He's Feeling Lucky; You Might Be, Too.

This article deals with expanding demand for icon-level restaurants in Las Vegas, Nevada and elsewhere in the casino world. The announcement that Michelin three-star French chef Guy Savoy will open a 75-seat restaurant in 2005 at Caesars Palace shows that culinary one-upmanship among hotel-casinos has risen to an entirely new level--one that is having a trickle-down effect nationwide. Also in 2005, another three-chef France, Joel Robuchon will open a place inside the MGM Grand and New York City's Daniel Boulud will set up shop at the new 50-story Wynn Las Vegas. Superstar chefs might still be signing the big deals but savvy restaurateurs who run great restaurants--particularly those that are not chef-driven--are beginning to make headway. Hotel rooms and food and beverage outlets now produce revenue akin to that of gambling at some operations and big-ticket dining is one way hotel/casino operators keep the high rollers on property. Restaurants are also a key part of The Quarter, a 280 million dollar expansion of the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey that is set to open in October 2004. In September 2004, McGill's Restaurant of Tulsa, Oklahoma opened a location inside the Cherokee Casino Resort in Catoosa, Oklahoma.