SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill at Destiny USA appears to have finally closed for good.

After midnight on Sunday staff and customers were suddenly told to leave. Workers closed the doors and began removing TVs and kitchen and other equipment. No one answered the phone at the restaurant.

The closure was sudden, but not unexpected. Rumors of the troubled restaurant's demise had swirled for months.

The restaurant owed $300,000 in unpaid sales taxes to New York state from 2014, but resolved the problems last year.

Earlier this year it was reported that Toby Keith's had been in a lengthy legal battle with Destiny USA over $1 million in rent the mall claimed the restaurant owed. The restaurant claimed the mall had violated its lease. Despite the problems, a company executive said in February that there were no plans to move.

The restaurant had national concerts booked there until the end of the year.



One of those acts was country music singer Chris Cagle, who played there Saturday night. Tickets cost between $20-25. After the show Cagle Tweeted a note of thanks to his fans and made an apparent reference to an issue with the show.

Syracuse New York thank you so much I appreciate your patience and even more than that I appreciate your support and your kindness — Chris Cagle (@chriscagle) May 17, 2015

The honky-tonk spot with a guitar-shaped bar regularly hosts DJs and live music. Its menu features traditional Southern American food like chicken wings, ribs, mashed sweet potatoes and creamed corn. Its waitresses, complete with skimpy outfits, are known as Whiskey Girls.

The restaurant was among the very first tenants announced for Destiny USA's expansion in 2012. When it opened in 2013 it took up 20,000 square feet on the expansion's entertainment-focused third floor.

Toby Keith doesn't actually have a direct business interest in the chain of restaurants that bear his name. Instead he has a deal with Boomtown Entertainment that allows the company to open restaurants using his name. There are more than a dozen locations.

Keith occasionally make appearances at the restaurants. He played at the Destiny location after it opened two years ago.

Contact Ken Sturtz: 315-766-7833 | Email | Twitter | Facebook | Google+