What Happened to Rocky Point Cantina After Bar Rescue? (Tempe, AZ)

Rocky Point Cantina operated near Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, under owners Francis and Mary Massimiano, who had purchased the bar in 2010 for their sons Scott and Jason to run, according to the episode and Phoenix New Times' coverage of the visit. By the time Bar Rescue arrived, Scott -- who had no previous bar-management experience -- was losing over $10,000 a month, the family was carrying roughly $1.5 million in debt, and a heavy-metal concert booking strategy meant to draw college students had instead driven away other customers. Jon Taffer's team found the kitchen and bathrooms heavily soiled, chicken stored unwrapped and undated on a prep counter, and a live band whose volume made ordinary bar service impossible.

As part of the rescue, chef Tiffany Derry retrained the kitchen on food-safety basics and a new Mexican-themed menu, and mixologist Russell Davis introduced university-oriented drink options; an outside bar manager, Steve Lynch, was brought in temporarily to mentor Scott. Physically, the bar was renamed from Rocky Point Cantina to Havana Cabana Bar and Grill, with new decor built around a pre-revolutionary Cuba concept. The rebrand did not last. Phoenix New Times reported in October 2013 -- before the episode had even aired -- that the renamed bar had already closed, and that patrons had already seen a return to hard-rock programming and the original Rocky Point Cantina name within weeks of filming.

The outlet traced the shutdown to permitting problems: renovation work done during production, including exterior painting, had not gone through the City of Tempe's permit process, and the resulting scrutiny also invalidated the bar's live-entertainment permit once its name changed, forcing cancellation of already-booked concerts. Reality TV Updates reports the Massimiano family ultimately could not afford the code-compliance repairs the situation required and closed the business for good. The original building was later demolished; a mixed-use apartment and retail development called Valor on Eighth, which set aside a majority of its units for low-income residents with preference for veterans, was built on the site starting in 2016, according to Reality TV Updates.