punditWeb

Behind Reality TV

Bar Rescue: What happened to 5th and Vine?

Bar Rescue: What happened to 5th and Vine?

Bar Rescue: Rhythm and Brews was renamed 5th and Vine, but the bar closed just months after its featured episode on the show in 2016.

Bar Rescue recently concluded its eighth season. The show is premised, “Jon Taffer, a bar/nightclub consultant, and his team of experts offer their expertise, helping real bar owners “rescue” their failing establishments by overcoming challenges and possibly saving them from closing.”

As such, throughout the seasons we have seen multiple bars stay open, thanks to the show, while we have also seen bars that have since closed.

One bar in particular from season four that has remained a fascination, was 5th and Vine. Unfortunately, it closed just months after the renaming and rebranding of the business.

Did Bar Rescue get cancelled?

Bar Rescue did not get cancelled, it recently concluded with its eighth season in May 2022, but the reality-format show did experience a delay in the release of its latest season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Host and front man, Jon Taffer, explained the delay of season eight before it started, revealing, “We shut down March 13, 2020 — abruptly — with seven episodes to go last season, which we never did. They can put you in a hiatus but after a certain period of time, the hiatus has to end, and you have to go to the next season.”

Bar Rescue: What happened to 5th and Vine?

One of the episodes has remained a fascination as to what happened after Jon Taffer and his crew’s visit, is the season four episode which focused on 5th and Vine, a family-owned bar which was originally called Rhythm and Brews.

Located in Staten Island, New York, the bar was featured on the show in episode three, which aired in October 2014.

When we are first introduced to the bar, it is owned by twin brothers, Steve and Erik Winchow, who bought the bar for $50 000 in 2003.

From its inception, Rhythm and Brews was a family-oriented business; Josh’s wife Lori did the recon for the restaurant, and employee, Kate Gerwin was hired as the bartender and Josh Capon as the chef.

Initially a successful bar and restaurant, which changed when a biker gang took over the restaurant.

The biggest critique at the time about the service of the restaurant was its lack of offerings in terms of the alcohol menu and the fact that anyone could walk into the kitchen to prepare their own meal.

By the time Jon Taffer and his team intervened, a lot of work had to be done to transform the failing business after it had been operational for over a decade at the time.

But even after Bar Rescue‘s intervention and Rhythm and Brews being rebranded and renamed 5th and Vine, the business was not saved as it subsequently closed in the same year that the episode aired on television.

Why did 5th and Vine close?

Following its episode airing in 2014, the renaming of 5th and Vine proved successful with customers, but not with health inspectors. This is as the bar was shut down after a health inspection.

Initially, the bar closed based on an “upgraded inspection” by the health department in April 2016, however, it soon reopened afterwards.

Unfortunately, this was only temporary and it officially closed months later. This remains a contentious matter over six years after the airing of the episode.

When did 5th and Vine officially close?

5th and Vine initially closed in April 2016 because of an ungraded failed health inspection that included health violations in 62 aspects including evidence of mice or live mice, filth flies or food/refuse/sewage-associated flies, no handwashing facility near the food, and that the facility was not vermin-proof.

Following its brief reopening after the first closure, 5th and Vine officially closed down in November 2016 for the same reason as its initial closure.

Owners of 5th and Vine speak on closure of the bar

Following the closure of the bar in 2016, co-owner Erik Winchow took to social media to release the official closure statement, which read, “This Saturday night is the last night to party down with the cast of 5th & Vine. Don’t miss out on the memories.”

Following the closure of the bar, the old 5th and Vine in Staten Island was bought and renamed The G.O.A.T., which is an abbreviated term for, “The greatest of all time.”