Last Call: Idaho Bar Featured on Popular TV Show Is Closing Soon

People living in the Treasure Valley had some gripes about this place, but after it appeared on Bar Rescue, this bar got review bombed by people who had never heard of Meridian, Idaho before. 

It was about this time last year that Jon Taffer and his team rolled into the Treasure Valley to help some bars that had potential, but not necessarily the know-how to make their business succeed. Things went really well at the newly renamed Country Barn Corner Bar & Cafe in Horseshoe Bend, which now has a 4.3 star rating with over 500 reviews, Bullseye Sports Bar (the former Strikers) in Meridian and Dave’s Firehouse in Nampa, which continues to innovate and ask customers what new things they’d like to see. 

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We can’t say the same from The Hideaway Bar and Grill. In case you missed the episode, we’ll try to give you the “Cliffnotes” version. Once upon a time, the Hideaway was Harry’s Hideaway located where Biscuit & Hogs is today. The business eventually outgrew the location and the owner, who had a background in construction, decided to build a new building closer to the Majestic Theater. 

While business was great at first, things started to slow down enough for the bar to be considered for Bar Rescue. They got on the show and Taffer hated the layout of that newer location. (Although, we can’t help but point out that while he pointed out everything wrong with the layout, they never showed one of the best parts of the building…the rooftop patio.) 

The bar had issues that you’ve seen on other episodes. Dirty dishes. Food that was too dry. Lots of employee turnover. Accusations that the owner had a drinking problem. Taffer tried to get to the bottom of the last two and when no one wanted to be straightforward, he took his crew and left without rescuing the bar. It was just the fourth time in eight seasons of Bar Rescue that he walked out. 

What the show didn’t show you is that the owner had been trying to sell the bar so that he could retire and enjoy more travel time. It would also give his girlfriend, who helped manage the bar, a chance to focus on her health. During the show, she revealed that she was about to have a surgery that would take her away from the business for two months. The show didn’t tell you that she’s also a two-time cancer survivor, so this is a good thing all around.

We noticed the bar, which was listed for $2,725,000, had a pending offer right after the episode aired. Months went by, but now the bar has announced that they have officially been sold. The post reads: 

“Thanks to all our wonderful customers over the years the Hideaway has been sold our last day is July 30th so come by and say goodbye it’s been 11 great years but it’s time to hang up our hat and move on to retirement”

 

They didn’t make any mention of who bought it or what it would become. Public records still list “Fulbright Investments LLC” as the owner. When we know more, we’ll tell you more but for now, The Hideaway is the first of the Boise area Bar Rescue establishments to close. 

But they’re not the first Idaho restaurant that was on TV to close. Here are some others that didn’t make it after their 15 minutes of fame.