Krave Massive, Drink & Drag clubs denied liquor license

By Conor Shine

Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013 | 6:30 p.m.

The Las Vegas City Council denied a pair of tavern licenses Wednesday for the troubled nightclub Krave Massive and the Drink & Drag bar due to improper paperwork and questions about the the downtown venues’ owners.

The issue: The council considered whether to approve a pair of tavern license transfers that would have allowed the two nightclubs to sell alcohol.

The vote: The applications were denied unanimously.

What it means: The two bars will remain effectively closed while the ownership situation is sorted out and new tavern licenses are issued.

Krave Massive, which was billed as the country’s largest gay nightclub when it opened in June, had already been shut down since late August because it did not possess a proper state sales tax permit.

Drink & Drag, a drag queen bowling alley and bar, had remained open, but will not be able to continue selling alcohol after the council’s decision Wednesday.

Both are operated by owner Kelly Murphy and are located at Neonopolis on the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fremont Street.

City spokesman Jace Radke said applications for the tavern licenses weren’t properly filed with the city, which led to the council’s denial.

Downtown Project, the redevelopment group whose partners include Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, is a minority owner of Krave Massive. The group is reportedly in negotiations to become 100 percent owner of Krave Massive.