The Toby Keith bar in Las Vegas, officially Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill at Harrah’s, closed permanently in March 2020 and never reopened after the pandemic shutdown. The space inside Harrah’s Las Vegas is now occupied by Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, a Louisiana-themed sports bar that began hiring for the location in late September 2021.1WhatNow. Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux to Serve Louisiana Cuisine at Harrah’s The closure was not just a pandemic casualty; the national chain behind the restaurant had already collapsed under a sprawling fraud scheme run by its primary operator.
What the Harrah’s Location Was
The Las Vegas restaurant opened on June 29, 2005. It seated 262 and featured live country music, a dance floor, a guitar-shaped bar, and country-themed décor. The menu ran to casual fare like fried Twinkies and chicken tenders, and by Strip standards it was considered affordable.2Casino.org. Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill Closes Permanently at Harrah’s
Why It Closed and What Replaced It
When Las Vegas shut down in March 2020, Toby Keith’s closed with the rest of the Strip. Many neighbors eventually reopened. This one did not. By mid-2021, Harrah’s was using the empty space for storage and the gift shop had been cleared out.2Casino.org. Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill Closes Permanently at Harrah’s Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux took over the location later that year.1WhatNow. Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux to Serve Louisiana Cuisine at Harrah’s
The Fraud Behind the Chain
Toby Keith himself never owned the restaurant chain. He licensed his name to operators. The company behind the national expansion was Boomtown Entertainment, run by Frank Capri — whose real name was Frank Gioia Jr., a former “made man” in the Lucchese crime family who entered the Federal Witness Protection Program in 1993. His true identity was not publicly revealed until investigative reporting by The Arizona Republic in 2017.3Arizona Republic. Ex-Mobster Frank Capri Arrested on Fraud Charges Tied to Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts Restaurants
Through Boomtown, Capri collected large upfront construction fees from mall developers who wanted a Toby Keith’s as an anchor tenant. Prosecutors alleged he pocketed the money — as much as $250,000 a week at times — using fraudulent paperwork, fabricated contractors, and forged documents. Federal investigators put the total loss to developers at roughly $64 million. By 2017, civil courts around the country had already ordered Capri and his companies to pay more than $65 million in judgments, many of them defaults because Boomtown never appeared to defend itself.4USA Today. Frank Capri Gets 5 Years for Fraud Scheme3Arizona Republic. Ex-Mobster Frank Capri Arrested on Fraud Charges Tied to Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts Restaurants Of the 20 Boomtown restaurants that opened starting in 2009, 17 failed within about 18 months of the Republic‘s first September 2015 report.5Arizona Republic. Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill Closings, Lawsuits and Liens Raise Questions Across Country
Where the Criminal Case Ended
A federal grand jury indicted Capri, his mother Debbie Corvo, and a third party in January 2020 on 16 counts of fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering. Capri was arrested in February 2020 and held without bail.3Arizona Republic. Ex-Mobster Frank Capri Arrested on Fraud Charges Tied to Toby Keith, Rascal Flatts Restaurants He pleaded guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and tax fraud.
On March 3, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge John Tuchi sentenced Capri to 60 months in federal prison, with the conspiracy and tax fraud sentences running concurrently, followed by three years of supervised probation. The court ordered restitution to victims of between $9.5 million and $18.5 million, plus $1.5 million to the IRS for tax evasion covering 2013 through 2015. The judge waived additional fines after finding Capri could not pay them.4USA Today. Frank Capri Gets 5 Years for Fraud Scheme
Is There Still a Toby Keith Bar Anywhere?
Yes, but not in Las Vegas and not connected to the failed chain. Two Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill locations still operate in Oklahoma — one in the Bricktown district of Oklahoma City and one in Moore — run by the Hal Smith Restaurant Group, which had no involvement with Boomtown Entertainment or Frank Capri.6Toby Keith’s Bar. Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill7Mashed. Toby Keith Restaurant I Love This Bar and Grill Toby Keith, who died in February 2024, licensed the rights to his name; he never owned the restaurants outright.