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O Face Before Bar Rescue
O Face was conceived in 2011, in Council Bluffs, Iowa, after husband and wife Matthew and Karen Overmyer pooled their resources to fulfill their dream of running a bar. The unique name (inspired by Matthew’s nickname) drew curious patrons into its fold and the Overmyers raked in cash as the locals kept coming in to party.
Soon enough the couple’s inexperience in running an establishment became evident with parties getting out of control, and employees began to exercise attitude problems. Karen was in the bar as a customer and not as a co-owner, and she consistently chugged booze while she blamed her husband for O Face’s struggling condition.
With profits decreasing and debts increasing, plus the threat of losing everything, the Overmyers have decided to call for Jon Taffer and Bar Rescue before their party is over.
O Face on Bar Rescue
Taffer observed the bar from the outside along with expert mixologist Russell Davis and immediately notice that O Face looked like a trailer with no lights or anything that could attract people inside. For the recon Taffer sent in Rick and Ryan, a pair of local blue collar workers. The two ordered beers and the “O-Gasm Shots” which tasted like a premade drink. One of the bartenders named Cerissa approached the men and asked them if they’d buy her a shot which they did. To make matters worse the bartenders tended to reuse the plastic cups after a shot which was a huge health risk. At the same time both the owners and the employees were taking too many shots that the show kept tabs on how many they downed.
Tensions flared when one of the customers asked Matthew regarding the alcohol content of one of their drinks, and the owner refused to answer the question. Cerissa tried to defend the customer but manager Amanda blocked her out and even hit Matthew in the face. The two ladies took their altercation outside where it quickly became a catfight. Taffer and Davis broke up the fight and the Bar Rescue host confronted Amanda but the latter stood her ground with expletives. The Overmyers were summoned to the scene and their insensitive reaction to the possibility of a lawsuit further angered Taffer. After exchanging a couple of censored words Taffer gave an ultimatum to the couple before he walked out: fire Amanda or else.
Ridiculously, the couple chose to retain Amanda and instead fire Cerissa.
Taffer returned the next day and was surprised to see Amanda inside the bar. After condemning the couple’s decision Taffer again walked out without beginning the rescue. As the hours passed the couple finally decided to bring Amanda’s actions to justice. Taffer came back and gave O Face another shot with the couple taking responsibility for the bar’s failure. No training took place as a lot of time was wasted on the earlier drama, thus the employees were subjected to the stress test without any preparation at all. Cerissa returned and the couple made their apologies for what they did to her.
Orders piled up as the bartenders were swamped with customers. The drinks took too long to make and the pizzas the bar served looked like it came from a convenience store. One of the bartenders used a cracked mixing glass and Matthew tried his best to help around. Karen was ordered by Taffer to assist the employees while sober which she did so with the energy of a lethargic koala, and most of her time was spent hiding in the office while smoking. Seeing that there’s no more hope in this losing battle Taffer closed down O Face for the night and sent its thirsty patrons home. The Bar Rescue host still held on to a sliver of hope as he still expressed his desire to train the employees and proceed with the rescue.
The next morning Taffer returned to the bar, only to find it empty and the employees hanging out in the back office despite being told to come in early and practice. Taffer discussed his concept for the bar which involved changing its ridiculous name as he didn’t want to associate himself on such a brand. Karen promised not to revert to the old name if ever Taffer changes it but her promise was met with zero confidence. Taffer ordered everyone to start training but instead they went again inside the office. Syck, the security personnel, still had faith in the bar but knows that not everyone is on board with him. Karen dismissed him from the office and began to talk about him behind his back, and she even got to the point of blaming the man for the bar’s troubles. Syck overheard and went back to confront his colleagues and Taffer’s orders once again went down the drain.
Taffer and Davis stood idly in the bar area while the employees clashed in the office. The host had to give them another ultimatum before they decided to take his word seriously. Taffer then proceeded with a more thorough background check of the bar which included past employee records, criminal history, credit and financial checks, news reports, and many others. Inside O Face Davis delegated instructions to each employee to test their cohesiveness but things quickly became chaotic as pressure got the best of them. Davis had to stop the training after seeing how hopeless they were.
Taffer’s investigation unraveled a good amount of criminal offenses plus footage of Matthew getting into a fight with his own employee. Matthew was unfazed and even told Taffer that he wasn’t scared of the host.
After advising that they get a counselor instead of a bar professional Taffer walked out.
O Face Now In 2024 – The After Bar Rescue Update
Three months after the episode aired, Syck was terminated for supporting Taffer. Amanda was then back in the bar as the manager.
In 2015, a year after they were featured on Bar Rescued, Taffer sent two undercover spies to check on the status of the bar. During their visit, they were harassed by a drunken customer. Thankfully, Matthew stepped up and sent the troublemaker out of the bar.
However, Matthew soon found himself facing legal issues. In February 2016, he was arrested on the charges of second-degree sexual abuse and assault. According to court documents, he attacked a woman using strangulation and physical force twice that month. He initially pleaded not guilty but later changed his stance to guilty eight months later, stating that his actions were due to him being intoxicated, which he used as a defense for his case.
In the end, he was sentenced to two years in prison for each charge but the time was later reduced—given that he abides by the terms of his plea agreement. He also spent 90 days in the Pottawattamie County Jail. It was later announced that he will be serving two years of probation after his sentence. Not only that but he will also have to participate in a sex offender treatment program, in addition to having to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life. He will also be responsible for paying any restitution, should the victim seeks counseling.
As a result of the charges, the Council Bluffs City Council also denied his bar its liquor license.
Despite all that has happened, however, O Face Bar is still in business as of 2024. That’s not to say that they’re thriving, though. For one thing, they have a 1.5-star rating on Google and Yelp, with many reviewers stating that the interior is “dirty”. Not only that but many have also found the service to be lacking with the staff coming off as “rude”. And unlike most bars nowadays, they don’t really have an online presence. The only thing that they have is an Instagram account and it hasn’t been updated since 2019.
Matthew, however, was sent back to jail after failing to register as a sex offender in 2017. It’s currently unknown whether or not he’s still behind bars or if he’s on parole. One thing’s for sure, though—his bar isn’t looking too good with all the negative reviews it’s been receiving. The fact that he’s now a convicted sex offender probably doesn’t help with business either.
