Rodman in Talks for Restaurant

Dennis Rodman, the flamboyant former basketball star, wants to add restaurant mogul to his resume and has his sights set on Irvine, the quintessential planned community that embodies everything he’s not--staidness and predictability.

Rodman, who has had several run-ins with the law over his raucous behavior, is in negotiations to purchase a majority stake in Sloppy Joe’s restaurant, bar and nightclub in the Irvine Spectrum, said Rob Stevens, a partner of a group that owns Sloppy Joe’s and several other eateries.

If the deal goes through, the restaurant probably would be renamed Rodman’s Roadhouse.

Rodman already owns Josh Slocum’s, a popular restaurant and nightspot that has drawn rebukes for rowdy behavior in Newport Beach, his hometown.

Doug McAllister, Rodman’s business partner, said the former NBA star hopes to add a dash of Vegas glitz to sleepy Orange County by transforming Sloppy Joe’s into a trendy establishment.

The venue would feature live entertainment, including rock concerts and costume parties, as well as a tattooing and piercing area.

“People from Tustin, Laguna Niguel and Anaheim Hills really have nowhere to go now, and we want to bring [them] something hip,” said McAllister, who has operated strip clubs as well as restaurants.

The deal is not a sure thing. Rodman wants Sloppy Joe’s current 14-month lease extended to two years before he agrees to move forward, McAllister said.

Rodman would need the approval of the property’s landlord, Irvine Co., and its owner, billionaire Donald Bren.

McAllister, who said Rodman plans to spend $500,000 to renovate the space, is confident Irvine Co. will sign because “we can do big numbers there.”

Josh Slocum’s, which basketball’s former bad boy bought with McAllister in March, is profitable, with sales expected to exceed $3 million this year, McAllister said.

With his sporting career presumably behind him, Rodman wants to assemble a mini-empire of restaurants, eventually expanding to Las Vegas and Dallas, McAllister said.

Some of Rodman’s neighbors, though, think he likes partying too much. In June, the Newport Beach city attorney filed a lawsuit seeking to end live entertainment and dancing at Josh Slocum’s.