Famed Las Vegas tavern takes over its parcel
Hogs & Heifers has always been a lot. That has never been more true than now.
The vaunted, leather-friendly bar is currently taking over an actual gravel lot in downtown Las Vegas. Find it in the new location at the temporary H&H sign at 307 and 319 S. Main St.
Owner Michelle Dell and COO Michelle Sandler — “The Two Michelles,” as we know them — have finally closed on the property. They plan to open the next iteration of Hogs & Heifers in March. But that plan is as fluid as the motor oil poured into Dell’s Harley.
“All kinds of things happen, right? So we could end up with some delays,” Dell said Wednesday during a highly informal unveiling of the new sign. “In the meantime, we are in the process of working on a like a Fort Hogs pop-up bar, that we would operate Thursday through Sunday and get ourselves up and running.”
The shell of the Victory Motel at 307 Main will be demolished, likely by January. The open, adjacent 319 parcel was once home to the Little Hotel Rooming House and is available for pop-up activation.
Next door is the still-open Bridger Motel, with the Plaza just a short distance across Main Street.
The staff has been aided through the transition by the Operation Save Hogs fundraiser, which provided short-term support as they sought new jobs. The funds were evenly distributed to nonmanagement staff on July 8-9, just after the club closed. About 45 staffers were affected by H&H’s closing.
“Since then, several of our employees have continued working with us at our merchandise kiosk on Fremont Street Experience, and most others have successfully found new jobs,” Dell says. “We are also working to develop a temporary Hogs structure to operate from during the construction phase, and we hope to welcome some of our former team members back.”
Previous staffers will be notified one to two months before the reopening, given first shot at recovering their lost positions.
This process has been a grind, enforced by the end of the business’ 20-year contract with property owner CIM Group. The news came down in May. It might be a full year since that announcement for the reopening of H&H. But the club has reason for confidence, a proven brand with more than 200,000 visitors annually at its original location. The new H&H concept will extend beyond the bar.
“We’re really excited about our ability to have an event center, that is multipurpose, and we want to be able to do anything on it,” Dell says. “We want cars shows, weddings, theatrical events. Now we have those opportunities.”
Cool Hang Alert
A nudge to the preview of “The Last Show,” set for 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Myron’s at The Smith Center. Former Vegas PR ace Michelle St. Angelo wrote the script. Music and lyrics by Barry Anderson (“Jersey Boys,” Legally Blonde”). Directed by Eric Jordan Young (“The Cocktail Cabaret,” “Vegas! The Show,” “Ragtime”) and produced by Megan and Susan Wilson of Libra Productions. The project is based on true stories of Vegas performers and their ill-fated shows, and how they coped to rebuild their lives. Hit up TheSmithCenter.com for intel.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
