Wildcatter Saloon

The episode

Key dates

1. April 13, 2014Bar Rescue episode “Taxed Out in Texas” airs — Jon Taffer's rescue of Bryant's Ice House, relaunched as Wildcatter Saloon, filmed earlier.
2. 2017Sold to new owners.

The rescue

Jon Taffer relaunched Bryant's Ice House as Wildcatter Saloon.

Wildcatter Saloon kept its new name and remains open. It was sold in 2017 to Justin Whitfield, formerly of The End Zone, after a closure announcement was reversed within two days.

What happened next

At the six-week check-in, sales at Wildcatter Saloon were up more than 35%. Owner Jeff kept most of Taffer's changes, including the new name, the motorcycle clubs that had frequented Bryant's Ice House largely stayed away, and the bar held a four-star rating on Yelp. In January 2017 the owners announced that the bar would close, then reversed the decision two days later after selling it to Justin Whitfield, the former owner of The End Zone, another Bar Rescue bar. In 2018 Whitfield blamed the show for delaying repairs after Hurricane Harvey: a planned return visit had been cancelled after Taffer contracted pneumonia. The bar remains open in Katy.

By the numbers