With Las Vegas becoming crowded with mega-resort casinos, endless shopping and dining options, and more entertainment venues than you could visit in a few months, property owners have become more selective. With seemingly every brand wanting locations on the Las Vegas Strip, landlords, casino operators, and property owners have to do more than just fill their space.
At least with the most in-demand venues, they need to pick and choose what partners they want that enhance their overall property. That's why some casinos will gladly embrace Starbucks (SBUX) but turn down having a Dunkin' while other higher-end operators might not even want any mass-market coffee brand on their property.
It makes sense -- whether you're operating a casino, an entertainment venue, or a shopping center keeping a central theme or connective tissue makes sense -- but it can lead to some hard choices. That's what happened to one popular Las Vegas Strip country bar which just shared that it has not been able to reach a lease renewal at its current home in the Miracle Mile shops adjacent to Caesars Entertainment's (CZR) Planet Hollywood.
Image source: Miracle Mile Shops
Las Vegas Strip Losing PBR Rock Bar & Grill (For Now)
Miracle Mile Shops is essentially a mall that also has a theater. Unlike the Caesars Forum Shops, it's not a shopping center built around high-end brands. It's actually closer to the "nice" mall you would find in many cities.
The mall also has an enormous amount of eating and drinking options -- everything from high-end to casual. There's also a robot bar (where robots make your drinks) and, at least for the moment the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Rock Bar & Grill, a country bar themed to the rodeo group which recently held one of its major events, the PBR World Finals and National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas in December.
"It’s absolutely heartbreaking that after two years of negotiations with the Miracle Mile Shops, we were unable to reach a new deal with the landlord,” Jonathan Fine, owner of PBR Rock Bar & Grill, said in a statement the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The owners of the soon-to-close bar and grill did also throw some shade at Miracle Mile Shops in its media statement.
“Although we had 12 successful years of growth with an incredible staff, the landlord has determined a country Americana brand is not a ‘fit’ for them at this time," the company shared.
PBR Rock Bar & Grill's management did promise to find a new location on the Las Vegas Strip to reopen. The current incarnation has been in the Miracle Mile Shops for 12 years.
What's Next for Miracle Mile Shops?
Miracle Miles Shops wasted little time in promising a replacement for PBR Rock Bar & Grill though it wasn't overly specific. The company issued a statement promising
"a replacement in the form of a mixed-use project with new 'state-of-the-art' entertainment features," Eater Vegas reported.
The company elaborated a bit in the statement from Miracle Mile General Manager Robert Buchanan.
“Miracle Mile Shops is undergoing an extensive interior and exterior renovation complete with elevated finishes, upgraded technology and digital design elements. New state-of-the-art entertainment features will include immersive light, sound, and video experiences throughout," he said. "Miracle Mile Shops guests will also enjoy entirely new and significantly upgraded restaurant zones."
Construction is expected to be completed on the broad renovation of Miracle Mile Shops in Spring 2023.
