic’s debut and is still in business.
Packy’s Pub or Campbell’s Irish Pub, Milwaukee
Air date: Dec. 14, 2014
Known to some as Packy’s Pub but later renamed to Campbell’s Irish Pub by Taffer, the South Howell Avenue bar was featured on “Bar Rescue” on Dec. 14, 2014.
Packy’s Pub first opened in 2000 and served traditional Irish cuisine along with American bar snacks like the acclaimed Packy’s Wings.
During his visit, Taffer noted that staff were not getting paid and bartenders were irresponsible behind the bar. Taffer’s team gave the tavern a makeover, but kept the Irish pub theme. Some of the menu items were changed, and the reviews seemed supportive of the renovated space and upgraded food.
What happened after: Campbell’s Irish Pub continued for a while longer. The owners put the bar up for sale in 2017 but didn’t finalize a sale until 2022. The final Campbell’s service wrapped in April 2022.
The building stayed empty until 2026, when Puerto Rican cuisine food truck The Bad Piggy announced it would set up shop in the former Packy’s space. Bad Piggy’s hours are limited for the time being, only open Friday through Sunday.
Daq Shack or Royal Street MKE, Milwaukee
Air date: March 23, 2025
The Daq Shack feature is one of those rare reality television makeover show episodes where there isn’t a surprise waiting around every corner. The show returned to Milwaukee for the first time since 2014 with “I’m a F’n Bar Guy! I’m a F’n Bar Girl!”
Taffer was pleasantly surprised with the foundations of Daq Shack. His main gripes came with untrained staff and bad pours costing the bar money and hurting its reputation over time.
The interior space changed along with the name. Daq Shack became Royal Street, named after the busy New Orleans street and got some new decorations to match.
What happened after: Royal Street MKE is still open as of Aug. 3. And the bar still sells loads of daquiris, as the former name suggested.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Fond du Lac spot among Wisconsin taverns featured on ‘Bar Rescue’
Reporting by Caden Perry, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Caden Perry, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
