TV Restaurants

What Happened to Dirty Rooster After Bar Rescue? (Antioch, IL)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Dirty Rooster has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, March 25, 2016.

Primary source
barrescueupdates.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The bar's owner, Robert Hoffman, said in his own Facebook post (quoted by Bar Rescue Updates) that the business closed at the end of 2015 amid a lawsuit from a former business partner and a state tax assessment tied to on-air alcohol giveaways.

  • Season / episode Season 4, Episode 8
  • Original air date
  • Address 25855 W State Route 173, Antioch, IL 60002

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What happened after Bar Rescue?

Dirty Rooster was a lakeside bar in Antioch, Illinois, on the Chain O'Lakes, run by owner Robert "Rob" Hoffman when Bar Rescue's crew visited for "Swinging from the Rafters" (aired November 23, 2014). Before the rescue, Hoffman was more than $110,000 in debt and had developed a drinking problem of his own, at one point selling liquor for as little as one to two dollars a pour and consuming a significant share of the bar's own product. His staff had lost respect for him, and his investors were in open conflict over the bar's direction and their investment. Jon Taffer's team worked with Hoffman on the debt, his drinking, and the friction with his partners, and renamed the bar Lake Marie Lodge as part of the makeover, along with new furniture, decor, and inventory. By the end of the episode, Hoffman had reconciled with his partners, staff, and himself, and the show reported food and beverage sales up 70 percent six weeks after Taffer's visit, with Hoffman said to be operating the business sober. Lake Marie Lodge kept elements of both names for a period afterward, with its website and Facebook page referencing the original Dirty Rooster branding alongside the new one, before the business ultimately reverted fully to calling itself The Dirty Rooster. The bar closed at the end of 2015, about a year after the episode aired. Per Hoffman's early-2016 Facebook post, as relayed by the tracker Bar Rescue Updates (unverified), a lawsuit from a former business partner over roughly $125,000, combined with a state tax assessment tied to on-air alcohol giveaways that he said cost him around $12,000, had contributed to the closure. Hoffman said in the same post that he was selling off the bar's equipment, including the point-of-sale system Bar Rescue had provided, after paying to have it inventoried and placed into storage during the ongoing legal dispute. No reporting has surfaced since indicating the bar reopened under new ownership at the Route 173 location.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 4, Episode 8
Original air date
Episode title
Swinging from the Rafters
What was featured
rescue of a debt-laden lakeside bar and its owner's drinking problem
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Dirty Rooster

Frequently asked questions

Is Dirty Rooster still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Dirty Rooster has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, March 25, 2016.

What happened to Dirty Rooster after Bar Rescue?

Dirty Rooster was a lakeside bar in Antioch, Illinois, on the Chain O'Lakes, run by owner Robert "Rob" Hoffman when Bar Rescue's crew visited for "Swinging from the Rafters" (aired November 23, 2014). As of September 2026, Dirty Rooster has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, March 25, 2016.

Is Dirty Rooster permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Dirty Rooster has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, March 25, 2016. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Dirty Rooster located?

25855 W State Route 173, Antioch, IL 60002. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured Dirty Rooster?

Season 4, Episode 8 of Bar Rescue, first aired November 23, 2014. The episode is titled “Swinging from the Rafters”.

Did the makeover last at Dirty Rooster?

The episode first aired November 23, 2014. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 12 years later —: As of September 2026, Dirty Rooster has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, March 25, 2016.

Is Dirty Rooster still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?

Lake Marie Lodge kept elements of both names for a period afterward, with its website and Facebook page referencing the original Dirty Rooster branding alongside the new one, before the business ultimately reverted fully to calling itself The Dirty Rooster. 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.

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Visit info

Address
25855 W State Route 173, Antioch, IL 60002
Venue type
bar
Official website
None found

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