TV Restaurants

Is The Tailgate Still Open? Bar Rescue Update (Santa Clarita, CA)

Open reported

As of September 2026, The Tailgate is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Primary source
realitytvupdates.com ·
Secondary source
Facebook ·

Last verified

What the source shows: Tracker review, current as of January 2024, documents continued operation under new ownership since a 2015 sale, citing an active Facebook events page; not independently confirmed for 2026.

  • Season / episode Season 3, Episode 35
  • Original air date
  • Address 26891 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91350
  • Current name The Shot Exchange

Interactive map — loads when you ask for it.

Everything on this map is also in the list below.

© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO

What happened after Bar Rescue?

On the "Grow Some Meatballs!!" episode of Bar Rescue (aired April 6, 2014), Jon Taffer visited The Tailgate, a family-run bar in Santa Clarita, California that siblings Mike and Diane Miller had owned since 2003, with their father, known as Pops, working as manager alongside extended family members. Recon visits found a partially lit exterior sign, unsafe food-handling practices including a cutting board used for both cash and raw ingredients, and menu language that had drawn customer complaints for being sexually explicit. Family tension among the owners and staff, centered on relatives Robert and Christine, whose performance and conduct were cited as central problems, had built up alongside the bar's mounting debt. During the relaunch's stress test, a grease fire broke out in the kitchen, forcing a temporary shutdown of service; the incident was traced to Robert, who was let go from the bar as a result. Taffer brought in mixologist Phil Wills and chef Brendan Collins to retrain the kitchen and bar staff, renovated the space within roughly thirty-six hours, and rebranded the bar as The Shot Exchange with a revised menu. In a local radio interview after the episode aired, co-owner Diane Miller said the renovation removed longstanding sports memorabilia the family had been attached to, but that the new look ultimately won them over. Mike and Diane sold the bar in 2015, about a year after the broadcast, thanking customers and staff in a public social media post at the time of the sale. According to a 2024 status review, The Shot Exchange has continued operating under new ownership at 26891 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA, keeping the name and general concept introduced during the Bar Rescue relaunch, with customer ratings in the middle range on both Yelp and Google as of that review, several years after the ownership change.

Featured on Bar Rescue

Season / episode
Season 3, Episode 35
Original air date
Episode title
Grow Some Meatballs!!
What was featured
Family-run bar's internal conflict and kitchen fire; rebrand to The Shot Exchange
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
The Tailgate

Frequently asked questions

Is The Tailgate still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, The Tailgate is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What happened to The Tailgate after Bar Rescue?

On the "Grow Some Meatballs!!" episode of Bar Rescue (aired April 6, 2014), Jon Taffer visited The Tailgate, a family-run bar in Santa Clarita, California that siblings Mike and Diane Miller had owned since 2003, with their father, known as Pops, working as manager alongside extended family members. As of September 2026, The Tailgate is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What is The Tailgate called now?

Now: The Shot Exchange (formerly The Tailgate). As of September 2026, The Tailgate is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

Where is The Tailgate located?

26891 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91350. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Bar Rescue featured The Tailgate?

Season 3, Episode 35 of Bar Rescue, first aired April 6, 2014. The episode is titled “Grow Some Meatballs!!”.

Did the makeover last at The Tailgate?

The episode first aired April 6, 2014. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 12 years later —: As of September 2026, The Tailgate is listed open on realitytvupdates.com, reviewed by our team on September 7, 2026; not yet independently confirmed through direct contact.

What do reviews say since Bar Rescue?

According to a 2024 status review, The Shot Exchange has continued operating under new ownership at 26891 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA, keeping the name and general concept introduced during the Bar Rescue relaunch, with customer ratings in the middle range on both Yelp and Google as of that review, several years after the ownership change. We summarise what dated sources report; we do not publish our own rating.

Is The Tailgate still using the Bar Rescue menu or branding?

Recon visits found a partially lit exterior sign, unsafe food-handling practices including a cutting board used for both cash and raw ingredients, and menu language that had drawn customer complaints for being sexually explicit. 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.

More from Bar Rescue

Every Bar Rescue restaurant we track

Other TV restaurants in California

All California locations

Nearest tracked restaurants

Visit info

Address
26891 Bouquet Canyon Rd, Santa Clarita, CA 91350
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

See something wrong?

We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.

See something wrong? Tell us →

Share this page

Record br-055 · last verified .