Jon Taffer Reveals the One Surprising Thing He Always Brings When Visiting the Bars He's Making Over (Exclusive)

Jon Taffer has seen almost everything – a dead raccoon in a drawer, a kitchen full of rats and an infestation of cockroaches. But At least rescue The host has developed some tricks to deal with the worst of the worst.

“We witnessed some amazing things,” Taffer, 69, tells PEOPLE with a laugh. The entrepreneur and hospitality expert reflects on his hit series, which is officially at 250 episodes — surpassing that milestone with the June 30 rerun.

At least rescueIts premise is that Taffer can use his industry expertise, along with a team of other food and beverage professionals, to help failing bars turn things around. However, what he encounters at the beginning of the episode – before rehabilitation – is sometimes unimaginable.

Some highlights – really, highlights not low lights, because Taffer finds “the biggest episodes to be the hardest to do” — including a “class 5 cockroach infestation” in a bar in Austin, Texas, in 2013.

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“It was disgusting,” Taffer says. “We had some powerful experiences, mostly sanitation-type experiences. I remember opening a kitchen drawer and there was a dead raccoon in it. I remember standing in the kitchen in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with my chef and rats running into our sneakers while we were wearing them.”

Jon Taffer.

Vivien Best

These experiences led Taffer to develop a “little secret”: “I’ve never told a reporter this before. I take garlic powder and put it on my tongue in some of these kitchens because they smell so bad.”

Once the garlic is in place, Taffer breathes through his mouth. The trick only works “for a minute or so,” but it has helped him in many restaurants and bars that challenge him.

‘Bar Rescue’ Jon Taffer feels ‘high pressure’ from fans as he expands his own restaurant concept

Taffer doesn’t hold back when it comes to sharing another behind-the-scenes event: his show’s facility remodeling, done impressively quickly, leaves no time for matching furniture.

“When we put the design together, it’s after the reconstruction. So when the reconstruction is over and the cameras stop, we go in and design the bar that night. So now I have a design,” he says. “The next day we have to find bar stools and tables. Well, we can never find 60 bar stools of the same kind overnight. But we can find eight of these, 12 of those… Look At least rescue rearranges. You’ll notice – rarely do all bar stools match.”

While the seating options may be mismatched, Taffer’s purpose is consistent and clear — even as he takes a backseat to some visiting hosts in Season 9.

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“At least rescue it’s about people, not bars,” he tells PEOPLE. “And it’s about fighting. . . . Bars tend to be more of a backdrop.”

Jon Taffer.

Vivien Best

Working with people whose livelihoods—and often much more—are at stake “changed my empathy,” he says. “I understand that my success comes from other people. I’m more humble today because of being on television, believe it or not.”

“I find something to fight for, not something to fight against,” Taffer says of his method. “Once I know what I’m fighting for – a house, a wife, a husband, children, to have their debts paid off – then I can go to war and stop at nothing to get it, including insults, name-calling, being obscenely direct because I’m now on mission and I know what that mission is and it’s a very powerful experience to go through it as a host.”

At least rescue airs Sundays on the Paramount Network and is available to stream on Paramount Plus.

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Source: HIS Education