HOUSTON – A local bar named after a famous country music singer is gaining notoriety for the wrong reasons.
Contractors who worked at the Toby Keith I Love This Bar and Grill in West Houston say they were never paid.
The subcontractors who were hurt in this business deal are blue collar workers – essentially Toby Keith's fanbase. Keith is known for his common sense, say what you mean, do the right thing style. But Houston contractors say Keith is not living up to his image.
Ronnie Tinsley's company did all the plumbing work inside the West Oaks Mall establishment. But Tinsley's not exactly flush with cash after the job. He's owed nearly $35,000.
"There's not much else we have other than our name at the end of the day and for integrity purposes, I would hope he would step in and at least make some phone calls," he said
Local 2 has counted up more than $120,000 the business owes workers. An Arizona company that bought the rights to use Keith's name and image is working on paying everyone what they're owed.
Despite the liens and several pending lawsuits across the country, the bar's website says there are 10 new locations coming soon including one in College Station and another in San Antonio.