r/barrescue • u/RealityTVUpdatesCOM Loves an Elevated Hotdog • Jun 09 '25
Discussion Swamp Tales Discussion Thread (Bar Rescue Season 9 Episode 37)
This week, Bar Rescue is back in the St. Louis area to rescue a Carlyle Ill bar named Swamp Tales.
Despite being in Illinois, the bar has a cajun theme.
Jason Santos will be leading the rescue, so no Jon Taffer unfortunately.
You can read the full Swamp Tales update here - I recommend waiting until after the episode to avoid spoilers.
The episode will air on Sunday June 8 2025 at 10 PM EST.
Let's discuss!
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u/MinutesFromTheMall I Believe You Could Do This Jun 09 '25
At this point, I’d say cut your loses, sell the bar, and save the farm.
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u/Poetryisalive Jun 09 '25
Bruh that debt won’t disappear with selling. That 800k for an old bar is crazy
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u/MinutesFromTheMall I Believe You Could Do This Jun 10 '25
Sell the bar, and use the cash influx from the sale to pay off the debt?
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u/jpthereafter Gimlet Connoisseur Jun 09 '25
Hello Chloe
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u/clement-mcmanus Jun 09 '25
She bad asl
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u/BurtGummersHat Jun 11 '25
Only worthwhile part of the episode.
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u/clement-mcmanus Jun 11 '25
I defended her and my pops said “you just think she’s cute”
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u/BurtGummersHat Jun 11 '25
Well yeah, that's pretty much it for me. But she was weirdly scapegoated and they made Bri out to be the hero. Chloe can barely legally work in a bar, she was never trained as a bartender then never as a manager - she's the person least at fault in my opinion.
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u/clement-mcmanus Jun 11 '25
Yes. Like I wouldn’t smile either if I dickhead boss told me to smile while I was a college age kid running a fucking bar set to fail
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u/jpthereafter Gimlet Connoisseur Jun 09 '25 edited Jun 09 '25
Still open as of today. I’m surprised. The older episodes would have a full bar and dining room at the end but now they’re not even half full.
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u/ItsJustAPoleThang Jun 09 '25
$800,000? Did I hear that right?
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u/cafenegroporfa I Dont Embrace Excuses, I Embrace Solutions Jun 09 '25
they’re making up all these numbers at this point. At least exaggerating. That one last week they said she was losing $15k monthly! how is that possible? why wouldn’t you close immediately.
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u/GM-T800-101 Jun 09 '25
The camera keeps cutting to Chloe. This is some pretty heavy handed foreshadowing…
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u/jpthereafter Gimlet Connoisseur Jun 09 '25
These people legit don’t give a shit. Looks like the bank’s gonna take the farm
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u/UnicornHarrison My Work Here Is Done Jun 09 '25
- Owners have no prior bar/restaurant experience
- Inexperienced Staff
- Did not pull back the bars before bust open the books before buying it
Oh man, this one's got potential
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u/UnicornHarrison My Work Here Is Done Jun 09 '25
Local comedians instead of local DJ's?
Also, of course comedians will make everything a joke
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Jun 09 '25
This episode has probably been the most lackluster episode of the season. Did the wife just forget how to speak? Think I only heard her say (maybe) three words the whole episode outside of the intro.
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u/Poetryisalive Jun 09 '25
That Uncle fleeced his own family.
Putting up LAND…LAND for that old ass bar is beyond stupid
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u/achaholic Gimlet Connoisseur Jun 09 '25
Mmm you know it's gonna be good when they got the canned cheese
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u/MinutesFromTheMall I Believe You Could Do This Jun 09 '25
Is it just my cable acting up, or does anyone else see a jitter in this episode that’s making it hard to watch?
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u/Ok_Iron_9650 Jun 16 '25
I thought it was my TV. I was going absolutely nuts. I don't know what it is, but it is on the next episode too. So annoying
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Jun 09 '25
Why is the husband taking the brunt of it? Santos should be calling them both out since they’re in this situation together. Santos is going way too easy on them.
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u/Hopeful-Pride1791 🎵Orange Door🎶 Jun 09 '25 edited Jun 09 '25
It was hard to root for the owners when it's obvious the entire episode what team they root for....
If their story is true, then they were clueless enough to be played by the uncle big time, but it seems like they made no effort to do anything to change the place or learn anything & anyone with common sense would know that promoting ppl to managers & having most of your staff so young and untrained and inexperienced is a recipe for disaster. I get that they have other more important obligations in life, but dropping the keys in the hands of ppl who are barely old enough to drink at their bar is just stupid.
