Toby Keith's Suburban Chicago Bar Faces Closure Due to Pending Lawsuit

Country star Toby Keith is down on his restaurant luck. He's seen the closures of eight locations of his chain across the U.S., and Rosemont could join them, as Toby Keith's I Love This Bar reportedly faces eviction. Rosemont is suing the restaurant's operator, Boomtown Entertainment, for nearly $700,000 in back taxes and alleges that Boomtown owes the city (also the restaurant's landlord) rent from June and July, according to the Daily Herald.

This is a familiar tune for Keith, who earned $52 million last year and ranked No. 32 among Forbes list of the world's highest-paid celebrities. Rosemont officials even claimed their location was turning a profit, but apparently that money doesn't transfer into the operations of Keith's restaurants. Eight locations, including Houston, have closed under similar circumstances involving failure to pay rent. Phoenix-based Boomtown, at the time, called the closures a strategic move. Boomtown, which licenses Keith's name, also went through multiple lawsuits in Cincinnati before shuttering one in July in the Queen City, according to Cincinnati.com. There's also some apparent shadiness involving Boomtown and its ex-CFO regarding a Rascal Flatts chain.

Meanwhile in Rosemont, a hearing on the Cook County court lawsuit is scheduled for Thursday and the bar continued to serve customers as usual on Monday, according to the Daily Herald. Perhaps Rosemont will have better luck with Boomtown.