Big Mike's in Denham Springs got help from 'Bar Rescue's' Jon Taffer

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"It's particularly rewarding to help a winner," Jon Taffer, host of Spike's "Bar Rescue," says.

In Taffer's TV series, the veteran bar consultant usually attempts to assist operators of fledgling watering holes around the country to revamp, redesign, and hopefully revive their failing ventures.

But Mike and Jocelyn O'Neal are different. The couple had a thriving restaurant/bar, Big Mike's Sports Bar & Grill in Denham Springs, until the August flood happened.

"It wasn't a failing business. They did everything right," Taffer says.

Sixty-four inches of floodwater later, the rented building, all of the equipment, the supplies, and more than $10,000 worth of food and product, were ruined.

"It was basically a total loss on the inside. It was down to exterior walls, two-by-four studs inside, and part of the ceiling," Mike O'Neal says, adding that although they had insurance coverage on the contents, it didn't include flood events.

Two weeks after the flood, Emily Ashford, one of the O'Neals' crew members and friend, ran an idea by the couple: contacting "Bar Rescue."

That the O'Neals were already fans of the show is what made Ashford think of them, Mike O'Neal says.

"They (40 staff members) say that I'm kind of like Jon Taffer," he says. "I have a tendency to raise my voice, and I would always make comments like, 'Jon Taffer wouldn't like that; Jon Taffer wouldn't do it like that,' so a lot of my staff knew I was a big fan of the show and that my wife is a big fan of the show."

According to Taffer, Ashford's subsequent Twitter post caught the eye of another bar owner to the southeast.

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The O'Neals returned to their restaurant that Sunday night and were promptly blindfolded. As last-minute details were completed inside, about 500 people (another "Bar Rescue" record) gathered outside, signing TV release forms, visiting with friends they hadn't seen during the 10 weeks Big Mike's was closed, and all waiting for the big reveal.

"The outpouring from the community, our friends and family, it was just unreal for them to be here that late at night, supporting us, waiting for hours to get in," Jocelyn O'Neal says. "Overall, it was just so emotional and such a great experience. And not to mention the makeover they did inside. When we came back, it was a beautiful business, and it was ours."

Taffer was careful not to change everything, he says.

He didn't want to change the sign or the logo because it's successful. He also retained the existing menu featuring seafood, steaks, burgers and more, but added five new dishes.

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Meanwhile, Taffer, a New Yorker, was taken by the spirit of the people.

"This is a remarkable community. Nobody says no. The people in Louisiana are wonderful. It's sort of a culture of kindness if you will."

More than 150 patrons are expected for Sunday night's watch party, as "Bar Rescue's" Big Mike's episode airs at 9 p.m. (cable Channel 41). There will be live music before the show.

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