Meat processing facility allowed to continue restaurant operations in North Las Vegas

When John Mull applied for his first business license in 1954, he opened a meat processing facility called John Mull’s Meats & Deer Processing at 3730 Thom Blvd. Fourth-generation family owner Chuck Frommer bought the business from his uncle in 1981 and operated as normal until Guy Fieri featured his business on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”

Frommer knew that after the episode aired, people would flock to eat at his business, which offered only catering at the time. He decided to open the Road Kill Grill in May 2012, and everything was fine until he realized he was operating under the wrong business permit.

“That’s where all the problems began,” Frommer said. “I didn’t realize that the city devalued my license from a miscellaneous sales license to a general retail sales license.”

He said he received permission from the city to operate the restaurant under his miscellaneous sales license. According to Frommer, the city mailed the notice of devaluation months ago, but he never received it.

“We were doing a lot of catering around town, growing really fast,” Frommer said. “We did the episode with Fieri in January of last year, and it was to air five months later. In that time span, we had to decide whether we wanted to open up a restaurant and serve barbecue or be the laughingstock of the country.”

Everything was fine until February, when he was asked to host Rock the Troops, and the event organizer went to get a permit with the city for the event.

In March, a city worker cited Frommer for four violations: conducting a business without obtaining and maintaining a valid business license issued by the city; conducting business for another person/entity who has not obtained/maintained a valid business license issued by the city; operating a business in a manner that constitutes a nuisance; and failure to use a parcel of land in accordance with the uses permitted in the Land Use Tables.

Doug Rankin, planning manager for the planning department of the city of Las Vegas, said that once Frommer found out he needed a different license to operate, he became cooperative.

“The meat processing was not an issue. Older buildings need a zone change to operate restaurants,” Rankin said. “His business has been here for a long time. The city grew around it. While it’s an unusual place for C-1 zoning, neighbors supported the project.”

After being annexed from the county to the city, the facility received a variance in 1967, and the business was able to operate in a zoned R-E or residence estates.

But in order to continue operating his restaurant, Frommer had to apply to get rezoning to commercial and began conducting neighborhood meetings to hear the concerns of residents.

While some residents had concerns about other businesses moving in, most were supportive.

“He’s an icon in our community,” said Lex Anderson, historian of the Northwest Area Residents Association. “We’re a rural preservation area. Chuck has maintained his business in a rural atmosphere, and we’re here to support him as much as possible.”

Harvey Starrett, president of the association, wrote a letter to Las Vegas Ward 5 City Councilman Ricki Y. Barlow in response to the nuisance violation.

“Occasionally on Saturdays cars overflow and park on Thom Blvd. for several hours. But Thom Blvd. can handle it, just as it handles the dozens of vehicles that drop off and pick up kids at Parsons Elementary five days a week,” Starrett wrote.

The facility, which now sits in the middle of a northwest residential area, is pending a final review and waiting approval to continue to serve its barbecue meats and side dishes, according to Rankin.

“His business is a staple in the community,” Barlow said. “He’s been there for years, and he’s always done things above board. We’re thankful as a city to have such a great product that our residents can enjoy.”

The Road Kill Grill is open from 11 a.m to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday. For more information, visit johnmullsmeats.com or call 702-645-1200.

Contact North View reporter Sandy Lopez at slopez@viewnews.com or 702-383-4686. Find her on Twitter: @JournalismSandy.