'Bar Rescue' at Royal Oaks to debut Sunday; Martini Bros., Oct. 25

YOUNGSTOWN

“Bar Rescue” caused a stir during its August visit to two Youngstown watering holes.

The Spike reality-TV show gave The Royal Oaks and Martini Bros. Burger Bar physical – if not philosophical – makeovers.

Though the new looks at both bars have been on display for a couple of months, details of their episodes have been shielded by a veil of secrecy, enforced by nondisclosure clauses.

That will begin to change Sunday when the first of the Youngstown episodes – The Royal Oaks – premieres at 10 p.m. The episode on Martini Bros. – renamed The Federal by the show – airs Oct. 25.

In every hourlong “Bar Rescue” episode, Jon Taffer, the hard-nosed bar management expert, sizes up a struggling establishment for its strengths and weaknesses, and then makes big changes. He’s not always polite about it, either.

Taffer abolished The Oaks’ quirky decor. He attempted to restore the room’s 1930s look.

It’s safe to say that Taffer also took a dim view of the bar’s management. Taffer is shown having a profanity-laced shouting match with The Oaks’ owners in a sneak-peek video released by the show.

Read more about the episodes in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.