Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill
A country-music-themed American restaurant and bar chain named after Toby Keith's 2003 song "I Love This Bar."
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill is an American full-service restaurant and bar concept inspired by country singer Toby Keith. The chain was founded by Boomtown Entertainment and takes its name from Keith's 2003 song "I Love This Bar," which appeared on his album Shock'n Y'all. Its restaurants were designed as entertainment-oriented dining venues rather than conventional neighborhood restaurants, combining American and Southern-style food, substantial bar areas, country-music branding, and live performances by local musicians. A distinctive architectural feature of the concept was the guitar-shaped bar installed in many locations. Restaurants generally offered casual dining, alcoholic beverages, televised entertainment, and live music without a cover charge. During his lifetime, Keith periodically made surprise appearances at franchise locations, where he performed and interacted with customers. His association gave the concept a strong celebrity-restaurant identity and connected the venues to country-music culture. The first restaurants opened in Oklahoma in 2005, including venues in Oklahoma City and at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa. Additional early locations were established at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, and in Las Vegas. From approximately 2009 through 2013, the chain expanded into shopping centers, entertainment districts, casino properties, and sports-related developments across the United States. Locations were opened or announced in markets including Michigan, Arizona, Minnesota, Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas, New York, Virginia, California, Ohio, Florida, Illinois, and Alabama. The expansion model later involved Capri Restaurant Group Enterprises LLC, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based company owned by Frank Capri. Capri obtained a master license agreement intended to support the development of additional Toby Keith restaurants nationwide. The franchise system subsequently experienced extensive financial and operational problems. During the mid-2010s, numerous restaurants closed abruptly, often amid disputes involving unpaid rent, eviction proceedings, unpaid taxes, liquor-license issues, or other landlord and regulatory problems. Several proposed restaurants were never opened despite substantial construction work. The chain's decline included the closure of prominent locations in Dallas, Tucson, Foxborough, Syracuse, Denver, Cincinnati, Auburn Hills, Rosemont, and other cities. The Patriot Place restaurant near Gillette Stadium closed in 2019 and was replaced by Six String Grill & Stage, which retained elements of the former venue's guitar-bar and live-music format. The Las Vegas location at Harrah's closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and did not reopen. The Capri-related franchise collapse also produced litigation and civil judgments. According to the cited reference material, Capri and affiliated companies were accused of using Toby Keith-branded and Rascal Flatts-branded restaurants to defraud developers, and by 2020 courts had entered civil judgments totaling tens of millions of dollars. These events materially damaged the broader franchise network, although they concerned franchise development and affiliated companies rather than the restaurant concept's menu or musical identity. Following the widespread closures and Toby Keith's death in 2024, two locations remained open in Oklahoma. Neither is owned by Boomtown Entertainment; both are operated by the Hal Smith Restaurant Group. The brand therefore survives as a small remnant of a formerly nationwide celebrity-themed restaurant chain, with its continuing presence concentrated in Keith's home state.
History
The restaurant concept was created by Boomtown Entertainment and launched in 2005 in Oklahoma, Toby Keith's home state. The first venues opened in Oklahoma City and at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa. Early development also brought restaurants to WinStar World Casino in Thackerville and Las Vegas. The concept was built around Keith's public image and his song "I Love This Bar," released in 2003 on Shock'n Y'all. Unlike a simple branded dining outlet, the restaurants were conceived as large-scale entertainment venues. They served American and Southern-style food, maintained prominent bars, and commonly incorporated guitar-shaped bar counters. Live music by local performers was a regular feature and generally did not require a cover charge. Keith occasionally visited locations unexpectedly during his lifetime, performing for guests and reinforcing the connection between the restaurants and country music. The brand expanded substantially from 2009 through 2013. Restaurants and planned restaurants appeared in shopping centers, casino properties, and entertainment developments throughout the United States. Notable locations included Auburn Hills, Mesa, St. Louis Park, Denver, Foxborough, Dallas, Syracuse, Newport News, Rancho Cucamonga, Rosemont, Cincinnati, Phoenix, Peoria, Orlando, and Orange Beach. A Patriot Place restaurant outside Gillette Stadium opened in May 2011. A large Dallas venue opened in May 2012 after being announced as a redevelopment of part of a former multiplex. A Syracuse location opened at Destiny USA in early 2013. Further development was pursued through Capri Restaurant Group Enterprises LLC, based in Scottsdale, Arizona and owned by Frank Capri. Capri obtained a master license agreement to build more Toby Keith restaurants across the country. The development structure did not produce a stable national network. Beginning in 2014 and accelerating in 2015, restaurants closed in a series of abrupt or financially troubled exits. Some were evicted for unpaid rent or fees, while others were affected by tax liabilities, liquor-license suspensions, or disputes with property owners. Several announced projects never opened, including a planned location in Newark, California. The contraction affected both newer and established venues. The Dallas restaurant closed in January 2014 after a rent dispute. The Tucson location was evicted in March of that year, and the Folsom, California restaurant closed in December. During 2015, locations in Newport News, Houston, Woodbridge, Oxnard, Syracuse, Orange Beach, St. Louis Park, Orlando, Cincinnati, Rancho Cucamonga, Denver, Rosemont, and other markets closed. In Denver, the city later auctioned restaurant contents to recover unpaid taxes. The Auburn Hills restaurant also closed after its liquor license was suspended following repeated violations. The financial troubles generated extensive litigation involving Capri and affiliated companies. Reference material states that Capri was later identified as a former mobster and that his companies were accused of using Toby Keith and Rascal Flatts restaurant projects to defraud developers. By 2020, civil judgments in related lawsuits had reached tens of millions of dollars. These allegations and judgments were associated with the franchise-development network and contributed to the collapse of the national expansion model. The Patriot Place venue closed abruptly in January 2019 and was replaced by Six String Grill & Stage, which retained the former site's guitar-shaped bar and live-music staging. The Las Vegas restaurant at Harrah's closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and never reopened. After the nationwide contraction and Toby Keith's death in 2024, only two locations remained, both in Oklahoma and operated by the Hal Smith Restaurant Group rather than Boomtown Entertainment. The surviving locations preserve the brand's original Oklahoma-centered identity, but the chain is no longer a broad national franchise network.
