Loud & Aggressive w/ Jon Taffer!

Summary

DOPE AS USUAL Podcast

Episode: "Loud & Aggressive w/ Jon Taffer!" (March 4, 2026)

Hosts: Thomas "Thomas Dope" Araujo & Marty O'Neill
Guest: Jon Taffer (Entrepreneur, Bar Rescue Host, Author)

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Overview

This episode features legendary hospitality guru Jon Taffer, known primarily for hosting "Bar Rescue." The discussion moves from Taffer's business innovations (including the NFL Sunday Ticket), shifts in drinking culture, and the evolution of nightlife, to the hard realities of small business ownership, Vegas economics, and the cannabis industry. The tone is candid, insightful, and peppered with Taffer’s signature no-BS, high-energy style.

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Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. The Weight of "Bar Rescue" and Taffer’s Aggressiveness

• Taffer explains the emotional gravity of "Bar Rescue"—he’s often not just rescuing bars, but entire families who have staked everything (00:00, 17:00).
  • Quote: “Imagine this, you're 50 years old, you take a half a million dollars from your parents...and you still fuck it up, open a bar...now their house is on the line, bruh. So...I think I'm rescuing a bar, suddenly I'm rescuing a house, I'm rescuing a family.” – Jon Taffer (00:00)
  • Quote: "That's why I'm so aggressive...I'm fighting for them, not against [them]." – Jon Taffer (17:53)

2. Jon Taffer’s Origin Story & The NFL Sunday Ticket

• The origin of the NFL Sunday Ticket: Taffer, originally a top sports bar operator, designed the business model and pitched it to the NFL (01:52–03:55).
  • He describes how advances in satellite compression changed the market.
  • Quote: “We designed the product...gave that to them...NFL said, ‘This is great, let's do it ourselves.’ Put me on a board and it became NFL Sunday Ticket.” – Jon Taffer (03:13)

3. State of Nightlife & Drinking (Then and Now)

• The death of mega-clubs and the shift in nightlife is attributed to changes in popular music and generational tastes (04:14–06:11).
  • The intertwining of “pop” and “gang” music affects nightclub clienteles.
  • Alcohol use is down; Taffer ties this partially to the rise of cannabis.
  • Quote: “Everything's down. Alcoholic seltzers are down, beer is down, wine is down…It'll come back. It always does.” – Jon Taffer (05:53)
  • Quote: "Cannabis has had an impact on it…and it's not a social drug. You do cannabis at home now." – Jon Taffer (06:13)

4. Pandemic Effects on Hospitality & Social Habits

• The pandemic’s impact on younger people's socialization: missed formative years in cafes/bars (07:03)
  • The lasting effect is increased isolation.
  • Quote: “That whole social interaction thing just completely fucking stopped…I think we’re feeling the impact...” – Jon Taffer (07:06)

5. Bar Trends: Local Over Nightclubs

• While nightclubs decline, cozy local bars (“Cheers” style) retain their importance as social hubs (08:25–08:39).
  • The trend is global, not just American; European bars are packed, but clubs aren’t (08:42–08:54).

6. Cannabis Industry & Culture

• Cannabis is not just for the young—older generations are leading consumers (09:44).
  • Quote: “My generation created this shit. We invented this stuff, guys…You think it's a young demo. But it's not.” – Jon Taffer (09:44)
  • Discussion of the evolving cannabis-bar intersection and the growing normalization of cannabis.

7. Brown-Buttered Bourbon & Taffer's Creation Process

• Taffer walks through the accidental invention of his brown-buttered bourbon; a taste test follows with enthusiastic reactions (10:55–14:29).
  • Quote: “Best fucking bourbon you've ever had…brown butter bourbon was born.” – Jon Taffer (11:08)
  • Quote: “Tastes like a butterscotch candy, damn near.” – Thomas Dope (13:14)

8. Business Philosophy & Book Wisdom

• Three books: “Don’t Bullshit Yourself,” “Raise the Bar,” “The Power of Conflict.”
  • Core lessons: Manage reactions, no excuses, and use constructive conflict (14:42–31:04).
  • Quote: "Every failing business is a failing owner." – Jon Taffer (16:01)
  • Quote: "We are in the business of creating reactions...the podcast that creates the greatest reactions, wins, man.” – Jon Taffer (28:22)

9. Bar Rescue – Behind the Glass

• Taffer touches on the friction with stubborn owners, why egos are the downfall, and the emotional payoff when they change (15:12–17:48).

10. Vegas Economics: Raiders, Golden Knights, & The Sphere

• Critique of Raiders' business incentives vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights’ success (18:46–21:10).
  • Vegas is now a monopoly, with high prices driving down tourism (22:02–22:38).
  • Quote: "When you pay $26 for a bottle of water in a guest room, that's a little cost prohibitive." – Jon Taffer (21:57)
  • On The Sphere: technologically stunning, but a financial black hole so far (24:26–25:17).

11. Travel as Personal Growth

• Taffer stresses that travel is the greatest investment in oneself (25:23–26:35).
  • Quote: "Travel...the experiences, the lessons, the memories, it's the greatest investment you can ever make in yourself." – Jon Taffer (25:23)

12. Lessons and Advice: Pitching & Differentiation

• On pitching: use a “big fat claim” to grab attention and frame your product with emotion and tension (32:22–33:03).
  • Quote: "Start with a big fat claim...creates the curiosity and the desire to move forward." – Jon Taffer (32:22)
• On dispensaries: most lack merchandising or brand identity; relevancy and experience are the winning differentiators (34:21–37:19).
  • Quote: “Why is one cannabis dispensary better than another?...If you can't create that difference, then you're never going to erode that competitor.” – Jon Taffer (35:13)
  • Quote: “Have a boutique brand, man. I really hope everything to someone, not everything to everyone.” – Jon Taffer (37:09)

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Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• [00:00] – "Imagine this, you're 50 years old, you take a half a million dollars from your parents...and you still fuck it up..." – Jon Taffer
• [03:13] – “We designed the product...gave that to them...NFL said, ‘This is great, let's do it ourselves.’ Put me on a board and it became NFL Sunday Ticket.” – Jon Taffer
• [05:53] – “Everything's down. Alcoholic seltzers are down, beer is down, wine is down…It'll come back. It always does.” – Jon Taffer
• [11:08] – “Best fucking bourbon you've ever had…brown butter bourbon was born.” – Jon Taffer
• [13:14] – “Tastes like a butterscotch candy, damn near.” – Thomas Dope
• [16:01] – "Every failing business is a failing owner." – Jon Taffer
• [17:53] – "I'm fighting for them, not against [them]." – Jon Taffer
• [25:23] – “Travel...the experiences, the lessons, the memories, it's the greatest investment you can ever make in yourself.” – Jon Taffer
• [28:22] – "We are in the business of creating reactions...the podcast that creates the greatest reactions, wins, man.” – Jon Taffer
• [32:22] – "Start with a big fat claim...creates the curiosity and the desire to move forward." – Jon Taffer
• [35:13] – “Why is one cannabis dispensary better than another?...If you can't create that difference, then you're never going to erode that competitor.” – Jon Taffer
• [37:09] – “Have a boutique brand, man. I really hope everything to someone, not everything to everyone.” – Jon Taffer

