Jon Taffer

“Putting somebody else in crisis mode and causing them to make quicker decisions, urgent decisions, rather than prolonged, more logical decisions can be very advantageous. So, to be successful in business, you have to understand the power of confrontation and how to use it correctly.”

“Eating something with someone is the second most sensual and intimate thing you can do in life. The experience can't just be about consumption.”

“I have no personal or professional regrets. I really don't.”

“Bars need to be conceived and built for the local audience, not the personal tastes of the owner. Huge mistakes are made with regard to market research and concepts. Research and capital are paramount!”

“Failure is an awful thing, and when I look at the common denominator of failure, it seems to always be the same thing: excuses.”

“Bars can't be everything to everyone. They must be everything to someone.”

“I'm a businessman, not a bartender.”

“One of my first bartending gigs was on Santa Monica Boulevard at Doug Weston's Troubadour, a very famous live music venue.”

“People connect to a good bar very personally.”

“If you have to signal a bartender to get a drink, then they're not looking at you, which is their problem. They're not doing their job. So don't feel rude when you signal a bartender. They're the ones who caused you to signal them. Go for it.”

“On 'Bar Rescue,' failure is not an option. I have to try to turn the business around.”

“When I was running the Troubadour, there was this transition from the classic singer/songwriter Jackson Browne types to bands like Black Flag, the Dead Kennedys, and Fear. Those are just some that come to mind. Oh, and Adam Ant! The Fear fans wanted to 'crush' the Ants. These guys hated each other.”

“A plate of food hits the table, lands right in front of you. One of two things happens. Either you sit up and look at it and react to it, or nothing happens. If nothing happens then that restaurant is stuck in mediocrity forever.”

“Rarely does a congressman stand up and defend a liquor company. Rarely does a congressman stand up and defend a bar.”

“I think success is a relative term. If you're a caveman, success is capturing an elephant. Success is achieving better than the norm. Success is being exceptional. It's exceptional reputation, exceptional income, and exceptional respect.”

“Make no mistake: confrontation is unavoidable in business.”

“I'm a really happy guy. I have a great career, a wonderful wife and family.”

“When my company does a good job, we make people happy. They laugh, they smile, they have a good time - that's what we do for a living. Any business doing that is making a noble effort.”

“You can tell within a second of entering a bar if it's a place you should spend your time.”

“When I'm angry on TV, I'm actually not. I'm manipulating you as an owner.”