‘Pawn Stars’ plan a Pawn Plaza with barbecue, poutine and Italian ices

Rick Harrison, one of the stars of the History Channel’s “Pawn Stars,” already has a hit on his hands with his Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. He says the 24-hour store where the show is filmed sees “more than 4,000 visitors … each day.”
And those people need a place to eat.

Enter Pawn Plaza, his container shopping center that plans to open this summer.

Harrison teamed up with Las Vegas’ Rollin Smoke Barbeque to bring Rick’s Rollin Smoke Barbeque & Tavern, as well as two additional tenants — Smoke’s Poutinerie out of Ontario and Philadelphia’s Rita’s Italian Ice.

These first three of up to 16 tenants plan to fill the two-story, 11,000-square-foot container park made from brightly colored cubes from Xtreme Manufacturing. In all, 72 cubes make up 36 structures, although most tenants will take up more than one cube.

Rick’s Rollin Smoke Barbeque & Tavern will be split over two levels with the tavern on the top floor and the cafeteria-style barbecue spot serving Arkansas-style ‘cue from hickory smokers on the lower level. Sandwiches, smoked meats and competition-style ribs will be on the menu. The tavern, with 16 beers on tap, will have a balcony overlooking Las Vegas Boulevard. Harrison says he may serve barbecue and beers once it’s open.

Smoke’s Poutinerie brings only its second U.S. location and a menu of poutine, the Canadian dish made with gravy, fries and cheese curds. Toppings include double-smoked bacon, flat-iron steak, grilled chicken, caramelized onions, sautéed peppers and more.

Rita’s, opening its first location on the Las Vegas Strip, serves Italian ice and frozen custards.

Last Thursday, the first cubes arrived at Pawn Plaza, ready to be stacked and installed.

In the meantime, the pawn shop features some of the items seen on the show as well as a gift shop in the back. Sometimes the stars of the show are on hand, but the line of tourists walking through slows to a stop, preventing the store from doing any business.

Info: Gold & Silver Pawn Shop