Located near Wrigley Field is the struggling sports bar The Dugout, run by an apathetic owner who treats his employees poorly. Although Jon is called in to help rescue the bar, he sees how little the owner cares about maintaining the bar or going along with what the future holds.
Episode Tropes:
- The Alcoholic: The only thing Ed might get sympathy for is that he clearly has a severe and untreated alcohol problem.
- Bad Boss: Ed Cressy is definitely in the top 5 worst bar owners in the franchise, yelling at his employee for wanting a promotion she deserved and he promised her, knowingly serving contaminated food to customers, and drinking on the job.
- Downer Ending: Subverted. Taffer wasted good money to help Ed, only for Ed to ruin the reopening with his own drunken antics. Jon leaves disappointed and does not hold the relaunch despite having people lined up at the bar. Ed eventually reverted the name and relegated the Press Box name to an upstairs bar before removing it. Ironically, The Dugout is still open in 2023 with divided reviews.
- Ironic Nickname: Jon Taffer calls Ed Cressy "Smilin' Ed" for his refusal to smile.
- It's All About Me: Ed rejected every one of Phil's and Jon's ideas because he personally didn't like them even though his staff believed it was a good idea and something needed changing.
- It's the Principle of the Thing: Jon Taffer remodels the bar despite writing Ed off as a lost cause to give the remaining staff hope for their future. Believe it or not, he didn't waste his money, as the place is still open.
- Never My Fault: Ed claims Jon Taffer turned all his staff against him, even though it's clear the chance of Jon Taffer rescuing the bar was the only reason they stayed.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Most if not all the bartenders leave by the end of the episode after having enough of Ed's attitude. Although, according to the Where Are They Now segment, two ended up returning, though they are looking for jobs elsewhere.
- Unfortunate Names: Believe it or not, the Hot Pussy Shot is not something a sports bar crowd lines up at the door for.