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Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–01:50 — Jon Taffer on "Bar Rescue" stakes, aggression, and tough love
• 01:51–03:55 — NFL Sunday Ticket origin story
• 04:14–07:34 — Rise and decline of nightlife, music’s effect, Gen Z drinking habits, pandemic effects
• 08:25–09:44 — Local bars, global bar culture, and the continuing importance of neighborhood spots
• 09:44–10:55 — Cannabis is a cross-generational trend, the new normal
• 10:55–14:29 — The discovery and taste-test of brown-buttered bourbon
• 14:42–17:48 — Taffer’s book philosophy, the psychology of business rescue
• 18:46–22:38 — Las Vegas insights: Sports teams, overpriced hospitality, and tourism trends
• 24:26–25:17 — The Sphere’s innovation vs. business woes
• 25:23–26:35 — The value of travel over material possessions
• 28:02–31:04 — Reaction management: the real product of podcasts and businesses
• 32:22–33:03 — Pitching power: "big fat claim" methodology
• 34:21–37:19 — Cannabis dispensary critique: merchandising, branding, and relevancy

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Tone & Delivery

• Authentic, direct, and occasionally profane—Jon Taffer is unapologetically honest about industry realities, tough love, and business failures.
• The hosts embrace a casual, humorous, and energetic vibe, creating a comfortable environment for Taffer’s deep dives and anecdotes.

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For New Listeners

If you’re curious about the evolution of nightlife, the price of Vegas, or want street-smart advice on business, Jon Taffer brings real-world expertise and usable strategies. Standout moments include the brown-buttered bourbon story (11:00–14:29), Taffer’s take on what really sells in TV and business (32:22–33:03), and his robust prescription for why most businesses—or dispensaries—fail.

If you only have 10 minutes:

• Jump to [11:00–14:29] for the bourbon invention, [32:22–33:03] for Taffer’s “big fat claim” on pitching, and [34:21–37:19] for cannabis business insights.

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Bar Rescue airs Sundays at 10 PM on Paramount & Pluto TV.
Jon Taffer’s bourbon and books are available online and in select states, with expansion coming soon.

Transcript

[John Taffer]

Imagine this, you're 50 years old, you take a half a million dollars from your parents retirement who were in their 70s and you knew it had to be right. And you still it up, open a bar, you're losing all your money. You've now lost your house, you're living in your parents basement. You've wiped out their retirement. And I'll tell you one thing, you take one drink, I'll fire you in front of everyone. And now their house is on the line, bruh. So, you know, I'm dropped into, I think I'm rescuing a bar. Suddenly I'm rescuing a house, I'm rescuing a family. And I'm telling you, you're a piece of. It's deep man. And it's a serious responsibility. So that's why I'm so aggressive. Perfect, Perfect, Perfect, Perfect.

[Thomas Dope]

What's up everybody? Welcome back to the Dope As Usual podcast. My name is Thomas Dope, as you all, whatever you want to call me. And this is my co host, Marty o'. Neal.

[Marty O'Neal]

What's up guys?

[Thomas Dope]

What's up guys? I, we have a very special guest today. A change of pace, something like from pretty much put it this way. We're showing you somebody today as a guest that you already know. And that's a rare, rare for this channel. Please. I guess you would say entrepreneur, businessman, TV host. John Taffer. How you doing?

[John Taffer]

Hey man. Good to be here.

[Thomas Dope]

Thank you for being here.

[John Taffer]

Same here.

[Thomas Dope]

What else am I missing? Because I, I, I've seen you, we've

[John Taffer]

all watched the show.

[Thomas Dope]

Of course, I'm an American. We've seen Bar Rescue. Like we've seen it. You know, I, when I, when I looked you up, I didn't realize how much more you do you have done. It's like watching a movie. Like in Forest Gambler. How many things have you actually done throughout your life?

[John Taffer]

You have done a lot of. Busy guy. Yeah. Very NFL Sunday ticket.

[Thomas Dope]

That's one thing I wanted to tell you. Let's just hop right into it.

[John Taffer]

Okay.

[Thomas Dope]

How does that happen? You're doing. I read it, I read it on everything. You're not in the NFL business. That's not what you're doing. And then you somehow come up with the platform, the idea, pitch it, get it sold and get on the board. Was it for two years, three years. Yeah. Can you please explain that? Because you created a lot of people's, I guess you would say time killers on Sunday. Yeah, it's really. I remember when it came out, what

[John Taffer]

happened was 1993 and I had one sports bar operator of the year. And there was a company called Comsat, and Comsat manages all the satellites in the sky. They do the pay per view movie channels and all that kind of stuff. So they manage the Showtime signals, the HBO signals. They wanted to buy what was called out of market sports programming so you here in L. A Could buy the Dallas Cowboy signal so you'd get the coaches show, and you could buy a cowboy game here in L. A. So they hired my company to do a feasibility study for it. COMSAT did. So we did a feasibility study. We looked at how many bars there was, what they would pay for it, how much value it would be. We got paid a lot of money for that. We gave them our report, about 200 pages, and they came back to us a second time and said, okay, now we understand there's a market for it. What does the product look like? And as we were developing the product, something happened called compression. Years ago, a sports bar had to have six of those big analog dishes. You need like a quarter of an acre behind a bar to show all the games. But what happened in 93 is compression, where one transponder could receive multiple signals. So as we were writing this document creating a product, compression happened. So now I could send you seven, eight games with one satellite dish. Game changer. So we designed the product, we put that whole proposal and everything together, gave that to them. They paid us again, and then they came back a third time and said, okay, who would we sell it to? So we listed all the chains, the Fridays and Angus, and all those people gave it to them. They took my work, brought it to the NFL to buy the license. NFL said, this is great, let's do it ourselves. Put me on a board, and it became NFL Sunday ticket.

[Thomas Dope]

And it's not as easy as that. I know it's not easy as that. But it sounds like everything worked out perfect for you on that one.

[John Taffer]

It was hard work to put it all together.

[Thomas Dope]

That's what I'm saying. Like, nobody sees the behind the scenes. They just go, you created that. Wow. So you said you won bar operator of the year.

[John Taffer]

I've done that, yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

And that's all Property of the year.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

So I. You started with nightclubs in the 70s, correct. So one of the questions I had is kind of like a modern take on it. Nightclubs. I mean, you. You want the celebrities in there, you want that. Is that, Is that kind of dead now?

