(Pronounced Chap-ter Eye-le-ven)

By Stephanie Gleason and Patrick Fitzgerald

When Lynyrd Skynyrd performed at the grand opening of its first restaurant, Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer in the Excalibur Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, the band opened the show singing “Workin’ for MCA.”

But after less than a year in business, the restaurant has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with fewer than $50,000 in assets, and the band’s singing a different tune: “Workin’ for Creditors.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer is a partnership between the band and Drive This! Entertainment that opened in December 2011 as a tribute to “Hell House,” where Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote and practiced many of its famous songs, according to the website. Serving barbecued beef, pork and chicken, the restaurant was voted best barbecue on the Strip by Las Vegas Weekly.

The bankruptcy filing listed between $1 million and $10 million in debts and didn’t provide a reason for filing for Chapter 11. Calls to the band’s management company, record company, Drive This! Entertainment and the restaurant’s bankruptcy attorney all were unreturned Thursday. However, a Chapter 11 filing, as opposed to Chapter 7, usually indicates a company’s intent to reorganize rather than shut down.

In addition to Lynyrd Skynrd BBQ & Beer, American Burger Works filed for Chapter 11 Wednesday. That restaurant, also owned by Drive This!, is next door to Lynyrd Skynyrd BBQ & Beer but isn’t associated with the band.

The iconic American band is a fixture at Republican rallies, although it had to cancel its scheduled appearance at the Republican National Convention in Tampa because of Hurricane Isaac.

Lynyrd Skynyrd also has been embroiled in controversy recently over its use of the confederate flag. After saying on CNN on Sept. 9 that the band was going to dissociate itself with the flag, fans pushed back and accused them of being too politically correct, according to NBC. The band ultimately said it would continue to use the flag, saying it stands for “Heritage Not Hate.”

Write to Stephanie Gleason at [email protected] and Patrick Fitzgerald at [email protected].