“I’m devastated,” a first text rolled in. “Let’s go to Champs before it turns into a sports bar,” read another. That’s how the news trickled in Monday, after word hit Internetland that Champagne’s Cafe is getting a Bar Rescue makeover—whether patrons like it or not.

Earlier this week, longtime doorman Palamino Garcia invited friends to the bar on Facebook, saying he would be “drinking and thinking about all the memories we’ve had … before Bar Rescue comes and changes all.” A few shares later, a profane meme emerged, urging the Spike TV show’s star consultant Jon Taffer to pass over the beloved Rat Pack-era lounge and its famous red-velvet wallpaper.

Bartenders confirmed that a contract was signed but say they don’t know when the show will tape. (Greg Sims, the owner of about a year, did not respond to a request for comment by press time.) Two bar-goers who visited Monday said the changes weren’t expected to be drastic, and that the iconic features of Champagne’s would be preserved. “The owner told them that certain elements must be maintained or else he wouldn’t do the show,” a patron relayed after speaking to a bartender. “Basically, the wallpaper must stay,” added another.

Online, fans of the Maryland Parkway haunt reacted mostly with dismay, insisting that the reality show wasn’t a good fit for the storied bar, and pointing to the failure of past Bar Rescue operations, like the Sand Dollar Lounge on Spring Mountain Road, which operated briefly under a new name before reverting to its former identity, and the End, a now-shuttered zombie-themed bar the show tried to save. “Hopefully word spreads enough to where all of the people show up and link arms around the place before it’s rescued,” one fan wrote in jest.

Others in the industry defended the decision, pointing out that the show had to be invited by the owner, reasoning that the bar must be in trouble. “Listen, I’m all for history,” a local bartender commented, “but being behind the rail of a historic car teaches you that no one likes change. … I’m not shaming them for trying something new. Clearly what’s been happening isn’t working. Are you really devoted to ‘saving’ the bar? Then get down there. Get down there every day, and get down there with your friends. Culture alone doesn’t keep the lights on.”