- 2024
Two Oklahoma locations remain
[1]Following the chain's contraction and Toby Keith's death, two Oklahoma restaurants remained open under Hal Smith Restaurant Group operation.
- 2020
Las Vegas location does not reopen
[1]The Harrah's Las Vegas location closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and remained closed.
- 2019
Patriot Place location closes
[1]The Foxborough restaurant closed and was replaced by Six String Grill & Stage.
- 2015
National network contracts sharply
[1]Numerous locations closed during the year, while other proposed restaurants were abandoned before opening.
- 2014
Early prominent closures signal franchise problems
[1]The Dallas, Tucson, and Folsom locations closed amid rent, eviction, or related property disputes.
- 2013
Syracuse location opens
[1]A restaurant opened at Destiny USA in Syracuse, New York.
- 2012
Dallas location opens
[1]A large Dallas restaurant opened on May 15, with a formal grand opening later that year.
- 2011
Patriot Place restaurant opens
[1]The first New England location opened at Patriot Place near Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
- 2009
Rapid national expansion begins
[1]The chain began a rapid expansion that continued through 2010, adding venues across several U.S. states.
- 2005
First restaurants open in Oklahoma
[1]Boomtown Entertainment opened the first locations in Oklahoma City and at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa.
Products and positioning
A casual, entertainment-led American restaurant and bar combining Southern-influenced food, country-music branding, live local performances, and a highly recognizable guitar-shaped bar design.
Restaurant food · 2005
Full-service American dining
The restaurants serve casual American food with a particular emphasis on Southern-style dishes. Dining is offered in a full-service format, supported by large entertainment-oriented venues rather than a limited-service or takeaway-only model.
Beverages · 2005
Bar and beverage service
A major part of the concept is its large bar area, often designed in the shape of a guitar. The venues serve alcoholic beverages alongside food and use the bar as a central social and visual feature.
Entertainment · 2005
Live music entertainment
Locations regularly host local musical performers, generally without charging a cover fee. The live-music program supports the country-themed identity and differentiates the restaurants from ordinary casual dining outlets.
Controversies
2020
Capri franchise-development litigation
Capri Restaurant Group Enterprises and affiliated companies were accused of defrauding developers through Toby Keith-branded and Rascal Flatts-branded restaurant projects. By 2020, related lawsuits had produced civil judgments totaling tens of millions of dollars, according to the cited reference material.
Brand decisions
2019
Replace the closed Patriot Place venueStrategyBackground
The Foxborough, Massachusetts restaurant at Patriot Place closed abruptly after operating as the chain's New England location.
Action taken
The site was replaced by Six String Grill & Stage, which retained the guitar-shaped bar and live-music stage.
Aftermath
The replacement preserved some of the former venue's physical and entertainment features without continuing the Toby Keith brand.
2005
Launch a celebrity country-music restaurant conceptStrategyBackground
Boomtown Entertainment developed a restaurant brand around Toby Keith's public identity and the title of his song "I Love This Bar."
Action taken
The company opened full-service restaurants combining Southern-influenced food, large bars, country branding, and live music.
Aftermath
The concept expanded from Oklahoma into casinos, shopping centers, entertainment complexes, and other U.S. markets.
- Use a master-license franchise expansion modelStrategy
Background
Capri Restaurant Group Enterprises sought to develop additional Toby Keith restaurants nationwide under a master license agreement.
Action taken
Capri took responsibility for building and expanding new branded locations across the United States.
Aftermath
The franchise network later suffered widespread closures, landlord disputes, litigation, and civil judgments involving Capri and related companies.
Sources1 sources
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