The Nellie’s Southern Kitchen experiment on the Las Vegas Strip is coming to an end. The Southern-inspired restaurant, backed by the Jonas Brothers and their family, is set to close on or before June 1 after four years at the MGM Grand.
The closure was first reported by The Las Vegas Review-Journal, which cited a company email explaining that the brand planned to focus its efforts elsewhere as the restaurant’s lease neared expiration. MGM Resorts International has not publicly commented on the decision. The restaurant originally opened in June 2022 while the Jonas Brothers were performing their residency at Dolby Live.
Unlike many celebrity-backed dining concepts that lean heavily on branding, Nellie’s Southern Kitchen was positioned as a family project rooted in the Jonas family’s heritage. The restaurant was founded by Kevin Jonas Sr. and Denise Jonas, alongside their sons, Kevin, Joe, Nick, and Franklin Jonas. Its name honored Nellie Jonas, the brothers’ great-grandmother, whose Southern recipes inspired the menu and overall concept.
The restaurant described itself as “a place to pay respect and honor to a family legend in her own right,” while highlighting dishes connected to Nellie’s cooking traditions. Menu staples included fried chicken, shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, cheddar-chive biscuits, chicken and waffles, banana pudding, and fried catfish. The brand also emphasized its ties to Belmont, North Carolina, where the original location was established before expanding to Las Vegas.
The Vegas location entered a crowded celebrity-restaurant landscape that has long been part of the Strip’s identity. Big-name chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, and Giada De Laurentiis all operate successful concepts in the city, while entertainers and athletes have also attached their names to restaurants over the years.
Similarly, Las Vegas has increasingly become a testing ground for celebrity hospitality brands looking to expand beyond music, television, or sports.
