Havana Cabana Bar and Grill

The episode

Key dates

1. August 2013Closed. — before the episode aired
2. October 6, 2013Bar Rescue episode “Crappy Cantina” airs — Jon Taffer's rescue of Rocky Point Cantina, relaunched as Havana Cabana Bar and Grill, filmed earlier.

The rescue

Jon Taffer relaunched Rocky Point Cantina as Havana Cabana Bar and Grill.

Rocky Point Cantina closed in August 2013. The bar did not keep the Havana Cabana name. Its exterior paint job lacked the required city permits, prompting a city investigation that found other unpermitted modifications. The owners declared bankruptcy and had undone most of Taffer's changes before the closure.

What happened next

At the six-week check-in the bar was reportedly bringing in $6,000 per night, but that figure masked serious problems. The Havana Cabana name was dropped almost immediately in favour of the original Rocky Point Cantina name. A city investigation, triggered by the unpermitted exterior paint job, uncovered further unpermitted modifications, and the owners declared bankruptcy. The bar closed in August 2013 — two months before its episode aired on television.