[John Taffer]

I think to some degree it is. The big mega clubs have died a little bit, but you know, a lot of it is because of music and, and different. And the issues that's happened with music. Candidly, 20, 21 year old girls who you want at your bar. Yeah. Listen to the same music the gang bangers do.

[Thomas Dope]

That's what changed.

[John Taffer]

So if you don't target the gang bangers, you lose the targeting of the women. So it's a real challenge. And I own the only patent ever issued by the federal government for music management and hospitality property. I'm a fucking nutcase about this shit. So I've studied it to the point that if I have a bar filled with gang members, if I play three female vocalist songs in a row twice a night, they're gone in two dogs.

[Thomas Dope]

Yep.

[John Taffer]

So, you know, you understand the science of music programming, but we used to be able to segregate nightclubs. And I don't mean racially, I'm not saying that at all. Just the bad people versus the good people through music that might not get.

[Thomas Dope]

Might shoot you.

[John Taffer]

That's right.

[Thomas Dope]

Get out of my body.

[John Taffer]

We could, we would not play their music. So they go, you play their music. But that, you can't create that delineation anymore.

[Thomas Dope]

Pop culture and pop music is gang music too. Mixed in with like a Bruno Mars and every other song.

[John Taffer]

That's right.

[Thomas Dope]

Talking about or pharmaceuticals or something crazy. I get that because the 80s music, the Cyndi Laupers, the, the stuff that makes you want to dance. Michael Jackson does not play anymore. Unless it's like a retro bar. That's right. Okay, So I can see that because this generation, I looked up, it's like 60% less drinkers in this, 54% in this new generation.

[John Taffer]

Yeah, no, I've seen whiskey go up and down, tequila go up and down, beer, wine go up and down. Everything's down. Alcoholic seltzers are down, beer is down, wine is down. Every alcohol is down. So it's, it's a unique time to see that shift. It'll come back. It always does.

[Thomas Dope]

It always does.

[John Taffer]

But what a pendulum swings.

[Thomas Dope]

What a wild time where it's like, wow, you're not even drinking.

[John Taffer]

And cannabis has had an impact on it. I mean, there's no question cannabis has had an impact on it. And let's face it, guys, cannabis is not a social drug. You do cannabis at home now.

[Thomas Dope]

I think it's changing.

[John Taffer]

It might be changing to some degree, but you know, alcohol is more of a social interaction than cannabis is at this time. So cannabis tends to happen at home. There's not a lot of cannabis bars I can't smoke cannabis in bars, so we haven't blended the two yet. I'm looking forward to that happening.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah, I. Thank you. I'm looking forward to that happening, too. I would go to more bars, but, hey, you're allowed to smoke a joint outside if you feel the need to. Oh, thank you.

[John Taffer]

Just create a little area to smoke.

[Thomas Dope]

I'll have a drink because I just don't like to drink often. I think that's. I'm a different generation. He's 15 years younger than me. I'm 36.

[John Taffer]

Right.

[Thomas Dope]

I have a different outlook. When I was growing up, like, yeah,

[John Taffer]

we're going to the bar.

[Thomas Dope]

Why wouldn't you? Otherwise, where you meet people pre Internet. That's right. You know, I mean, before the bar, it was the chat room.

[John Taffer]

That's right.

[Thomas Dope]

You met new people. And I think people. People are getting more secluded.

[John Taffer]

And I think the pandemic had something to do with that, too. You know, guys, I always say the Starbucks is the training ground for bars. You're 18, 19 years old, you're in college, you're sitting at a little table, you're drinking drinks, you're hanging with people. That social environment, it's sort of setting you up. Now when you become 21, you go to the bar. But none of that happened during the pandemic. That whole social interaction thing just completely fucking stopped. And I think that we're feeling the impact of that in the hospitality business to some degree. Agree.

[Thomas Dope]

Okay, yeah. That was the question.

[John Taffer]

Because people entertain themselves at home very well these days. Easier. Look at doordash, guys. You think doordash would exist before the pandemic, they wouldn't make any money. But today we still.

[Thomas Dope]

I just erased my app because I'm

[John Taffer]

spending too much money.

[Thomas Dope]

I literally saw and go, I need to cook. And I just erased the app last week. So I agree with you. And I noticed I can go downtown and see those big nightclubs. And there used to be a line around the block, and now since it is dying down. But like you said, it's more of a demographic. Like, I'm not gonna open up a wine bar in my. I'm from port town. I'm not going to open it up in the middle of downtown. Who's going to come? There's people that go to the wine bars, have to go to work and then go after. So to be open all day, it's just. You're paying for labor, and that's why people just go under. I feel like my town is a perfect example like you could go rescue. Merced, California, right now. I think you could go there and turn it around, man. So with bar rescue.

[John Taffer]

But, you know, nightclubs are down, but local bars, you know, the dive bars, the local bars still do well, they're still good because it's a place you hang out. You're there four or five hours, you see the same people every time you go. It becomes a great service, social scene. You make your friends there. Yeah, that old Cheers model.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah, exactly. Do you think this is an American thing or you think it's all over the world?

[John Taffer]

Because you.

[Thomas Dope]

You would know better than anybody.

[John Taffer]

Yeah, it is a little global.

[Thomas Dope]

It is, right?

[John Taffer]

It is a little global.

[Thomas Dope]

I went to Europe for the first time and this dive bar was. I couldn't even walk in. There were so many people.

[John Taffer]

Yeah, but the nightclubs are not packed.

[Thomas Dope]

No, no, they weren't.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

I think the getting up, get dressed to go, spend a lot on a bottle. I think people that used to be a. A level of, like, status.

[John Taffer]

There's also, you know, think about it, guys. What exciting new music have you heard lately? Not go to nightclubs. There's nothing exciting musically happening now. So, you know, it's. Without that content, it's. It's hard to create the energy that a nightclub needs to.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah, that's. That's true too. And I just. Like I said somebody that doesn't go to nightclubs often, I see it just driving by. I'm like, it used to be insane. Or even going to resorts. Those nightclubs are even not as bad

[John Taffer]

as they used to be.

[Thomas Dope]

That's right. Like when I went to Mexico recently. Not recently, but a couple months ago. Yeah, I noticed the same thing. But the bigger change is. Is the weed. I believe it with the G, at least for the 21s and 25s. Right now, that's the number one. Like, you don't smoke. It's kind of like that. Or the age. Like, you don't drink.

[John Taffer]

Oh, well. When I was growing up, thinking that cannabis would be legal was just inconceivable to us, to my generation, and it blows us away. And I have a lot of friends that are in a cannabis industry. You know what the median age of the cannabis buyer is now? 1857. Go to a store, guys. Hang out for a couple hours and watch the age group of people that walk in. You think it's all young people. Bullshit, man. My generation created this shit. We invented this stuff, guys. So. So, I mean, it's interesting. You think it's a Young demo. But it's not.

