State Park Restaurants Operated by Joe Exotic’s Magician Owe $250K in Rent…

Good news, local media folks! We may have another state park restaurant scandal developing just in time for the 2026 election!

Late last week, Wendy “Suave” Suarez with KOKH Fox 25 reported that Lookout Kitchen—the mini-restaurant chain operated by Joe Exotic’s personal magician, which took over operations of all state park restaurants in 2023 after the great Swadley’s Foggy Bottom Swindle—is behind on its rent payments to the state.

In fact, they currently owe the state $254,943.52.

Yep, just two months after opening, the restaurant fell behind on lease payments. In other news, every commercial real estate manager who leases to restaurants just nodded their head and said, “Yep. Sounds about right.”

Seriously, if you're a restaurant owner and you're not behind on rent right now, you're not doing enough drugs!

I’m actually impressed Lookout was able to cover even one month’s rent, considering the limited consumer base, seasonal whims, and their Yelp! reviews. We analyzed all six locations, and the chain as a whole has averaged below a 3.5-star rating. Quartz Mountain is the lowest, barely scratching a 1-star rating!

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Wendy Suarez talked with JP Wilson – the guy who owns and operates Lookout Kitchen with his family – about the company falling behind on rent.

Instead of answering Wendy’s questions truthfully and honestly, Wilson – the well-known local magician who has toured with Joe Exotic, and as a result, has likely seen, smoked, and swallowed a lot of stuff in his life – basically vanished behind a curtain of confusion and refused to reappear.

That was kind of a weak answer. If I were JP, I would have quoted Joe Exotic and shared my true feelings.

Anyway, I'm not exactly surprised Lookout Kitchen is having trouble paying its rent.

Last year, we received multiple dispatches via the Ogle Mole Network with inside chatter about Lookout Kitchen.

According to one Mole who previously managed a Lookout Kitchen and was involved in an unemployment dispute, it was common for the company to bounce payroll checks to employees working at their location.

As a result, a grocery store in the small town just outside the park—you know, the place most locals go to cash paychecks—stopped accepting Lookout Kitchen checks altogether.

The same Mole also claimed Lookout Kitchen regularly fell behind on vendor payments, to the point that food suppliers stopped delivering.

“We went through a variety of food providers from Ben E. Keith to Sysco to US Foods to Roma. I once heard an owner brag about owing $12,000 to a coffee roaster after they stopped delivering to us.”

Additionally, the Mole described how perishables and supplies were frequently shared between restaurants at various state parks.

“They were always shifting stuff around from their various businesses. It’s like we had four companies passing around the same $20 bill,” the Mole said.

Now, to be fair, you’d probably hear similar complaints about a lot of open, and especially closed, restaurants across the state. I’ve worked with the restaurant industry for a long time, and my favorite thing is that it always finds a way to make me feel professional, organized, and on top of things.

Plus, I guess it’s refreshing to know they’re only having problems paying bills. That's better than billing us for a $120,000 pizza oven with $36,000 in consulting fees. Let’s just hope they don’t go the Joe Exotic route and use expired meat for their sandwiches!

Anyway, if you ask me—and I don’t think you have yet—I think it’s probably time for Governor Stitt and Lt. Governor Pinnell to look in a mirror and admit that to inject our state parks with restaurant chains with “brand power” has been an abject disaster.

Not only was the business plan ignorant—there is a reason you don’t see restaurant chains clamoring to operate locations at remote rural state parks—but the results have also been terrible!

The first operator they brought in tried to steal from us, while the second one they brought in won’t pay their bills. I can't wait to see what type of food poisoning outbreak the third one causes! Will it be salmonella, or something more fatal like listeria? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Stay with The Lost Ogle. We’ll keep you advised.