‘Bar Rescue’ host and Las Vegan Jon Taffer talks bars, Knights

He was a 16-year-old kid in a town that didn’t card. The bar in Long Island was called McDonalds and the future star of “Bar Rescue” used to hang out there. “If I close my eyes right now, I can still hear the Barry White music playing,” said Jon Taffer with a blissful laugh. “I can hear that low voice singing, ‘Ooooooh, baby.’ Over that you’d hear the bartender, whose name was Pete the Cab because he drove a cab, taking your order.”

The entrepreneur, TV personality and Las Vegas resident now saves drinking establishments that have fallen on hard times on his Paramount Network reality show. He’s also the author of the New York Times best-seller “Don’t (Expletive) Yourself!”

Review-Journal: What is your perfect Las Vegas Sunday?

Taffer: I have a playroom with my drum set, a guitar and amplifier at home. Sunday starts there. I also have my flight simulator cockpit. Give me a few hours of just hanging out. Then I’ll get in the car, take the top down and drive up Mount Charleston or out to Blue Diamond. What I love about Vegas is that we have the mountains and the Strip. There is always something to do.

Are you a Golden Knights fan?

Huge. I was one of the first season-ticket holders. I went crazy when I heard that hockey was coming to Vegas. I had great seats — right at center ice — and I changed my whole production schedule to fly into Vegas for the games. I’m so proud of what we accomplished. The VGKs are such a source of pride for the city.

Why did you make Vegas home?

My company was based in Palm Beach, Florida, but when “Bar Rescue” took off, I knew I had to move west. It was a choice between L.A. and Vegas. I have a lot of friends in Vegas and it became my choice. I’m so glad because I love it here. There’s a real sense of community. It’s a big town that feels like a small town. Everybody knows everybody.

“Bar Rescue” is crazy popular these days.

We’re about to shoot our 170th show and we’re breaking records. Last week, we had our best ratings since 2014. The show is as strong as it was in the beginning.

Why does everyone think they can open a successful bar?

People like to drink! They hang out in a bar and think, “I could do this. How could this not make money?” They don’t think about the building, the staff, the insurance. It makes no sense. If you enjoy drugs, you don’t open a drugstore. Open a bar in your basement if you want to drink.

How do most bars fail?

Don’t open a bar if you think all you need to be is social and greet the customers. You have to run a business. Many open a family bar, which can be tough. If little Johnny isn’t good at his job, he gets canned. If little Johnny (messes) up the family bar, he gets a pat on the head. Be family outside the business. Inside, be a team.

Does every bar have to serve food?

Food is important. People who consume food in a bar stay 52 minutes longer and order more drinks. Trendy food in bars will shorten your life. Remember every trend has a beginning and an end. What lasts are a good burger joint, a great steakhouse.

What’s the difference between a baby boomer going into a bar versus a millennial?

Millennials are driven by relevancy. They don’t care about a celeb bar. They don’t watch TV in the traditional sense. They look for hipness and relevancy over quality. Baby boomers want class, but class isn’t always hip. Boomers might also want a low-cost situation. They will give up hip and chic, vanity and style for budgets. For millennials, it has to be cool.

You’ve owned bars; would you ever open one again?

I have owned 17 bars. I’m the kind of guy who loves to build them, make them great and then sell. When the TV show started, I sold my interest in all of my bars because I was on the road about 40 weeks a year doing “Bar Rescue,” plus I have a consulting business with clients such as Home Depot and Anheuser-Busch. I’m managing both worlds at the same time.

How many requests do you get each year from bars in trouble? And how do you know if the save will stick?

We get several thousand requests a year. We do background checks to pick the right stories. Out of that, we can only choose 30 or 40. We have about a 70 percent success factor. I’m very proud of the success ratio. The ones that fail? It doesn’t bother me. When I walk out those doors, I know if they will fail or not. I feel it.

What are your go-to drinks and eats in a bar?

If there is a specialty cocktail, I’ll order it because I always like to try something new. If not, then I’ll go for a Godfather, which is scotch with a dash of amaretto served on the rocks. As for food, there is one that defines the operation: a hamburger. Is it frozen and thin on a cheap bun? Or is it blended on a custom bun with hand-cut lettuce and tomato? A great hamburger says it all.