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Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ and Beer at the Excalibur.
Published Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 | 2:45 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012 | 3:46 p.m.
Map of Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ
Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ
3850 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas
The Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer restaurant and its sister establishment, American Burger Works, both at the Excalibur, closed Wednesday and their owners filed for bankruptcy protection.
The restaurants have disappeared from the Excalibur website and a spokeswoman for MGM Resorts International, owner of the Excalibur, confirmed Thursday that both restaurants are closed.
A message for comment was left with the managers of the businesses, which together employed 89 people in full- or part-time positions.
The Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd of “Sweet Home Alabama” fame had a stake in the Lynyrd Skynyrd restaurant, and the group performed during its December grand opening.
A Las Vegas Weekly critic proclaimed Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer’s barbecue was the best on the Strip, and the restaurant was noted for its rock atmosphere.
But financial issues at Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer surfaced publicly in August when an electrical contractor, FBP Systems Inc., filed suit in Clark County District Court complaining it had not been paid for some of its work on the restaurant improvements.
Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer has not yet responded to the suit.
The Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer bankruptcy filing said FBP is owed some $122,000, while the restaurant owes the Excalibur another $425,000.
Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer is part of the Drive This! Entertainment group of restaurants, bars and lounges created in 2006 by Michael Frey and Craig Gilbert.
The company set up to own the restaurant, Nuthin’ Fancy LLC, didn’t provide detailed financial information in its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing Wednesday but said its assets are valued at less than $50,000 while its liabilities are in the $1 million to $10 million range.
American Burger Works also opened in late 2011. It is owned by ABX Burgers LLC and is another Frey/Gilbert venture. Its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing listed assets and liabilities each estimated at under $50,000.
At the Excalibur, a spokeswoman said Thursday that the property is looking at all of its options for how to use the space occupied by the closed restaurants.
A shame, we've been meaning to go since reading about them. We love BBQ and wanted to try something from the Southern Rock guys. The amounts owed don't seem like much, at least by Vegas standards so I wonder what else might have been going on.
Our fault we missed out, we waited too long.
$600,000 in rent and to a contractor?
Who the hell was siphoning off the profits?
Ever since the Hard Rock Cafe, every Hollywood type or rockstar or sports guy has tried to jump into the restaurant business. 90% of them fail. Stick with what you know Lynard Skynard..Music. The next one to drop will be Tobey Keith.
I knew they had problems when they started doing the "Sean Hannity" freedom Concerts and going on FOX and the Hannity show Blame it on Obama right?
'Toby Keith's' I Love This Bar & Grill will be around for awhile because they don't claim to do anything well and Toby Keith is very recent, having hits from the 90's. Lynyrd Skynyrd with hits from the 70's had the unfortunate moniker of being the 'Best BBQ on the Strip'.
When a band from the 70's, touts such a claim about such a very food preparation people are passionate about customers will take them to task. Little did Brocke Radke realize, the moniker maker, he did more harm than good with his uninformed opinion. I never thought they could pull any part of the concept off. I'd trust BBQ from Patti Labelle before Lynyrd Skynyrd.
ABX had the terrible luck of being taken down by association.
Stick to what you do best people.
it was some tasty bbq. Glad i had the chance to eat there twice.
That place probably was the best bbq on the strip. That's not like saying it was the best bbq place in Kansas City or Austin or anything. Just the best choice - and a solid spot at that - on the strip.
The restaurant world on the strip requires star power and expensive build outs for a place to even open the doors these days. Otherwise, a place like this could have been called something generic like Joe's BBQ with a simple interior, and the same food it was serving, and be able to run at a fraction of the operating expense.
Flash and shiny is what rules the day on the strip. Until something else flashier and shinier takes its place. Keeps people coming back for more, so there you go.
We had lunch there sept 15th..From kansas in town for the fights that night.Service was good chairs were bad food was ok price was normal. We would eat there again but,it have to be an easy fit for the moment. Guess that's not going to happen and no biggee.
I say good riddance, the food was bland, even for self serve, the service was non existent, the prices were way too high, and the management was non existent. No wonder they went broke. Dickeys BBQ south at the Fashion Outlets is far superior.