[Thomas Dope]

I mean, you're not wrong. The spot down the street. Yeah. Think about life, you know. Wrong.

[John Taffer]

Yep.

[Thomas Dope]

Every cannabis event I go to. Yeah, you're right.

[John Taffer]

A lot of people over 50 at those events.

[Marty O'Neal]

I have a lot.

[Thomas Dope]

We have a lot of fans over 50. So I. Yep. I don't disagree.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah. So I would feel that. I feel like it's take. The tides are changing. For me personally, I think it's a healthier alternative than binge drinking by going smoke a couple joints versus binge drinking. But everything's a moderation, I believe. I think, of course, all of it is right.

[John Taffer]

And they're finding that there's some things that, you know, dangerous about cannabis. You know, it's a lot stronger than it used to be.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah.

[John Taffer]

So people need to just be careful when they use it. But again, moderation is good for alcohol. Moderation is good for cannabis. So just let's be smart. Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

Speaking of moderation, you talk about this browned buttered bourbon.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

So I'm sure you've tried every alcohol under the sun.

[John Taffer]

I have.

[Thomas Dope]

You've sipped it all. What is the difference between this bourbon, I mean, brown buttered. How does that. Is it smoking?

[John Taffer]

Best fucking bourbon you've ever had. So here's the story. I'm in my Alpharetta Taffer's Tavern restaurant, and my cook is making brown butter. And after 283 episodes of Bar rescue, I'm always looking for something new. So I said, give me the brown butter. So I take it. I pour it into a sous vide cooking bag, fill it with whiskey, boil it for four hours, take it out of the water, put it in a refrigerator. The butter coagulates to the top. I scooped the butter off the top, poured it through a coffee filter, and brown butter. Bourbon was born. We created the campfire cocktail in Taffer's Tavern. We're selling over a thousand cocktails a month. People fucking love it. So we bottled it, and here it is.

[Thomas Dope]

Well, the first time, somebody didn't just do it.

[John Taffer]

You got to open this. Will you take a sip?

[Thomas Dope]

I'm down.

[John Taffer]

Okay, let's open this here. Oh, wow. All right. First time you got a glass. You guys gotta go.

[Thomas Dope]

Two cups, please.

[John Taffer]

Here's too much glass to give him a straw. Right. And it's really special, man. So wait, too. So first of all, give it a smell.

[Thomas Dope]

I was like, college. I used to drink a lot of her when I was younger. It smells like. Slow down. That's what it reminds Me of. Slow down, dude.

[Marty O'Neal]

Smells like caution.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah, caution. Okay, can you do me a favor? Tell me how much. Well, I should be drinking on a show.

[John Taffer]

Well, it's the afternoon. It's the afternoon. So I just want you to take a little.

[Thomas Dope]

It's the afternoon.

[John Taffer]

Moderation, brother. Moderation. All right, all right. Take a little sniff before you drink it. Now, this is 80 proof. A lot of flavored whiskeys are lower proof. 70 proof. So this starts with the bourbon, finishes with the bourbon, and you get the flavor in the middle. Okay, so what do you think of that nose?

[Thomas Dope]

I gotta be honest. I'm not usually like. That's alcohol. No, that's on the top.

[John Taffer]

Whiskey's like cannabis. Some of it has a sweet, nice smell to it. Some of it has an earthier kind of smell to it. This is a very nice smell. All right, give it a taste. All right.

[Thomas Dope]

Thank you.

[John Taffer]

Shit. Smooth.

[Thomas Dope]

That's. I thought I was gonna have to chase it with water.

[John Taffer]

You didn't.

[Thomas Dope]

No.

[John Taffer]

Really smooth, isn't it?

[Thomas Dope]

Tastes like a butterscotch candy. Damn near.

[John Taffer]

You want to taste? Yeah. Oh, wow.

[Thomas Dope]

That tastes like a candy. What? Marty. Taking a drink.

[John Taffer]

Opinions here, guys. Let's go. Let's see, folks.

[Thomas Dope]

Marty's got that east coast lung. He's gonna drink that and ascend.

[Marty O'Neal]

It's like.

[Thomas Dope]

It's sweet.

[Marty O'Neal]

Yeah, it's so smooth.

[John Taffer]

Isn't that great?

[Marty O'Neal]

Yeah, usually I'm like, hacking.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah, usually I really got. That's great.

[Marty O'Neal]

No, you can taste a little butter at the end. It's a nice little sa. Soft aftertaste.

[John Taffer]

Great, isn't it? Good job for you guys. Keep it. Thank you.

[Thomas Dope]

So you. This is your creation. Do you have any baby. Oh, vanilla and toffee. That's what I'm tasting.

[Marty O'Neal]

Yes, that's what.

[John Taffer]

That's what it is. A little caramelly flavor. A little bit.

[Marty O'Neal]

Wow.

[John Taffer]

But those are all the notes of the brown butter.

[Thomas Dope]

Would you buy that to drink as a grown adult? Yes. Like, when you drink like that, you have to make sure you're not. I'm just taking shots all day.

[John Taffer]

Makes a great Old Fashioned.

[Thomas Dope]

And you sip on that.

[John Taffer]

Makes a great Old Fashioned.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah, we're talking about it earlier. The first time I drank an Old Fashioned, I coughed it into the cup in front of the bartender because it

[John Taffer]

was so strong that when you won't.

[Thomas Dope]

No, that one I won't. I'm surprised.

[John Taffer]

Wow.

[Thomas Dope]

I gotta be honest. Oh, it's warm.

[Marty O'Neal]

Really warm. I don't normally like.

[John Taffer]

I don't like. You're not a bourbon guy.

[Thomas Dope]

That's pretty good though.

[Marty O'Neal]

I never drink bourbon like that. The craziest I go is wine. Usually I don't get into the bourbon and stuff that actually tastes really smooth.

[John Taffer]

Thanks. Thanks.

[Thomas Dope]

Okay, so besides an alcohol maker, you're also an author.

[John Taffer]

Yes.

[Thomas Dope]

Three books out. Yeah, I love the title. What was it? Don't bullshit yourself is one of them.

[John Taffer]

Cut the excuses, raise the bar. Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

And then power conflict. Power of conflict. Thank you. So I know I'm getting to the books. I'm just trying to preface it like you have all this knowledge in you can turn businesses around. And when I watch bar rescue, the number one thing I see that you come in contact with is stubborn people to where I used to work. Egos.

[John Taffer]

You ever noticed people, the biggest egos have the thinnest wallets, Guys? Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

So when I'm watching it, like I said, I've watched it many times and I'm watching going, I used to work in a restaurant. I used to run it. We had a five star pizza spot. You know, like everything matters. Cleanliness. If you have time, clean. Nothing's always clear. It's impossible. And if you are, your business is dying because you have all the time to do it. So I see it's do things when people aren't looking. Do things because it treat it like it's your own. That's every business, right? So when I see these people literally battling you, I just watch one fight you.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

What's going through your head? It's your TV show. You're supposed to help them. It's like trying to feed a dog and it bites you in the hand. Like, I don't want to kick you, but I don't want to try to feed you again.

