Episode #089: Jon Taffer

Jon Taffer is a highly-reputed Entertainer, Entrepreneur, Consultant, and Thought Leader with more than 35 years of success in the entertainment, hospitality, and nightlife industries. Leveraging extensive global experience with powerhouse brands and award-winning ventures, Jon is a valuable asset for companies seeking guidance on transformation, training programs, and “reaction management strategy.” His broad areas of expertise include product and brand recognition, merchandising promotions, customer acquisition, product marketing, go-to-market strategy, television, and public speaking.

Starring as the host and Executive Producer of Bar Rescue on Paramount Network, currently in its sixth season, Jon has led the show to account for nearly 30% of the networks total programming minutes, bringing in over $40M national advertising dollars in 2016 alone. Bar Rescue is a non-scripted reality show that spotlights Jon as he saves failing bars from looming closure, utilizing his four decades of unprecedented industry experience and trademarked Reaction Management strategy to consult on everything from menu design to cost management; the show is on track to exceed 170 episodes in 2018. Concurrently, Jon runs Taffer Virtual Teaching, his digital teaching platform, and Taffer Dynamics, his business consulting firm. Over the years, he has consulted for a range of well-known brands, including the NFL Network, Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Hyatt Hotels, Marriott Hotels, Holiday Inn Hotels, Sheraton Hotels, Intercontinental Hotels, Peninsula Hotels, TGI Fridays, Buffalo Wild Wings, Famous Dave’s Barbecue, Wolfgang Puck Express, Anheuser-Bush and the N9NE Steakhouse at Palms Casino Resort. Jon has been featured in numerous international publications such as Forbes Magazine, Entrepreneur, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times, among other prominent media outlets. He has appeared as a guest on shows ranging from Rachael Ray to Jimmy Kimmel Live to Good Morning America and continues regular appearances on Varney & Co. with Stuart Varney on the Fox Business News, and as a guest on many other major news networks.

A coveted keynote speaker, Jon is one of only six inductees into the Nightclub Hall of Fame; was the only American to be named “Pub Master,” in the UK, and in 2017, he received the first-ever “Dom Perignon Award of Excellence” from the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jon also received the TGI Fridays Propeller Award in 2014 for his contributions to the brand.

Jon holds a position on the Board of Directors for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, the Kansas City Blues, and as a Strategic Advisor to the National Restaurant Association. In addition, Jon is the author of the best-selling book Raise the Bar: An Action-Based Method for Maximum Customer Reaction and his new book Don’t Bulls*t Yourself, a book that stomps on the excuses holding people back from their own success in life and business.

Jon currently resides in Las Vegas with his wife Nicole, and his dogs Moxie and Winston.