What Happened to Oasis Hookah Bar After Bar Rescue? (Omaha, NE)

Oasis Hookah Bar in Omaha, Nebraska, appeared in the April 27, 2014 episode "I Smell A Rat." Owner Jesse Hill had opened the lounge with his full $50,000 in savings and initially built a following among younger patrons, but recon visits found a bar in poor condition: a house drink neither servers nor bartenders could describe, a heavily soiled hookah pipe, and, during a facility inspection, evidence of rodents and mold in storage and prep areas -- the source of the episode's title. Hill had grown disengaged from daily operations, and the bar carried more than $100,000 in debt.

Staff identified manager Corrie as ineffective and recommended bartender Brandon take on more responsibility, a change the rescue team implemented. The rescue team concluded that a hookah-only concept had limited room to grow in the market and pushed the bar toward a full-service cocktail program with a North African-inspired theme, renaming the business Taza Nightclub. Mixologist Russell Davis and a chef consultant retrained staff on drink and food service respectively. Owner Hill resisted fully abandoning the hookah concept even as the relaunch proceeded. After the visit, alcohol sales were reported up roughly 30%, but ownership gradually restored hookah service and, within about two years, dropped the Taza Nightclub name, first merging it with the original as Taza Hookah Lounge and later reverting close to the pre-rescue identity as Oasis Hookah Lounge.

In December 2016, Omaha's City Council declined to recommend renewal of the business's liquor license, according to KETV, citing the volume of police calls, unpaid taxes, and concerns about cigarette sales at the location. The business's own Facebook page announced its closing in February 2017, thanking customers, staff, and DJs for what it described as six and a half years in business. In the years since, the former address has been occupied by an unrelated axe-throwing business.