[John Taffer]

But I'm close to kicking you.

[Thomas Dope]

Exactly.

[John Taffer]

You know, it's interesting guys, I say this a lot. Every failing business is a failing owner. They're the reason why they're failing. It isn't the location because they made money when they opened. So it's them and, and my. I can fix the bar. I can build bars all day long. That's easy for me, fixing them is the challenge. Is it their ego? Is it just a thick headed. You know, it's so personal to them and, and they fight me every step of the way. But I get that hug in the end, man. And I always get that freaking hug. And the people that fight me the hardest give me the biggest hugs.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah, that's. It's like the, the meanest kid in class always turns out to be the nicest kid when you break through the shell.

[John Taffer]

Yeah, that's right. Once you get to know him.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's, that's what I've noticed. I've watched people battle you. I've watched people yell at you. I'll watch people quit. I've watched you almost quit. I've seen a lot of different things in this show. So this new season, I saw that you're having a, I mean I, I don't want to spoil anything but you have a couple celebrities dropping in this, this year. Right. So with this season, what can we expect? Like as a, I already know my mother in law, my mom, they all watch the show religiously. So what can we expect on this

[John Taffer]

next upcoming really emotional man. People are hurting. You know, think of pandemic inflation, big time. People are hurting and you know they're defeated. And you're going to see last Sunday's episode is a good example. That guy was defeated, you know, he had no motivation to do anything. You're going to see me tear up a couple of times this year. Very emotional man. You know, these are families in trouble. Imagine this, you're 50 years old, you take a half a million dollars from your parents retirement who were in 70s, open a bar, you're losing all your money. You've now lost your house. You're living in your parents basement. You've wiped out their retirement and now their house is on the line. So you know, I'm dropped into, I think I'm rescuing a bar. Suddenly I'm rescuing a house, I'm rescuing a family. It's deep man. And it's a serious responsibility. So that's why I'm so aggressive.

[Thomas Dope]

Thank you. That's because a lot of people like, he's mean. Like is he or is he trying to tough love you?

[John Taffer]

I'm fighting for them, not against.

[Thomas Dope]

It's like your coach going, I need you to do more push ups.

[John Taffer]

Why?

[Thomas Dope]

Because I need you to be better.

[John Taffer]

And at some point they get it. At some point they realize, wow, he's fighting for me.

[Thomas Dope]

It always turns.

[John Taffer]

It does.

[Marty O'Neal]

It's like John Travolta in Pulp Fiction with the wolf. When he comes through, it takes you,

[Thomas Dope]

I mean, oh, he's like, all right, I'm sorry, I apologize. I didn't mean to come off abrasive. You're just trying to help. Whatever. Thanks Mark. Thanks for the reference, man. That was great. But yeah, so that's what I've noticed with this, with this show and this and These the new season. I just wanted to know if there's anything we can be expecting. I have a question for you.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

So you and NFL Sunday ticket, you can go in, you can look at a bar and go, these are your problems. This is my expertise. You've been doing this for a very long time. So I have a question for you.

[John Taffer]

Can I rescue this podcast? Is that the question?

[Thomas Dope]

No, no, no, no, no, no. I need the. I need help with the warehouse.

[John Taffer]

I need.

[Thomas Dope]

I need things to circulate better. The Raiders. Las Vegas Raiders.

[John Taffer]

Have you laughed? Immediately.

[Thomas Dope]

That's what I do, too. I love the Raiders, man, but they're never. They are what they are.

[John Taffer]

Not the best times for the Raiders.

[Thomas Dope]

Not the best decade or century for the Raiders. Yes. New stadium, incredible. Everything's great. People are going, what would you like if you got to go in there like, hey, Al Davis Jr, let me take over your consent. Let me, let me make this better. Because when I go, I'm sitting, I went all out. I got the front seat. I'm like, oh, wow, it's gonna be great. I still gotta walk all the way to the front and back to go like, I need a water. Like, what is the. That is the ultimate cater to stadium I've ever been in. How do you make that better? Because I'm there like, everything's great.

[John Taffer]

Suck about, I'll tell you. And I know Mark Davis. I sit on boards with Mark Davis. He's a good guy, but, you know, his economic package in Las Vegas doesn't incentivize him to field a good team. He's selling out his tickets, he's got his TV deal, he got his concessions from the city for the ballpark and everything, he's making a fortune. Whether he wins or not is not affecting his income right now.

[Thomas Dope]

No, not at all.

[John Taffer]

So, you know, there's, there's somewhat of a flaw when a league doesn't provide the incentive to a team to try to be better. And I think some of the economic packaging and the way it was put together did not provide him with that incentive.

[Marty O'Neal]

Interesting.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

What an educated way to saying, yeah, he just didn't do a good job.

[Marty O'Neal]

So.

[John Taffer]

So in other words, you know, he, he said, he said fuck it, you know, and just fielded the team that he had.

[Thomas Dope]

He's making money. I mean, that's right. I understand that the business is making

[John Taffer]

money, but I got to tell you something, as one who was one of the first season ticket holders to the Las Vegas Golden Knights, when you look at how the Golden Knights came into the city.

[Thomas Dope]

What is the Knights?

[John Taffer]

The Las Vegas Golden Knights is the NHL team.

[Thomas Dope]

Oh, I don't follow hockey.

[John Taffer]

Okay, then. The most successful sports franchise in the history of sports. The first year of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, they made it to the Stanley Cup. First year, they made it to the finals. Unheard of. It's never happened before in history. They made it again the second year. So when you look at Vegas, got the introduction of the greatest sports franchise in history from a winning record, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. And then the Raiders come in with about as lackluster as a performance. As you can imagine, the difference is very contrasting. So Vegas knows the winners. That's the Knights. And they know who's not winning. That's the Raiders.

[Thomas Dope]

How crazy. They have such a big. I've never even heard of that.

[John Taffer]

Yeah. Las Vegas Golden Knights, man. Greatest, greatest NHL and greatest sports franchise in history.

[Thomas Dope]

Do you see Tom Brady being at all of help at all to bring stuff? Because I know he's.

[John Taffer]

Oh, he likes to win. That's a good thing.

[Thomas Dope]

Thank you. He's quarterback all time. I hope he would turn the quarterback coach. Yeah, I hope he would give some notes.

[John Taffer]

Maybe a little incentive, a little motivation to win.

[Thomas Dope]

We had somebody on here recently that had Matt Bauer. He was the person.

[John Taffer]

He.

