Casino bustles with visitors to new facility
Grand opening of Hard Rock Casino keeps patrons busy all weekend
Grand opening celebrations were well underway at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Sacramento at Fire Mountain on Saturday as hundreds of people headed out to Forty Mile Road to catch a glimpse of the action for themselves.
“The opening has been over a year
in the making,” said Toni Cooke, advertising manager at the local Hard Rock facility. “For me to see this play out is just amazing. Everyone here, from our top executives to the people cleaning the floors, we are all so excited for opening weekend.”
We headed out on Saturday afternoon as well to see all that the casino had to offer. Here is a bit of what we saw:
Dealer Arlene Lazamana said she feels nothing but good vibes on the gaming floor.
“Everyone has just been smiling all day,” said Lazamana. “They all are having such a great time.”
Lazamana said there was a steady stream of people trying their hand at the tables, all with varying levels of card playing skills.
“I’ve had to guide some people through the game because it was new to them,” said Lazamana.
While Lazamana said she has not had any big winners at her table yet, she said she is happy to see everyone out enjoying themselves.
Members of the Hard Rock team said the cafe has been the most popular dining destination within the facility since opening and the spot was still busy as the lunch rush died down.
According to Tom Perez, area vice president of the Hard Rock franchise, most of the tables in the cafe were reserved throughout the day on Saturday.
“We are busy from the moment we open until the moment we close the kitchen at midnight,” said Perez.
Perez said the burgers have been the most popular item on the menu at the cafe, followed closely by the jumbo combo appetizer plate.
According to Perez, guests have also been enjoying the open plane kitchen and amphitheater-style design of the room.
“They are able to see that we are working in a real kitchen with real food,” said Perez. “They have also liked watching our Burger Room, where the guest can watch all of the burgers being made.”
Perez said since opening, the nightly shows at the cafe have included an E Street cover band as well as a Journey cover band.
Justin Warner said he left the Fresh Harvest Buffet with a happy, full stomach.
“All of the food was really good,” said Warner. “And so much variety.”
In addition the wide assortment of foods from around the world, Cooke said there is also a station dedicated solely to fresh churned gelato and dozens of fresh pastries, all of which are made on-site.
Warner said he has not tried the other restaurants in the casino yet but plans to make a trip to try others.
More than 13,000 people gathered at the Toyota Amphitheater for Hard Rock’s grand opening concert featuring Def Leppard, Don Felder and Last in Line. After a night of rock ‘n roll, the night sky was lit up as the show concluded with fireworks.