‘Bar Rescue’ gives Bowling Green bar a new name and new life

Local food and drink spot gets TV show makeover

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) – A downtown Bowling Green bar is starting a new chapter under a new name after getting the full reality TV treatment from the show Bar Rescue.

What was once known as Alley Cat Dive Bar is now Chase’s Garage, following a whirlwind week of filming, redesign and rebranding. Host Jon Taffer and his crew spent just 36 hours revamping the space from top to bottom, unveiling the new identity to the bar’s staff and owner in real time.

“There’s not a single member, myself or my staff, knew anything was going to happen,” said Chase Martin, owner of the bar. “The moment I turned around and looked, that was the first time I ever saw the name.”

Martin, who purchased Alley Cat about a year and a half ago, said he had no emotional attachment to the old name but still respected its place in the bar’s history.

“Alley Cat wasn’t mine. Somebody else came up with it. But Chase’s Garage, that’s something I can build on,” Martin said.

The new name, a nod to Bowling Green’s deep roots in car culture and its nearby Corvette Museum, also reflects a broader shift in the bar’s image. What was once known as a classic dive bar now includes a restaurant-style menu, updated décor and a brighter, more inviting atmosphere.

“I liked it as the Alley Cat,” said Aussie, the bar’s manager. “But with us having a restaurant here, I think Chase’s Garage is beneficial to that new style.”

While some elements of the old Alley Cat have been replaced, Martin said parts of the original space remain intact. He hopes the community will see the changes not as a replacement but as an evolution.

“There’s a lot still here from the original Alley Cat. It’s just more of a different decoration. It kind of gives you the history of the building,” he said.

In an effort to involve the community in the bar’s future, the staff at Chase’s Garage plans to launch an online form where locals can submit ideas for a new mural. The goal is to blend the past and present into something Bowling Green can be proud of.

“We’ll be launching an online form soon so people can submit ideas for a new mural,” Martin said. “We want the community to feel like they’re part of this new identity.”

No air date for the Bar Rescue episode has been announced yet.