[Thomas Dope]

I think he's in prison now. He was the person that got in trouble doing the betting with the Dodger. Japanese player.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

He made a. We have a clip that people keep talking on and it's. He's saying that Vegas is dying. And he's saying it's dying because they have to verify income for people betting. Is that something that you've.

[John Taffer]

That you've heard? That's not something that, that I'm aware of.

[Thomas Dope]

Okay.

[John Taffer]

But I've got to tell you, Vegas is struggling. I mean, it tracks. In the last month that it was reported was November, tourism was down 9.1%.

[Thomas Dope]

And that's massive.

[John Taffer]

I mean, when you pay $26 for a bottle of water in a guest room, that. That's a little cost prohibitive.

[Thomas Dope]

Thank you.

[John Taffer]

You stay in Excalibur. The room costs you $19 a night, but breakfast cost you $30. It makes no sense. So what's happened is two major companies own Las Vegas now, Caesars and mgm. It's a monopoly. They're not incentivized to lower prices because they still make the competition. They're making their money, but it's hurting. Numbers are down significantly. So I think we're going to have to see Some changes in Vegas to get tourism back. But the drive in business from this town isn't happening like it used to. It's just. It's become a little cost prohibitive.

[Thomas Dope]

What do you think the change that Vegas needs?

[John Taffer]

Some more independent operators, some competitive hotels to come in with lower prices and better experiences to shake up the big guys.

[Thomas Dope]

Okay. Yeah. Because I've been staying at the Fountain Blue since it opened. I just checked my statement. I am disgusted on how much they charged me for my water bottles. I bought five bottles. Was a hundred dollars.

[John Taffer]

Yeah. For water.

[Thomas Dope]

For Fiji's.

[John Taffer]

For water.

[Thomas Dope]

For water.

[John Taffer]

It's more expensive than gasoline. Times crazy, huh?

[Thomas Dope]

I bought a more expensive than gasoline. And they know I'm not gonna go to the store. Yeah. Because you're captured.

[John Taffer]

And if you go downstairs to the store, it's still going to cost you $80.

[Thomas Dope]

I've done it. I thought I was just going to walk down there. Service. They service charged me for five bottles of water. 18 service charge on me. And I'm sitting there going, how does a guy that has a regular job as a family come in and have fun versus going, I'm not going to Las Vegas. Let's go to Reno.

[John Taffer]

Yeah, but you can say the same thing about the Dodgers and a lot of things, guys. I mean, how much does it cost for a family of four to go to a Dodger game today?

[Thomas Dope]

I don't know.

[John Taffer]

It's hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

[Thomas Dope]

For tickets.

[John Taffer]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Marty O'Neal]

It's like a g for any game you want to take.

[John Taffer]

Yeah. So, I mean, so those days of, you know, you're taking your kid to a baseball game, I mean, that's freaking over, man. Yeah, it's crazy. And most of the tickets are now corporate tickets and law firms and all that kind of stuff, which they're not price sensitive so they can raise the prices to them.

[Thomas Dope]

It's funny. The only good seats I ever had because my friend had a corporate. Corporate thing about it. That's the only time, like, yeah. Box seats.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

Oh, yeah. Those are 13 to $14,000 for a single season normal game. It's just not t. It's not feasible for the average American.

[Marty O'Neal]

Yeah.

[John Taffer]

I have two seats for the Las Vegas Golden Knights. A 600 a game for two seats

[Thomas Dope]

for just great tickets.

[John Taffer]

Yeah, great tickets. But it's still 600 bucks a game. That's.

[Thomas Dope]

I just went to the clippers. It was $600 a ticket.

[John Taffer]

That's what I'm saying. Who can afford to do that? So what kid is going to go to a, a basketball game. It's a shame.

[Thomas Dope]

Never. Unless you're in the very, very top. Hopefully for 100 bucks. Yeah, yeah. So I've seen that too. What do you think about the model for the sphere?

[John Taffer]

Sphere is incredible. Unfortunately no I've seen eagles there. It's an incredible experience. If nobody's done it, you have to do it. It's worth going to Vegas, worth seeing this fear today. But it's losing $400 million a year so. So they haven't figured out how to make money yet. And they're opening another one now right outside of Boulder. Oh, they're losing money, man. I think cost billions of dollars to build. You know what the carrying costs on that thing are? No, I don't finance. Last I read they're losing even now with the wizard of Oz success, the Eagle success, the Backstreet Boy success. And now Metallica is coming. They still year to date are in a whole about 400 million.

[Thomas Dope]

I just don't understand. Those tickets were not cheap.

[John Taffer]

Think of what it costs to make that software guys for the outside and the inside of all that video content.

[Thomas Dope]

It's a city. It's a little city.

[John Taffer]

Yeah, it's amazing. But it's an incredible experience. If you haven't everybody should I suggest it. It's a life changing experience.

[Thomas Dope]

The postcard to earth really opened my eyes about oh I need to travel. I didn't realize that these places exist.

[John Taffer]

Yeah, you know let me tell you something. The greatest thing you can spend your money on this. I'm a lot older than you manage travel. You know, things come and go. Material stuff disappears, you know. But when you travel, man, the experiences, the lessons, the memories, it's the greatest investment you can ever make in yourself.

[Thomas Dope]

I just started last year.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah. It's getting over flying. I had a fear of flying, but I'm getting over it now.

[John Taffer]

Have a little tapas brown bourbon before you fly. You'll be fine.

[Thomas Dope]

Every time I drink three or four of those little bottles and just. You're good to go watching something. But yeah, traveling I feel is is the number one thing for me right now. I just. I just want to see more and know that it's real. You see all these things and where stage you grew up in New York.

[John Taffer]

I'm a New York City boy.

[Thomas Dope]

You've seen these. I grew up in a right by Fresno. So the biggest it's a three story building is my biggest one. So when I went to New York for the first time that's When I realized these things are older than the country, some of these buildings are older than anyone's ever been online. And it kind of.

[John Taffer]

It.

[Thomas Dope]

I'm from the ghetto. So it kind of like shocks you into like, oh, it's not just the corner store. Oh, you're just not going to the Walmart.

[John Taffer]

Wow.

[Thomas Dope]

It's just opened up my eyes.

[John Taffer]

You know, the culture is amazing. I'm going to Thailand next year.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah.

[John Taffer]

You know, the culture in some of these countries, you know, just blow you away. But we all need to experience these things. Gets us closer, too.

[Thomas Dope]

Was.

[John Taffer]

It gets us all closer when we understand each other.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah.

[John Taffer]

When we travel to each other's countries and stuff. No good for the world.

[Thomas Dope]

And sorry, before I get off topic, that whole bottom floor of the sphere is empty and has so much potential. It's just a couple robots. That's where that $400 million could be made.

[John Taffer]

Maybe. Yeah, right. Yeah. Well, they'll pick it apart. Don't. Don't turn it around.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah. Because if it's.

