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Big-Name Restaurateurs to Attract Business to New Casino18 April 2001LAS VEGAS, Nevada --Apr. 18, 2001—As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Palms developer George Maloof is turning to a mix of well-known restaurateurs to sell his emerging Flamingo Road hotel-casino, which is designed to target locals and tourists when it opens in December. ”Among the big names are Chicago restaurant owners Michael Morton and Scott DeGraff, who Maloof said Tuesday will open a version of Chicago's popular Nine steakhouse at the $265 million project across from the Gold Coast. ”The property's gourmet room will be leased by Andre Rochat, whose Andre's French Restaurant in downtown Las Vegas is rated one of the city's top high-end restaurants. ”… Maloof said during a Tuesday morning tour of the Palms construction site. "We're hoping our restaurants will pull in Strip visitors, and I'm pretty confident ours will do that." ”With 455 hotel rooms, a relatively small number by Las Vegas standards, the Palms will be especially dependent on its restaurants, two night clubs, bars and casino to generate foot traffic. ”Dennis Forst, a McDonald Investments casino industry analyst, was less optimistic about Maloof's plans to target both locals and tourists. ”…`Getting Strip customers will be difficult unless Maloof can sell them with a unique hook or high-quality food at a good price, but it will be a tough sell,’ Forst said. ”…Maloof also plans high-end slot and table games areas. About 75 percent of the property's 2,200 slot machines will be video poker; the rest will be reel machines. |