The Columbus Hollywood Casino officially opens on Monday, October 8th and thousands are expected to flood the venue on opening day. While the slot machines and gaming tables are all set up and ready to go, there’s still a flurry of activity happening behind the scenes in the kitchens of the four dining establishments at the casino.
“We’ll feed between 2,000 and 3,000 people on opening day,” said Executive Chef Dave Bennion. “We’ve got the capabilities to easily handle those numbers.”
During a private tour last week, Chef Bennion walked us through the million dollar high-tech kitchen behind the casino’s Epic Buffet where rows and rows commercial equipment are set up to handle high-volume cooking with precise consistency. A large team of chefs, prep cooks and other kitchen employees have also come on board to help things run smoothly.
“We have a fantastic pastry chef that we brought in from our Charles Town property,” said Christina Peloquin, Advertising Manager at the Columbus Hollywood Casino. “We also have a chef on board for Final Cut that we snagged from Cameron Mitchell Restaurants.”
Final Cut (an upscale steak and seafood restaurant) and Epic Buffet (a buffet dining room) are just two of the four dining venues located inside the casino. The other two include O.H., a sports bar and entertainment lounge, and Take 2 Grill, a grab-and-go station for patrons who want a quick bite.
Multiple bars are located throughout the casino as well, including a 300 bottle wine selection at Final Cut and a “Smart Bar” mixed drink system located in the basement that services stations throughout the entire facility through over 100,000 feet of tubing.
“With the Smart Bar, our bartenders and cocktail servers don’t have to know how to mix a drink or wait for a drink to be mixed in order to get that served to a guest,” explained Peloquin. “This will provide faster and more accurate service.”
Peloquin says that a $60,000 liquor shipment arrived at the casino last week, which should last about a week during the opening rush at the casino. Once the dust settles, Chef Bennion hopes that customer continue to return for the dining experience.
“We have over 5,000 restaurants in Columbus, and we have some phenomenal restaurants, but we want to be one of the leaders,” he says. “It’s all about freshness here, and bringing in as many local products as possible, and using local purveyors when we can.”
The food and entertainment at the Columbus Hollywood Casino is being trumpeted as one of the biggest draws for customers outside of gaming itself.
“You don’t have to be gambler to have a fantastic night out here,” said Peloquin. “You can come for a date night, you can come to just hang out with friends, or come to catch your favorite band on stage.”
More information can be found online at www.hollywoodcolumbus.com.
For a photo preview of the new Hollywood Casino, CLICK HERE.