[John Taffer]

I mean, who would have thought the wizard of Oz thing would be as successful as it is? It's hugely successful and people love it.

[Thomas Dope]

They start a real tornado. I have to go. It's incredible. I have to go. The Cosm. Have you seen the Cosm here in la?

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

That wraparound screen.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

That's a fun experience too. So I feel like the VR and a lot of people don't like all that stuff, but if you can, like you said, get a 40 ticket, almost be at the game, it's kind of like the new way of going, hey, I cannot afford that ticket, but I still want to be part of this team.

[John Taffer]

Well, that's the new sports bar. The new sports bar is going to have massive screens and you're going to feel like you're at the ballpark. So, you know, the greatest sports bars will emulate that experience.

[Thomas Dope]

It was the most.

[John Taffer]

And you can, you can emulate it today. The size of screens, the curves that we can put on screens and such. It's easy.

[Thomas Dope]

I sent one to my friend because he was at the games. Like, where are you? I'm here at the game. He really did think I was there. It's shocking. It is, it's shocking. But before we get on that, your three books. Okay. When you break this down, are you saying I have so much knowledge I need to put this in a book to help the masses besides the show? Because obviously in the show, you can't break down business.

[John Taffer]

Sometimes it's for me it's been a realization that I had that I want to share. For example, my first book was about reaction management, the premise of reaction management. And you guys are not in the podcast business. You're in a reaction business. That's your product. The podcast is not your product. The way people react to it is your product. If they don't react, you're done.

[Thomas Dope]

Yes.

[John Taffer]

So let's understand what business you're in. You're not in a podcast business. You're in the business of creating reactions. If your podcasts don't create those reactions, you're fucking done. Same thing with me in a restaurant business. My cook thinks he's making an entree in the kitchen. That's his product. That's not the product. When that plate hits the table, your reaction to it is that product. And that's everything in life. The way our spouses react to us, the way our children, the way our friends react to us. We are in the business of creating reactions. And make no mistake, the podcast that creates the greatest reactions wins, man. That's the end of the story.

[Thomas Dope]

When you travel, or even if you don't travel, you no longer need an email, a torch, butane, none of that. And I'm saying that for those of you that hit glass, you can hit your glass with the power coming from the Puffco and the banger, which is that atomizer attached to a banger from Puffco. So basically, you can hit your Puffco off of any piece of glass that configures, put your atomizer on from your own Puffco, fill with hash, just like I did. Slap it on any piece. Pretty awesome. You don't have to have it, but once you use it, you're like, what a. What a cool accessory. This is the email from Puffco, essentially, and it's pretty cool. Marty, Marty, Marty, Marty. Guys, go ahead and take a poco for the peak pro link.

[John Taffer]

That shit ripped.

[Marty O'Neal]

It's true.

[John Taffer]

So that's the business that we're in. So my first book was all about reaction management, and I own the term reaction management. I actually trademarked it. And, you know, how do you manage the reactions that people have to you? If you can manage those reactions, man, you can become a billionaire. Billionaire. You got he or she who can manage the reactions of the people around them is so empowered that they can achieve almost anything. The second book that I wrote was about the power of excuses. I was in Detroit, Michigan once, and with every episode of Bar Rescue, I always asked the owner, why are you failing? I was 120 episodes in at that point. And he said, I'm failing because of the Euro in Greece. This person said to me, in Detroit, Michigan, I went back to my hotel room and I realized every failing person has an excuse. They blame the construction, the neighborhood, the weather, the competition. They blame everything. So when they go home, they don't blame themselves. They look in the mirror in the morning, they don't have to change your fucking thing because it's somebody else's fault. But if they held themselves accountable, they would change.

[Thomas Dope]

Yes.

[John Taffer]

That's what was my second book. And my third book was about the power of conflict. In today's political world, we fight with each other so much conflict should be constructive, not destructive.

[Thomas Dope]

Thank you. You can educate and not bash. If somebody doesn't know and they don't

[John Taffer]

agree with you, we can share ideas with each other in a respectful way and completely disagree. That doesn't mean I don't love you, man.

[Thomas Dope]

Thank you so much. That's what I try to preach, because in this cannabis industry, there's a lot of headbutting, a lot of. I mean, even in the comedy, even in the podcasting, there's a lot of

[John Taffer]

assholes in the world.

[Thomas Dope]

Thank you. I said it this morning. There's a lot of. There's a lot of dickheads in this world for sure. And a lot of it is just. I like to think about it. There's just. Remember that guy As a 10 year old kid, he was a shitty little kid and he just grew up, that's all this mattered. And he owns this business. So when you go in there, guy, I'm looking at a child that didn't grow up. So I, When I watch your show, I get frustrated looking at people like, I can fix it. Because that's what we do. We consult so many people like, you're messing up here. You're saying, you know, you mess up, why don't you fix it? Well, I don't have time. Well, that's the number one thing you should be fixing. Don't go eat today. Don't go home. Fix this now. Everything with full attention can be done in a couple hours. If you really think about it.

[John Taffer]

I agree. You just got to care.

[Thomas Dope]

Just. You just have to care. Exactly. Treat it like it's yours for everybody. If I worked at McDonald's, I treat it like it's mine.

[John Taffer]

Think about the idiot who puts his life savings in a business and then doesn't fucking give it a shot. What kind of an idiot does something like that?

[Thomas Dope]

Somebody that had help yeah, that's really what it is.

[John Taffer]

Never learned responsibility.

[Thomas Dope]

Exactly.

[Marty O'Neal]

I got a quick question. John's got a heart out in about three minutes here. So can you give us any sort of tips on when you're presenting an idea for a proposal, when you're pitching something for a big deal?

[Thomas Dope]

Any tips on Marty's pitching a Netflix show right now? So I just put it out there.

[John Taffer]

Negotiation, you know, the fact is, you know, you got to understand what sells and television. Television today, tension sells. In television today, emotion sells. And television today, there's certain words that you want to use, you know, that a TV production company is going to relate to. You know, obviously, storytelling, emotion, tension, you know, time compression, all of these things mean something. But, guys, I've always sold in a simple way I use. I call it a big fat claim. If I make a big fat claim, that's the best bourbon you've ever tasted in your life, you're going to go, oh, yeah. And you're going to try it to prove me wrong, aren't you? So the big fat claim creates the curiosity and the desire to move forward. Start with a big fat claim and make sure that big fat claim has those kind of words in it.

[Thomas Dope]

I love that. I just started a new.

[John Taffer]

Now you're going to get their interest and they're going to listen at least.

[Marty O'Neal]

Appreciate it.

[Thomas Dope]

I love that.

[John Taffer]

Good luck, man. Nobody's buying a lot today, so good luck.

[Thomas Dope]

Yeah, appreciate it. I just started a new business. I was thinking, how do I. It's the best. Just won a competition. How do I do it without acting like we're the best? Maybe just say it.

