TV Restaurants

What Happened to Freaki Tiki After Bar Rescue? (Clearwater, FL)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Freaki Tiki has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.

Primary source
Yelp ·
Secondary source
barrescueupdates.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Yelp's Frankie T's Dive Bar listing at 28778 US-19, updated August 2026, is marked CLOSED; Bar Rescue Updates reported the location closed in February 2017.

  • Season / episode Season 4, Episode 48
  • Original air date
  • Address 28778 US Hwy 19 N, Clearwater, FL 33761
  • Current name Frankie T's

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What happened after Bar Rescue?

Freaki Tiki was a tiki-themed bar on US Highway 19 in Clearwater, Florida. In the episode "Getting Freaki at the Tiki," Jon Taffer's team documented a significant pest problem inside the building, including rodents, insects, and raccoons getting into the space, alongside a kitchen and bar area that had fallen into disrepair. The tiki concept had not been enough to overcome the underlying facility problems, and the bar's standing in the surrounding area had suffered as a result.

The rescue team addressed the facility issues directly, including pest remediation and equipment repairs, and moved the concept away from tiki decor toward a more conventional sports-bar format. The bar was renamed Frankie T's, with new signage, televisions, and a menu built around typical sports-bar fare rather than the tropical drinks program it had featured as Freaki Tiki.

The new concept did not sustain the location for long. According to Bar Rescue Updates, Frankie T's closed in February 2017, less than a year after the episode aired, ending the location's run under either name. A Yelp listing later associated with a business called Frankie T's Dive Bar at the same 28778 US Highway 19 address, updated August 2026, still shows the location marked closed, with the listing noting the space had operated under one name or another for roughly nine years by the time it shut down. According to Reality TV Updates, the location's status remained closed in the years following the rescue, with no indication of a further relaunch at the address.

The episode's on-air resolution centered on cleaning up the physical space and shifting away from a niche tiki theme that Taffer argued was not connecting with the surrounding neighborhood's customer base. That read on the concept's prospects was the host's assessment at the time, not an independent finding, and the bar's closure roughly ten months later followed regardless of the format change.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 4, Episode 48
Original air date
Episode title
Getting Freaki at the Tiki
What was featured
Severe pest infestation; tiki bar relaunched as sports bar Frankie T's
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Freaki Tiki

Frequently asked questions

Is Freaki Tiki still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Freaki Tiki has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.

What happened to Freaki Tiki after Bar Rescue?

Freaki Tiki was a tiki-themed bar on US Highway 19 in Clearwater, Florida. As of September 2026, Freaki Tiki has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.

Is Freaki Tiki permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Freaki Tiki has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

What is Freaki Tiki called now?

Now: Frankie T's (formerly Freaki Tiki). As of September 2026, Freaki Tiki has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.

Where is Freaki Tiki located?

28778 US Hwy 19 N, Clearwater, FL 33761. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured Freaki Tiki?

Season 4, Episode 48 of Bar Rescue, first aired April 10, 2016. The episode is titled “Getting Freaki at the Tiki”.

Did the makeover last at Freaki Tiki?

The episode first aired April 10, 2016. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 10 years later —: As of September 2026, Freaki Tiki has closed — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.

Is Freaki Tiki still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?

The bar was renamed Frankie T's, with new signage, televisions, and a menu built around typical sports-bar fare rather than the tropical drinks program it had featured as Freaki Tiki. 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
28778 US Hwy 19 N, Clearwater, FL 33761
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

  • barrescueupdates.com — https://www.barrescueupdates.com/2017/02/frankie-ts-freaki-tiki-from-bar-rescue-closed.html
  • Yelp — https://www.yelp.com/biz/frankie-ts-dive-bar-clearwater
  • realitytvupdates.com — https://realitytvupdates.com/bar-rescue/freaki-tikis-frankie-ts/

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