TV Restaurants

What Happened to BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint After Bar Rescue?

Closed verified

As of September 2026, BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint has closed — confirmed via usatoday.com, December 17, 2013.

Primary source
usatoday.com ·
Secondary source
tennessean.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: National news coverage confirms the bar closed in November 2013 following a fatal shooting involving co-owner Chris Ferrell, an event unrelated to the show's operational rescue; Ferrell was later convicted and sentenced.

  • Season / episode Season 3, Episode 28
  • Original air date
  • Address 515 2nd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37210
  • Current name Pit and Barrel

Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.

Everything on this map is also in the list below.

© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO

What happened after Bar Rescue?

On the "Music City Mess" episode of Bar Rescue, filmed for broadcast in November 2013, Jon Taffer visited BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint in Nashville, Tennessee, owned by Chris Ferrell, who had borrowed roughly $100,000 from his parents to open the barbecue-and-bar concept. Recon visits found slow, disorganized kitchen service, refrigeration that was not holding food at a safe temperature, and repeated conflict between Ferrell and his staff, including incidents in which he raised his voice at employees within earshot of customers. Taffer brought in a mixologist and a barbecue chef to retrain the kitchen on food safety and a simplified menu, and had the bar's seating reworked to fit a country-and-barbecue identity, adding outdoor seating. Following a stress test that again showed slow ticket times and staff conflict, Taffer confronted Ferrell about his management style before proceeding with the relaunch. For the makeover, the bar was renamed Pit and Barrel, with new bar stools, a point-of-sale system, and additional outdoor seating. At a six-week follow-up, producers reported a 29% increase in sales, which Ferrell used to begin repaying his parents' loan. The bar closed in November 2013, according to national outlets including USA Today and The Tennessean, which reported that co-owner Chris Ferrell was involved in a fatal shooting at the bar involving country singer Wayne Mills that same month, an event unrelated to the operational issues addressed on the show; Ferrell was convicted of second-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced the same year. Because the shooting closely preceded the episode's scheduled broadcast, the network initially substituted a rerun before airing the Pit and Barrel episode in a later time slot. The Pit and Barrel building was demolished in 2016, and the site at 515 2nd Ave S, Nashville, has been vacant land or a parking area since, with no bar operating at the address in subsequent years.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 3, Episode 28
Original air date
Episode title
Music City Mess
What was featured
BBQ bar's kitchen and management issues; rebrand to Pit and Barrel
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint

Frequently asked questions

Is BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint has closed — confirmed via usatoday.com, December 17, 2013.

What happened to BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint after Bar Rescue?

On the "Music City Mess" episode of Bar Rescue, filmed for broadcast in November 2013, Jon Taffer visited BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint in Nashville, Tennessee, owned by Chris Ferrell, who had borrowed roughly $100,000 from his parents to open the barbecue-and-bar concept. As of September 2026, BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint has closed — confirmed via usatoday.com, December 17, 2013.

Is BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint permanently closed?

As of September 2026, BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint has closed — confirmed via usatoday.com, December 17, 2013. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

What is BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint called now?

Now: Pit and Barrel (formerly BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint). As of September 2026, BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint has closed — confirmed via usatoday.com, December 17, 2013.

Where is BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint located?

515 2nd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37210. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint?

Season 3, Episode 28 of Bar Rescue, first aired November 25, 2013. The episode is titled “Music City Mess”.

Did the makeover last at BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint?

The episode first aired November 25, 2013. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 13 years later —: As of September 2026, BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint has closed — confirmed via usatoday.com, December 17, 2013.

Is BoondoxXx BBQ & Juke Joint still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?

Taffer brought in a mixologist and a barbecue chef to retrain the kitchen on food safety and a simplified menu, and had the bar's seating reworked to fit a country-and-barbecue identity, adding outdoor seating. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

More from Bar Rescue

Every Bar Rescue restaurant we track

Other TV restaurants in Tennessee

  • 400 Degrees Hot Chicken

    Nashville, TN

    Food Paradise

    Open reported Checked

  • 5th & Taylor

    Nashville, TN

    Food Paradise

    Open verified Checked

  • Adele's

    Nashville, TN

    Best Thing I Ever Ate

    Open verified Checked

  • Arnold's Country Kitchen

    Nashville, TN

    Best Thing I Ever Ate · Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives · Man v. Food

    Closed verified Checked

  • Athens Family Restaurant

    Nashville, TN

    Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

    Closed verified Checked

  • Belcourt Taps

    Nashville, TN

    Mystery Diners

    Closed verified Checked

All Tennessee locations

Nearest tracked restaurants

Visit info

Address
515 2nd Ave S, Nashville, TN 37210
Venue type
bar
Official website
None found

Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources

  • realitytvupdates.com — https://realitytvupdates.com/bar-rescue/pit-and-barrel-boondoxxx-bbq/
  • usatoday.com — https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2013/12/17/country-singer-killed/4049361/
  • tennessean.com — https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2015/04/24/man-gets-years-musicians-murder/26307571/
  • hollywoodreporter.com — https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/spike-tv-apologizes-airing-bar-659861/

See something wrong?

We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.

See something wrong? Tell us →

Share this page

Record br-048 · last verified .