New look means fresh start for downtown nightspot

Getting picked for a show titled “Bar Rescue” seems like a dubious honor. But the Spike series wouldn’t put in the time and considerable expense unless it felt the bar was worth saving.

That was the case at the Royal Oaks and Martini Bros. Burger Bar, which got makeovers by the show this month. The dust has just about settled and the reviews are overwhelmingly positive.

The two bars are vastly different, but both have ownership teams that should make for excellent television. Expect Jon Taffer, the star of “Bar Rescue,” to tear into somebody at each place.

The Royal Oaks, owned by brothers Louie and John Kennedy, is laden with history and has many loyal regulars. But underneath its quirky and messy decor was a classic 1930s bar, and the “BR” makeover recaptured that glory. The East Side tavern has had one name in its 81 years of existence, so changing it wouldn’t have been a wise option.

Martini Bros., on the other hand, was on its fifth name in eight years. “Bar Rescue” gave it its sixth: The Federal.

The physical change there is just as drastic as at the Oaks, if not more so.

The Federal – which sits in the middle of the downtown party district – bore vestiges of each of its past lives. Unlike at the Oaks, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone getting nostalgic about the way it used to be.

“Bar Rescue” wiped the slate clean and gave the nightspot a fresh start. The Federal is someplace altogether new (even though its new name is on a sign that might cause confusion with the sign on the building next to it that says: The Federal Building).

Taffer & Co. re-did the room in a sharp dark blue, and beautifully re-tiled the bar. The Federal also got new tables and chairs with modern highlights, replacing the old repurposed ones.

The video-game arcade is also gone. The pool table has been moved out of a side room (which has been closed) and onto the space once occupied by an air-hockey game. It now sports black felt.

The room at Martini’s was too big for its crowd on many nights. “Bar Rescue” fixed that flaw by separating the rear dance floor with a railing. The artsy mural on the ceiling by local artist Jason VanHoose over the dance floor has been eliminated, to the chagrin of some.

But the rear area also now has a digital fireplace and a fog-and-laser show on dance nights.

The art gallery is still intact, but it has been painted an inviting shade of red and has a new leather furniture set.

The menu got some new drinks and upgraded food items, although most of the famed Martini Bros. burgers remain intact.

In addition to getting an expensive makeover for free, both the Oaks and the Federal have seen a bump in business – which vastly outweighs any perceived negatives.

Valley residents who have never set foot in the Oaks or Martinis’ are making their way in.

And I’m told that there are “Bar Rescue” fans out there who travel the country to visit the show’s projects, so we might be seeing some of them after the show airs.

By the way, air dates have not been revealed for either episode, but I’d expect both in about two months.