Refreshing and adapting the Rock & Brews experience with casino spaces is a key priority for Adam Goldberg, CEO of American themed-restaurant chain, Rock & Brews into 2025. Here, Adam lays out the roadmap for the next 12 months in the evolution of the F&B – R&B brand.
Rock & Brews is more than just a restaurant; it’s a dining experience with a Rock ‘n’ Roll twist. Over the last 15 years, our team has worked to continually evolve this experience, especially after we decided to integrate into the casino space. Each new location within a casino requires market research, a strong partnership between our team and the casino operators, and an operational strategy that ensures each location is distinct and intentionally adds to the current space.
Adapting to the Casino Space
The nature of a Rock & Brews location within a casino varies depending on the real estate available and the goals of the casino operators. For some, the concept is built from the ground up and in others, we take over an existing space and “rockify it” by transitioning it to fit the brand identity. It is the goal of every new location, however, that remains the same: to create an immersive, rock-themed dining experience that enhances the broader casino environment.
The first step always includes a site visit with the Rock & Brews team, including the founders and designers, to fully understand the existing concepts in the casino, the space’s relationship to the casino floor, and the partners’ broader objectives. This collaborative process ensures that Rock & Brews seamlessly blends into the casino space.
Meeting Casino Expectations and Engaging Guests
For casino operators, Rock & Brews offers a unique way to enhance each guest’s experience and, most importantly, drive more gaming activity. By offering a high-energy ambiance with live music and classic American foods, Rock & Brews not only attracts new guests that otherwise may not have visited the casino, but it also encourages current guests to stay longer and continue playing. This dynamic blend of entertainment and dining translates to a higher coin drop.
For example, a guest might enjoy a meal at the restaurant and continue playing at a nearby bar-top slot machine to listen to rock music from the high-quality speakers. By melding food and entertainment, the concept adds value to the overall gaming experience.
Improve the Casino Hospitality Experience
Opening a new restaurant, whether it be a stand-alone unit or within a casino, requires a large team of hospitality experts to train the staff. Rock & Brews goes one step further by including the casino’s management teams to elevate the hospitality experience of the entire property, not just the restaurant space. Our national training team, consisting of VPs, directors, sous chefs, experienced hosts and more, work directly with casino staff to ensure that all employees understand the Rock & Brews culture of hospitality. This training process is a crucial piece of opening in a casino and helps foster an atmosphere where guests feel valued and look forward to visiting again.
Overcoming Challenges in Food & Beverage Offerings
Integrating a new food concept into a casino setting has many benefits, but it also comes with a set of challenges unique to the restaurant and gaming worlds. The proximity to competing dining options, retaining skilled staff, and customising menu offerings make it crucial that Rock & Brews stays ahead of the curve.
Although obstacles in recruitment and staff retention are prevalent in many aspects of the industry, Rock & Brews combats this challenge by investing in training and development to transform team members who have limited experience in food & beverage into skilled servers, hosts, or managers who go on to deliver exception service. This emphasis on investing back into our team ensures that quality of service remains high and stable throughout the year.
To fully engage with guests at each location, the local teams are encouraged to customize the Rock & Brews experience from a stand-alone restaurant. The clientele also varies from casino to casino, and the needs of the guest is our main priority.
If certain programming is better suited to local preference, the team on the ground can cater to the specific demographic since they understand their guests best. For example, a few of our locations around the country offer a Sunday brunch while others do not. Due to our strong partnerships with the casino, we trust their teams to make decisions that match the experience for which their guests are looking.
Keeping the Concept Fresh
Rock & Brews constantly refreshes menu offerings to maintain excitement and relevance among new and returning guests. Limited-time collaborations with iconic Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famers like Bob Dylan, Sammy Hagar, Jon Bon Jovi, Alice Cooper, and, of course, KISS, generate buzz and appeal to fans of both the artists and the concept.
Music is inherently part of our DNA, and it serves as a key element to the upbeat and enjoyable energy of every location. While rock music will remain the primary genre played throughout each restaurant, Rock & Brews is frequently updating playlists to incorporate the occasional pop or country song to ensure the atmosphere resonates with guests and appeals to a broader audience.
Refreshing and adapting the Rock & Brews experience with casino spaces is a key priority for Adam Goldberg, CEO of American themed-restaurant chain, Rock & Brews into 2025. Here, Adam lays out the roadmap for the next 12 months in the evolution of the F&B – R&B brand. Rock & Brews is more than just a…