VEGAS DINING NEWS: Health Dept. Closes Strip Casino Snack Shop, Pepper Club’s Replacement Announced

UPDATE: Garrett Popcorn Shops has reopened following a reinspection that found all hazards corrected. It is no longer listed on the Southern Nevada Health District’s website.

EARLIER: Garrett Popcorn Shops at the Miracle Mile Shops in Planet Hollywood was temporarily closed by the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) for scoring 14 demerits during a routine inspection on Feb. 18.

The gourmet popcorn shop was cited for:

1. Inadequate backflow prevention and proper wastewater and sewage disposal (5)
2. Food not protected from potential cross contamination (3)
3. Food not protected from potential contamination by employees and consumers (3)
4. Inadequate handwashing sinks stocked and accessible (3)

When businesses are closed by the SNHD, they are allowed to correct the issues as fast as they can, then request an immediate in-person reinspection. If the hazards are corrected, the business can reopen immediately and have the closure removed from SNHD’s website.

There is no phone number listed for the shop. A message left for Garrett’s corporate office on Sunday was not immediately returned.

Modern English

Kevin Jeffers, a former culinary operations manager for Station Casinos, is being given the shot to replace the Pepper Club at the English Hotel with a new concept he’s calling KJ’s (after his initials).

Jeffers described the restaurant to the Las Vegas Review-Journal as “a modern American restaurant and social bar offering an approachable dining experience rooted in community.” No opening date has been announced.

The Pepper Club was opened in 2022 by Todd English in the hotel the once-celebrated chef licensed his name to.

Dining Ins & Outs

Osteria Fiorella at Red Rock Station will follow Fiorella Pasta Bar at Durango Station out the door at Station Casinos, according to Vital Vegas. No closing date for the former been announced, though the latter is closing March 27. Both restaurants were opened by James Beard-awarded chef Marc Vetri, best known for his Vetri Cucina in Philadelphia — Osteria in July 2020, Fiorella Pasta Bar in December 2023. An outpost of Vetri Cucino at the Palms only survived from March 2020 to fall 2025.

Charter 75 Modern Kitchen has opened at Boyd Gaming’s Gold Coast Casino, just west of the Rio on West Flamingo Road. The restaurant takes its name from 1975, the year Boyd Gaming was founded. It replaces TGI Friday’s with a menu that’s not entirely different.