ROCKS was initially a popular and upscale bar and cigar room in Laguna Niguel but struggled to keep its upscale clientele after a state-wide smoking ban.
Bar Rescue stepped in to save the struggling business, with the show's host and long-time food and beverage industry icon, Jon Taffer, offering his professional expertise and much-needed renovations to rebrand and reinvent the failing bar.
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When was the Power Plant featured on Bar Rescue?
Before Jon Taffer stepped in to rebrand the struggling bar, Power Plant was initially named Rocks.
The bar was featured in the ninth episode of the show's second season.
The episode, aptly named On The Rocks, premiered on September 23, 2012, and garnered over 1.33 million viewers.
In 1996, Scott Terheggen left his real estate career to open Rocks in Laguna Niguel, California.
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The bar was initially a huge hit.
Not only was the bar located in a beachside community along the Pacific Ocean but it was also surrounded by six different colleges.
A loophole in the city code also allowed customers to smoke indoors, allowing Rocks to also operate as an upscale cigar room.
Over a decade later, when the loophole closed, and patrons were no longer allowed to smoke inside, the bar fell into disrepair.
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Rather than adapt to change, the bar's owner, Scott, seemingly checked out mentally and physically, becoming an absentee owner and leaving staff to fend for themselves.
By 2009, the once-successful bar became known as the "dive off the 5" due to its location right off the 5 freeway.
By day, it was empty, and by night, the staff's rowdy friends and family turned off locals along with potential new business.
During a heartbreaking moment in the episode, Scott reveals that the once-profitable bar had gone from "easily" making over $50,000 a month to "struggling" to make $30,000.
To make matters worse, the rent had recently gone up from $5,000 a month to $7,500, leaving Scott scrambling to pay his loans and staff.
What happened to the Power Plant bar?
After viewers were introduced to Rocks and its backstory, Jon Taffer and his daughter Samantha performed "recon" at the bar, watching the staff, patrons, and overall experience using hidden cameras.
Taffer criticized the establishment's tiny logo and branding, and questioned whether the group of "unsavory" men standing right by the bar's entrance would be intimidating to pass by.
Then, Samantha, a seasoned bartender, went into the bar herself to get a customer's perspective.
She was quickly hit with the smell of old liquor and stale smoke, a DJ that took frequent breaks – leaving the bar silent for stretches at a time – and noticed that the clientele was made up of mostly older-aged men, with no women or men her age to interact with.
To top it off, the staff was rude, the drinks were bland at best, and the customers were aggressively drunk, to the point of openly trying to hit on her despite Samantha resisting their advances.
The following day, Taffer explained how the bar's filthy appearance, unruly clientele, and inconsiderate staff were hurting business.
He also showed Scott how the staff members' inability to pour the correct amounts of booze was costing him thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
After a stress test left the bartenders – and the bar itself – in chaos, Taffer sent the staff to train under speed bartender Joseph Brooke, and showed Scott his plans for the bar's renovation.
By the end of the episode, viewers eagerly awaited the bar's grand reveal.
Taffer had updated the bar's bland facade, and completely reimagined the interior, with new bar equipment, furniture, sound systems, and a dance floor.
The bar counter was updated, a new Turbo Tap system was brought in, and the bar's new logo – and name – was revealed to Scott and his staff.
Taffer had rebranded Rocks, changing the name to Power Plant.
Hoards of new customers walked through the doors, and Scott immediately noticed that the bar's newly enforced dress code and renovations had attracted a younger, college-aged crowd.
The Power Plant was a hit, and a trained staff along with a revamped food and beverage menu attracted swarms of customers.
However, the newfound success was relatively short-lived, and customers began complaining about poor service and high prices.
The Power Plant even had to briefly shut down due to losing its alcohol license.
When it reopened with new management, it had changed its name back to Rocks.
The bar then changed its name yet again, calling itself The Original Rocks.
By November 2014, the bar shut down again, this time, for good, just two years after its episode aired on Bar Rescue.
As of 2024, the bar remains closed.
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What is the success rate for Bar Rescue?
According to Reality TV Updates, as of 2024, there have been 229 total bar rescues in Bar Rescue history.
123 of those rescues have since shut down, while 106 bars remain open.
In other words, 54% of Bar Rescue "rescues" end up failing.
That places Jon Taffer's Bar Rescue success rate at around 46%.
Despite extensive renovations and cleaning, new state-of-the-art equipment, and extensive professional training, not all bars have what it takes to be rescued.
Many bar owners, deeply in debt before the rescue begins, often decide to cut their losses and sell the revamped bar to make ends meet.
Others are more stubborn, with several bars, including the Power Plant, reverting back to its old name – and old ways.
Still, viewers keep tuning in to the hit series, which was recently renewed for its ninth season.
Bar Rescue's ninth season premieres on Sunday, February 25, 2024, at 10 pm ET.
Viewers can watch the show on the Paramount Network, or catch up on old episodes on Paramount+.
Jon Taffer says viewers can expect an "intense" season.
“It’s sort of a gloves-off season, it’s been fricking intense,” Taffer tells ABC Audio.
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“You know, the pandemic is over. The excuses are over,” he continues.
“I shot my 250th episode last week, man, which is just — I’ll watch my language — I’ll just say it was unbelievable,” Taffer says of the accomplishment.
