What Happened to Murphy's Law Irish Pub After Bar Rescue? (Reno, NV)

Murphy's Law Irish Pub in Reno, Nevada was opened in 2014 by Gary Telfer, a former airline pilot, along with his then-girlfriend Maria and bartender-investor Mark "Nellie" Nelson. On the episode "Emergency Exit" (aired 2015-07-05), the bar was shown struggling to read as an Irish pub at all: its signage used green, white and red rather than the traditional green, white and orange, the space felt large rather than intimate, and its kitchen had wood surfaces and walls that Bar Rescue's team said posed a fire hazard under code. The show's producers noted that Telfer had personally invested $165,000 and Nelson $25,000 to open the bar, while Maria held an equal ownership share without a matching financial contribution, a structure host Jon Taffer highlighted as a source of tension.

Telfer and Maria were shown spending time at the bar without helping Nelson during busy shifts, which the show's team said contributed to strain among the three partners. As part of the rescue, the kitchen was rebuilt with fire-resistant paneling to replace the wood surfaces, and the bar's seating was expanded from 27 to 60 stools to increase revenue capacity. The location was renamed Money Bar, styled after Reno's post-Prohibition 1930s casino era. Six weeks after the relaunch, food and beverage sales were reported up 20 percent, and Nelson said he was repaying the loan he had received from his mother to invest in the business.

The name reverted to Murphy's Law Irish Pub before the "Emergency Exit" episode aired. The bar continued operating under the Murphy's Law name at 180 West Peckham Lane for a number of years afterward. A Yelp listing for the address lists Murphy's Law Irish Pub as permanently closed, with the listing showing an update dated September 2026, indicating the business is no longer operating from that location.