[John Taffer]

I mean, if you had pizza place, I got the best pizza in town, period. Mine is better than anybody else's. Everybody's gonna come try to prove you wrong, but you better have great pizza. Don't freaking do it.

[Marty O'Neal]

Right.

[Thomas Dope]

If not, you're one of these bars that goes out and just disappears in a couple months and. Or restaurants. I'll talk. Yeah. Like you said, it's the reaction when I go to a restaurant. Like, well, it's dirty in here. I'm not coming back. Or the food was great.

[John Taffer]

Oh, my God.

[Thomas Dope]

I'll just get takeout. It's dirty in there. There's. There's, There's a. Like I used to said, the reaction is. Is everything. Actually, it is.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

With comedy, with this podcast, with content, if people were stoked about it, they're coming back.

[John Taffer]

Absolutely.

[Thomas Dope]

I like the way you frame that. That was. That was great. Before you get out of here. I have one question. It was, I'm in the cannabis industry. As I said, a lot of these dispensaries, 80% of them are failing and scheduled. We just got scheduled from schedule one to schedule three. So now they can deduct taxes on labor, on jars, on their security expenses, their expenses. If you walked into, say, the biggest one in LA is I know you haven't seen them, you haven't seen their paperwork or their owner as just the knowledge you have.

[John Taffer]

Well, I've studied them.

[Thomas Dope]

Oh, so how do you.

[John Taffer]

I've been in many cannabis stores. I love packaging, you know, presentation, merchandising, you know, I love how the industry's packaging has evolved, how the brands have evolved. I love going state to state. For example, in Seattle, the dispensary can't grow it, so the growers grow separately. So it's a statewide brand that's sold in every dispensary, whereas in other states

[Thomas Dope]

the dispensaries do it.

[John Taffer]

I find all these, you know, things and how they build brands and stuff fascinating. I have not been in one dispensary yet that I would say would have a level of professional merchandising that would be impressive. I have not seen that yet. Wow. I have not. Some of them don't have displays. I get that. Some of them don't have opportunities where you can smell and taste and look and all of that. I get that. And all these are regulatory issues between them as well. But the fact of the matter is, I don't think the average cannabis store is very good at merchandising or very good at brand that.

[Thomas Dope]

I agree.

[John Taffer]

Why is one cannabis dispensary better than another?

[Thomas Dope]

They have the same products.

[John Taffer]

Well, but maybe there is a difference.

[Thomas Dope]

I'm saying that.

[John Taffer]

But if you can't create that difference, then you're never going to erode that competitor. So I have to create a difference in me to erode my competitor. I'm. Even if I'm selling the same product, I'm going to talk about my bud Masters. I'm going to talk about my environment. I'm going to talk about the bonuses, the music, the environment, the scene. I'm going to make my store focus far more relevant than yours because relevancy is everything today. Everything. Think about this. You take the ugliest picture of yourself ever. Your hair is a mess. Post it online. What are people going to say? Looking good, buddy. Great picture. Everybody bullshits the out of you. It's all relevancy today. But because of social media, we Live for that relevance. So you go to a bar, that's relevant. You order a drink that's relevant. You take a picture of your plate because it's relevant. Your outfit because it's relevant. Yourself because you're relevant. We live for this relevancy. Dispensaries aren't selling that. And when the ones that do are the ones that are going to win.

[Thomas Dope]

Listen up, for all of you guys out there, Marty, how many times they're not relevant. Why would they sell? That is. That's what we said.

[John Taffer]

Why do I think you over somebody else, man? I want to go what's relevant. I want to go where the knowledge is. I want to go and get the best product. I want to go right for feel good, the best experience. I want to go to a class place, man. I'm a class guy. All of these things matter. Those are the subliminals that make a brand. I haven't seen any dispensaries do it. About the only thing I've heard is biggest dispensary in town. That's about all I hear, my friends.

[Thomas Dope]

It's the biggest la.

[John Taffer]

But big isn't better. Big tells me it's going to be impersonal. Big tells me I might stand online for an hour and a half. That doesn't tell me good. Tell me boutique, tell me services. Tell me class. Tell me style. The best hotel is the boutique hotel, isn't it? Right. Not the big one.

[Thomas Dope]

Always, always.

[John Taffer]

I suggest cannabis could be the same. Have a boutique brand, man. I really hope everything to someone, not everything to everyone. Wow.

[Thomas Dope]

Appreciate you. That was awesome. Thank you. And I know you have a heart out. Thank you for dropping some knowledge on people from a business aspect. We've had a lot of people on here. No one's ever done it in the terms that. Oh yeah, I get you. I understand. You don't tell me spreadsheet stuff, that's great. But the average dispensary owner is not talking like average dispensary owner is a guy that used to sell weed, that got his license, goes. I'm legitimate now and they have to learn still. So I hope that helped because that helped me right off the bat.

[John Taffer]

Then when you had it, they came, yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

Now everybody's got it. Everybody's got it now.

[John Taffer]

Yeah.

[Thomas Dope]

Well, thank you. I appreciate this.

[John Taffer]

This is awesome, guys. Enjoyed it.

[Thomas Dope]

Bar rescue new season dropping on Paramount and Pluto.

[John Taffer]

Paramount, Pluto, Paramount on Paramount Network. Sunday night, 10 o'.

[Thomas Dope]

Clock. Perfect. This comes out Tuesday. So next episode, guys. Sunday night, 10 o'.

[John Taffer]

Clock. Paramount.

[Thomas Dope]

Pluto TV.

[John Taffer]

You're watching, aren't you?

[Thomas Dope]

Yes, of course. Yeah, man, I watch compilations a lot on YouTube. Whoever makes your clips really grabs the best screenshots of your face.

[John Taffer]

I know. I can't believe on myself.

[Thomas Dope]

You look so mad. I'm like, ah, maybe he's gonna bite, this guy. I have to watch him watch a lot of compilations online. So thank you for entertaining me in long nights of just smoking weed alone. Like you said, smoke weed by yourself. Not social, but yes, thank you very much. I appreciate you. Where can everybody get this?

[John Taffer]

It's a speakeasy online has it speaking about 32 states and it's available in liquor stores and bars all over Nevada, Massachusetts and Georgia. Soon Florida. Not California yet.

[Thomas Dope]

But speak easy guys. Remember, you guys don't drink that often. And I always, every time we have shocked saw Marty's face, shocked. It was actually very good. So if you like bourbon, go check it out. All your books are online, I'm assuming.

[John Taffer]

Yep.

[Thomas Dope]

And then Sunday nights at 10 O' Clock Bar Rescue Paramount plus Pluto TV. Thank you so much for being here.

[John Taffer]

Pleasure, buddy.

[Thomas Dope]

Appreciate you. Thank you guys. Appreciate it. This has been the dope as usual podcast from Marty, John and I have a dope ass day.