NFL legend Emmitt Smith’s foray into the restaurant business has hit a snag after plans for his Las Vegas restaurant have seemingly fallen through. According to Las Vegas Review-Journal, Chef Rainer Schwarz, who was tapped to join the venture, has filed a lawsuit claiming that his former business partners did not follow through on their promises.
The suit alleges that the partners “arranged a conspiracy to steal the opportunity to open and operate Emmit’s for themselves while cutting Chef Rainer LLC and Trilogy out of the deal entirely.”
The suit seeks $67 million in damages, with Chef Rainer LLC claiming it is entitled to salary and profit sharing under the management agreement and having allegedly incurred more than $2.2 million in costs.
Emmitt’s Las Vegas, from the Pro Football Hall of Fame member, was announced in December 2021 for Fashion Show mall. Almost two years later, the restaurant is still not open.https://t.co/lM4OWNh08T
— Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) August 15, 2023
While Emmitt Smith was not named in the lawsuit, his limited liability company was one of the entities that entered into the initial agreement alongside Trilogy and Chef Rainer LLC. It seems that even NFL legends aren’t immune to the challenges of entrepreneurship.