POCATELLO — The Chalk Horse bar will reopen Wednesday as the Clydesdale with a new menu and new look thanks to the consulting efforts of mixologist Michael Tipps of Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue” fame. Three years ago, Tipps was approached by then 71-year-old Angie Hernandez in Boise while at a conference. Hernandez waited in line to talk to him about her family’s bar, which is now run by her daughter Sylvia Hernandez and her granddaughter Angelina Guzman.

    “I was really surprised because most small town bartenders don’t ask for help,” said Tipps.

    During the past three years, Tipps has been in Pocatello for a few weeks at a time helping train staff and remodel the bar. He also enlisted some help from the likes of food and beverage analyst Homan Taghdiri, Mark Diaz of HGTV’s “Design Stars,” David Foss from the Manhattan wine bar Anfora and chef Chris Ennis, who has worked in New York and L.A., and came in to help revamp the menu and train the kitchen staff.

    “Our goal was to have the best bar food in the state of Idaho,” said Tipps. “We want to raise the bar of what’s expected in this town.”

    The new menu is small but will use more fresh, never frozen, ingredients, and will be sourced from local farms and businesses, like Butcher Block, who will provide their meat selection. The new bar will also feature blended drinks and drinks made with fresh fruit juice, but Tipps said it won’t be anything too fancy.

    “We’re not doing an extensive cocktail menu,” he said, “just basic drinks done well.”

    The bar itself has been redecorated with hardwood bar tops and corrugated metal siding. They will reduce the number of pool tables to four and clear a space for a dance floor and stage. Local business Sound Source is installing a new sound system worth $20,000 for only $13,000.

    Outside,  the horseshoe pits have been dug up and filled with grass. A tiki bar and cabanas will replace the horseshoe pits and an outdoor screen and projector will be put up for outdoor events. Tipps said they have plans to start hosting weekly events, Monday comedy night, Sunday brunch and movie nights.

    “We’re not just a dive bar,” said Tipps. “We want to keep what we did right but raise the bar.”

    The bar will also be instating a dress code, which includes no sleeveless or stained shirts for men and no gang patches or symbols.

    This was to try and cut down on fighting in the bar and to make the Clydesdale a place where women feel comfortable and safe, a goal that Tipps said the police and the mayor are both fully behind.

    “We’re not going to tolerate any fights,” he said. “You will go to jail and we will press charges.”

    Tipps has done projects like this on Spike TV’s “Bar Rescue” but with significantly less time and a higher budget. This project has lasted roughly 3 years and has been a long-term collaborative effort between Tipps and his team, and bar managers Hernandez and Guzman. He said one of the biggest challenges with this project was, that like a lot of small town businesses, the bar is a family business and separating the business aspect from the family aspect is incredibly challenging.

    “People say, ‘well, how hard can it be’ running a bar?” said Hernandez. “It’s exceptionally hard.”

    “I think we got really lucky,” said Guzman. “He’s pushing us as managers to higher levels.”

    According to Tipps that’s what it’s all about, quality over quantity and pride that extends from the food coming out of the kitchen to the clientele of the bar. In his experience, he said Pocatello suffers from a lack of good bars with good food, good service and good security. He hopes if they are able to create a higher standard with the Clydesdale, there will be a ripple effect that will influence other local bars and businesses.

    “I love this town. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t,” said Tipps. “The people of Pocatello are great and they deserve the best. So why not give it to them?”

    The Chalk Horse will unveil its new look and new menu under its new name, the Clydesdale, on Wednesday at 5 p.m. But that’s just the beginning.

    “We’ve got a great concept, a great picture of what it will be moving forward,” said Hernandez. “We know what that is so we can execute it.”