Is P's and Q's Auto Body still open today?
Status: >> CLOSED <<
(keep reading to learn what happened)
Season: 4 | View All Season 4 Episodes
Original Episode Air Date: October 5, 2014
The Bar's Original Name Was: Artful Dodger
P's and Q's Auto Body Address: 30 New St, Huntington, NY 11743
Episode Recap
Artful Dodger, later renamed P’s and Q’s Auto Body, was a Huntington, New York speakeasy bar featured on Season 4 of Bar Rescue.
Though the P’s and Q’s Auto Body Bar Rescue episode aired in October 2014, the actual filming and visit from Jon Taffer took place before that.
It was Season 4 Episode 1 and the episode name was “Bug Bite”.
Artful Dodger was purchased in 2006, which was almost a decade before the bar showed up on Bar Rescue.
The bar is located in Huntington, NY (a town on Long Island), and owned by Mike Conforti.
The first few years, the bar was able to make $50,000 dollars per month, so things were going great.
In 2011 Brian Gordon, a club promoter, was brought in.
He didn’t make many improvements, and the profits didn’t change much.
Brian and Mike began fighting as they blamed each other for Artful Dodgers’ decline.
The outside of the bar makes it look like an auto garage, which will play an important part in the relaunch and renovations later on.
Jon recruits locals to enter the bar for him as spies.
Inside the bar, there are drowned flies in liquor bottles.
The staff stays clean, and the two men, Brian and Mike, continue to point fingers at each other.
Jon brings in expert bartender Phil Wills and serving expert Jessie Barnes.
Phil teaches the staff a few tricks to make the drinks faster.
Jessie tests the staff on their multitasking abilities.
However, the bar staff forgets everything Phil Wills had taught them during the stress test.
They went back to their old way of making drinks.
To make matters worse, underage customers are able to slip past the security guards and order drinks, which is a huge legal issue for the bar.
After the stress test, Jon and the experts sit down to come up with a new idea for the bar.
Jon has the unique idea of turning the bar into a speakeasy and taking advantage of the autobody looks.
A speakeasy is a previously illegal establishment that was popular during the 1920s when alcohol was illegal.
Phil Wills introduces new, prohibition-themed co*cktails to the bartenders – the Bootician and P’s and Q’s Ginger.
Jessie teaches the staff the dos and don’ts of the bar business.
After the renovations, Jon has renamed the bar from Artful Dodger to P’s and Q’s Auto Body.
The outside looks like an autobody shop to hide the fact that it is a speakeasy.
The front door leads to a small room.
There is a secret door to get you into the bar, just like a real speakeasy.
Many customers came for the relaunch.
Everyone loves the new concept.
The employees are confident and are making well-made drinks.
The bar patrons are calm and not rowdy.
That’s it for the Artful Dodger Bar Rescue episode recap – let’s talk about what happened next and how the bar is doing in 2024 and beyond.
P's and Q's Auto Body Update - What Happened Next?
So – was the P’s and Q’s Auto Body Bar Rescue episode a success? Let’s talk about what happened after the visit from Jon Taffer and his crew.
Gordon has been promoted at the bar, and the sales have increased by 30% one month later, which is a huge improvement.
Everyone loves the atmosphere and environment, and there is a lot of praise for the new co*cktails on the menu.
The bar features music. They have both a DJ and live music and dancing.
Unfortunately, bad luck would hit the bar not too long after it appeared on Bar Rescue
In March 2015, the store next door went on fire and caused significant damage to the bar.
The bar had to close for repairs, and many customers thought they wouldn’t be open because they deactivated their Facebook page.
However, the bar was able to reopen its doors in May 2016.
That run went on for another couple of years, but the success would not last…
Is P’s and Q’s Auto Body still open after Bar Rescue?
P’s and Q’s Auto Body closed for good in October 2018.
One of the bartenders, Michael Matarazzo, bought the bar and changed the name to Repeal XVIII.
Michael had originally bought in as a part owner in P’s and Q’s Auto Body.
However, he later bought out the other owners and closed P’s and Q’s Auto Body to go with his own concept.
As of 2023, Michael’s new concept, Repeal XVIII, is still open at the same P’s and Q’s Auto Body Huntington location.
You can see it in this screenshot from Google Maps street view:
Reviews for Repeal XVIII seem average – it has just 3.5 stars on Yelp but 4.6 stars on Google Reviews and 4.9 stars on Facebook.
So, while P’s and Q’s Auto Body is officially closed, there is still a bar at that location that has some connection to Bar Rescue.
If you recall, Michael Matarazzo did appear as a bartender in the Artful Dodger Bar Rescue episode.
P’s and Q’s Autobody reviews after Bar Rescue
At the time that P’s and Q’s Autobody closed, it didn’t have any Yelp page. The Artful Dodger Yelp page still exists, but noone has posted a review after the rebranding.
There was also only one Google review, so that’s no help either.
The only place I can find legitimate P’s and Q’s Autobody reviews is on the TripAdvisor page, where it had a 4 star rating (but only on 4 reviews).
Here are a few of the reviews that were written after the visit from Jon Taffer…
3 star review from September 2016:
I visited this speakeasy to see what all the hype was about since it was on Bar Rescue and it did not disappoint.
The outside of the location looks like an Autobody shop but when you go inside it is anything but that.
The bar and décor is all vintage and there is a piano in the main room, in the back there is pool tables and lounge chairs enclosed in a porch.
There are special drinks to go with the theme of the bar and it has a pretty good vibe.
3 star review from February 2018:
The ambiance was nice.
Crowd was mixed and drinks were good.
They also have music and a small dance floor and darts.
The inside does look like a modern version of a speakeasy but from the outside it is clearly marked and not hidden at all like you’d expect from a speakeasy.
If in the area and looking for some Kate night drinks and dancing I would stop in again.
Overall, even though P’s and Q’s Autobody closed, the old Huntington location does at least have some connection to Bar Rescue because one of the bartenders from the show owns the new bar.
So with that in mind, you could say that Ps and Qs Auto Body Bar Rescue episode waskind of succesful.
If you want to see some other nearby New York Bar Rescue episodes, you can check out my updates for Bungalow Bar in Rockaway Beach, Jack’s Fire Dept. / Jack’s Ale House in Sunnyside, and Undisputed / SoYo Craft Bar in Yonkers.
Thanks for reading!
More Information
https://www.yelp.com/biz/artful-dodger-pub-huntington
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g47939-d11704847-Reviews-P_s_Q_s_Autobody-Huntington_Long_Island_New_York.html
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Last updated: 2023-03-07 06:34
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