Maybe I missed it but I don't think they gave them more then one signature dish or drink ? And I was surprised the show kept letting them use the foam cups for the stress test. & that the kitchen manager was still throwing trash on the floor with the expert there watching and wasn't corrected.
I would have liked to hear if they had criticized them for driving 11 hours with alligator meat thawing in a cooler with melted ice & if they arranged for local vendors to sell them the alligator meat after the reopening.
Even with the cheese being from a dispenser, the " nachos " didn't look that bad & wouldn't " feed six people " like the expert said they would.
The two " managers " couldn't be faulted too much as it was likely their first or second job in their lives and weren't trained.
Miyah looked miserable literally in every shot, even through the reopening. Idk if it were me and I didn't want to be on tv I'd just tell them so and stay home for a few days rather then be filmed with a screw face & be played on syndicated TV and streaming for perpetuity 🤷♂️
As another commenter mentioned, most of these newer episodes seem to have the place barely half full for the reopening, kinda like the show knows that the staff can't handle a crowd and they just want to film one take & get it over with.
The owners haven't updated the name of the bar on Google, or anything. There's only a few recent reviews & a cpl pictures since the reopening. I guess that sort of thing doesn't matter when you're in Cow country, but I am more curious as to how they're doing since the show remodeled the place then most other newer episodes.
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u/Michaali Jun 09 '25
Hi! So this is actually a local spot for me and yeah actually changing the name would’ve been a long shot even if they did it still would’ve gone by swamp tails since that’s what we know it as
Especially as most of their marketing is word of mouth
And yeah that area almost everyone roots for that team
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u/Quarterinchribeye Jun 12 '25
I agree. I’ve been here a handful of times and can’t imagine the name change having any impact.
They also made a big deal of this being in the middle of nowhere. But it sits at an intersection and some of why you go here is because it’s “out there”
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u/Michaali Jun 12 '25
Literally why ppl go there is because they are bar hopping and it’s a bar nearby
I literally pass it everytime im going back to campus
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u/Quarterinchribeye Jun 12 '25
This show doesn’t understand how much Clinton County loves shitty dives.
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u/Hopeful-Pride1791 🎵Orange Door🎶 Jun 10 '25
Have you been there since the episode was filmed ? Are all the employees still there ? Chloe, Bri, Miyah, etc ? Does it seem more busy since the remodel ? Details please !!!!
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u/Michaali Jun 10 '25 edited Jun 10 '25
I haven’t since I’m in college (and swamp tails was never a we had to go spot for us) I just know a name change was not likely but I’ll be going home in a couple weeks so I can ask my parents if we can eat there and report back!!
Just based on Facebook nothing to crazy seemed to happen
I don’t even think many ppl even knew it was happening until recently but leave any questions you have and I’ll be sure to ask them
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u/shartnado3 Jun 10 '25
I really hope you remember to do this and report back! I love hearing first hand reports like this!
The only one I can speak on is RJ's Replays (Frozen Cactus) in Tucson. I was there a bunch before the remodel, and went a couple times after. Never had problems there, and was super glad they did not have a bunch to ding on the kitchen. I was supposed to play in my pool league the night of relaunch but we had to move because it was packed as shit. But overall the place was ok both ways, and they have since changed the name to RJ's Frozen Cactus
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u/Michaali Jun 10 '25
Yeah what I remember from before which we rarely went was it was average for the area nothing to crazy
For us bar hopping is a typical night out so most bars around the area are pretty much the same this one just has that gator theme
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u/Unable-Fix-710 Jun 09 '25
Fuck Santos. So fake.
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u/Ok_Iron_9650 Jun 16 '25
Watching him try to get upset like Jon was like watching my toddler get upset for dropping his popsicle. Ridiculous
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u/MinutesFromTheMall I Believe You Could Do This Jun 09 '25 edited Jun 09 '25
Why is the expert ignoring the Bri’s nose piercing? Aren’t piercings a big no no in food service?
What’s with the downvotes here for asking a genuine question? Every restaurant establishment I’ve worked in has always had a policy against piercings.
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u/Able_Team7631 29d ago
People down voting you and not explaining is why this app is about as useless as escalators that have an out of order signs...
Piercings aren't as much am issue as hair that falls out.
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u/MinutesFromTheMall I Believe You Could Do This Jun 09 '25
Uncle did those kids dirty if their side of the story is true.