Heart Attack Grill closes Fremont Street after 15 years

Heart Attack Grill closed its downtown Las Vegas location on Monday after 15 years on Fremont Street, according to the restaurant and Neonopolis owner Rohit Joshi. The restaurant shut at 9 a.m. Monday and will not renew its lease, local outlets reported. A statement posted on the company’s website blamed high casino prices, “corporate greed” and what it described as the exclusion of middle-class customers from Las Vegas. (neon.reviewjournal.com) The company also said it is seeking “new opportunities,” leaving open the possibility of a move rather than a permanent end to the brand. ### When did the Fremont Street location actually close? Monday morning was the end of service for the downtown outpost, according to Joshi, who told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the restaurant closed at 9 a.m. (neon.reviewjournal.com) The Review-Journal reported the closure on May 18, and KSNV updated its report early on May 19. The Fremont Street restaurant had operated for 15 years. KSNV reported that founder Jon Basso originally launched Heart Attack Grill in Tempe, Arizona, and moved the concept to Las Vegas in 2011. ### What reason did Heart Attack Grill give for leaving? The company’s website said the decision came from “the reality that major casinos have intentionally priced the average person out” of affordable dining in Las Vegas. (neon.reviewjournal.com) The same statement said the restaurant’s “eat big and laugh loud” approach no longer fit a city selling “forty-dollar ‘artisanal avocado toast,’” according to KSNV and the Review-Journal. The Review-Journal reported that the statement also cited “corporate greed,” said the city had “excluded the middle class,” and argued Las Vegas had “lost its swagger.” The company did not announce a new address. (neon.reviewjournal.com) ### Was this a shutdown of the brand or a possible relocation? Heart Attack Grill said on its website that it was seeking “new opportunities to continue our high-calorie mission.” The statement added that it looked forward to finding “new communities” that still appreciate a Bypass Burger, language that suggested the company is considering another location. (neon.reviewjournal.com) KSNV reported it was unclear whether the restaurant could reopen elsewhere in Las Vegas. Neither report cited a signed lease or named a future site. ### What kind of place was Heart Attack Grill? Heart Attack Grill built its identity around oversized burgers, a hospital theme and deliberate provocation. (neon.reviewjournal.com) The Review-Journal described the restaurant as known for Quadruple Bypass Burgers, a large outdoor scale and a promotion in which customers weighing 350 pounds or more ate free. KSNV reported that cheeseburgers ranged from 8 to 64 ounces, while the menu also included milkshakes, alcohol and soft drinks. (neon.reviewjournal.com) It said waitresses wore nurse-themed outfits and that the business had long drawn attention for its marketing. ### What else was happening around Neonopolis? (news3lv.com) Joshi told the Review-Journal that weak tourism and lower hotel occupancy had been affecting businesses at Neonopolis. He said traffic had been slow and that some tenants had struggled for the past six to eight months, though he also said several businesses at the complex were performing well. Neonopolis houses restaurants, bars, shops and entertainment venues including Fat Tuesday, Notoriety, Toy Shack and The Nerd bar, the Review-Journal said. (neon.reviewjournal.com) Joshi also said new plans for the property are coming, though he did not give a date or name replacement tenants for the Heart Attack Grill space. (news3lv.com) May 19 local coverage from KSNV and the Review-Journal pointed to the next concrete step: whether Heart Attack Grill names a new community for its “high-calorie mission,” or whether Neonopolis fills the now-vacant Fremont Street site. (neon.reviewjournal.com)