'Bar Rescue' Star Predicts Bright Future For Michigan Restaurants

After a really rough year, and many more restaurant closings than in a normal year, one reality TV show "expert" is predicting a bright future, in the coming months (at least), for restaurants and bars.

I heard Jon Taffer from the Paramount Channel's Bar Rescue Show on a podcast, and he's an optimist. But given how many restaurants he has bailed out of big trouble, you can't be surprised.

He talked about being in Las Vegas and people flocking from California, as the demand is growing. You would think something similar was happening here when Indiana was more "open" late last year than Michigan, and many were going over the border to be able to go to restaurants. Now with the vaccination levels in Michigan inching above 50%, and with promises of expanded occupancy at higher vaccination levels, the same could happen here.

But that's not the most interesting thing he said on this podcast, and what he did say makes a lot of sense.

"Let's say nationally we lose about 38% of all restaurants and bars... but when we all come back this summer with 38% less bars, it becomes Boomtown. The bars and restaurants that toughed it out and made it through this can have an unbelievably successful few months. I sort of see it as a 'Roaring '20s.'" Jon Taffer, host of Bar Rescue on Stryker and Klein podcast.

Now, obviously, as other people with money see these places booming, they'll start opening new venues in place of the out of business sites, but even that's a win, as that means more jobs. Though I guess we should be careful what we wish for, as so many places are having trouble staffing and getting people go to back to work.