If there is one culinary contribution America has given the world, it is the great American steakhouse. While many nations—such as Greece, Italy, France, and Japan—are celebrated for centuries of rich culinary traditions and iconic regional cuisines, America has carved out its own distinctive place through the steakhouse. More than just a restaurant, the American steakhouse has become a symbol of hospitality, quality, and indulgence, earning its reputation as a uniquely American dining experience.
As a hotelier and restaurateur, I find great enthusiasm in the thought of designing a concept that will please both the local European market and the international traveler. While cultural differences can define who we are, I truly believe that there are five pillars of hospitality that are understood internationally:
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Quality
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Consistency
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Customer Service
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Ambiance
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Humility
I have about three decades of hotel and casino experience when it comes to restaurants being an amenity to the hotel and resort guest. I have a clear vision of what a restaurant's role is in this environment:
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To become a deciding factor on a person decides to stay
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To deliver and experience that will keep guests on property
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To meet the expectation of the casino operator on how long the dining experience should be
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To become an interictal part in the overall guest experience that will make guest return to the property
With these thoughts in mind, I give Brizóla, Amerikániko styl.
Richard Femenella
Richard Femenella
I am the author of this website. I have lived in Las Vegas for the past three decades while traveling the united states as a restaurateur and hotelier.
Mae Daly's
Fine Steaks & Whiskeys
I presently own and operates this award winning steakhouse on the Las Vegas Strip.
Casino Background
I arrived in Las Vegas in 1997 to work on the final designs of Aureole Las Vegas in the new Mandalay Bay. As the operating partner our company earned an array of awards and set a new standard for five star restaurants in the United states.
The Elements
Food
Athens has a surprisingly sophisticated high-end food scene. Presently, the city boasts 12 Michelan Star Restaurants which is a great indictor of the demand for luxury in this incredible city. On a global playing field, I think it is safe to say that is known for its wonderful seasonal Mediterranean seafood. Also, foods of note would be Greek olive oil, Naxos beef, Aegina pistachios, Tinos cheeses, Greek honey, mastic, saffron, specialty herbs and regional cheeses are being elevated into luxury ingredients. All of the items Greece is known for should be incorporated into our menu, but it is as equally important that we keep in mind the concept being developed here is an American style steakhouse.
One important observation: Athens doesn't appear to have a dominant Las Vegas-style luxury steakhouse yet. Its best meat restaurants tend to be chef-driven, Greek/Mediterranean or live-fire concepts rather than giant American-style steakhouses. That could actually represent an interesting positioning opportunity.
Let take a look at a partial comp set that exists today and what they focus on:
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Vezené Athens - Whole-animal butchery, rare breeds
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Basegrill Peristeri - Displays cuts and unusual/long-aged beef
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Telemachos Athens - Rotisserie, Josper grilling
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Beefbar Athens - Premium beef into multiple formats, including luxury versions of casual street food
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MOO CASA steak & lobster - A luxury surf-and-turf proposition
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Casa del Toro - More relaxed than a formal steakhouse
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Fine Mess Smokehouse - American low-and-slow barbecue techniques applied to meat and many other items
Now let’s look at the elements that make an American Style Steakhouse so successful and desired:
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Top Grade of Beef and a good selection of primary cuts and styles of beef
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The freshest chilled & cooked seafood offerings
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A great selection of seasonal produce incorporated into the menu
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Service has to be at the highest level of fine dining
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Steakhouse customers do not like composed plates, they always prefer an ala carte style offering
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A warm and inviting atmosphere is a must
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Service ware should be elegant
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Linen is expected
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Comfort is of the highest expectations
If you compare the list of the elements that make an American steakhouse to the list above of what the comp set presently focuses on, we can see that there is great opportunity here for an American-style steakhouse in Athens, Greece.
Beverage
For a luxury American-style steakhouse inside a casino on the south side of Athens, I would build the beverage program around the idea of American steakhouse classics with a world-class Greek and Mediterranean connection. The spirits program should be deep rather than simply broad: an exceptional collection of bourbon and American rye, allocated and collectible whiskies, Scotch, Cognac, Armagnac, premium tequila and mezcal, along with an outstanding gin and vodka selection. The cocktail list should center on the great steakhouse drinks—Martinis, Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Sazeracs and Sidecars—while adding a handful of contemporary signatures incorporating Greek ingredients such as mastiha, honey, citrus, herbs and olive oil. A prominent whiskey and cocktail bar could become a destination within the casino, with serious by-the-pour selections and tableside or theatrical presentations.
The wine program should be equally ambitious, built first around the great steakhouse categories: Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, Napa Valley, Burgundy, Rhône, Barolo, Brunello and Champagne. But its defining characteristic should be an exceptional representation of Greek wine, particularly premium producers from Nemea, Naoussa, Santorini and Crete. Rather than treating Greek wine as a novelty, I'd position it alongside Napa, Bordeaux and Burgundy and train the staff to explain why particular Greek wines work with particular cuts of beef. The list should offer everything from accessible bottles to highly collectible labels, with an extensive by-the-glass program, large formats and a strong selection of half bottles. The goal is for the guest to feel that the restaurant has one of Athens' great wine cellars and one of its great whiskey collections, while still delivering the unmistakable pleasure and ritual of an American steakhouse.
Service
Service will be built around the classic American luxury steakhouse tradition, elevated to the standards of a world-class casino resort. Every guest should feel recognized, welcomed and genuinely cared for from the moment they enter the restaurant. The service style will be polished and confident without being stiff or formal. Servers will be extensively trained in beef cuts, Prime and Wagyu, dry-aging, cooking temperatures, sauces, sides, spirits and wine so they can guide guests naturally rather than simply take orders. The objective is anticipatory service—understanding what the guest may need before they have to ask, while maintaining an appropriate sense of privacy and discretion.
The dining experience will emphasize theater and personal attention. Steaks will be presented with pride, with knowledgeable explanations of cuts and preparation, and signature items may include tableside carving, sauce finishing, seafood presentations and other memorable touches. Wine and spirits service will follow classic fine-dining standards, including proper presentation, decanting and glassware, while cocktails will receive the same level of attention. Timing will be carefully coordinated between the kitchen, bar and dining room so that a guest never feels rushed, forgotten or unnecessarily delayed.
Because the restaurant is located within a luxury casino, service should also recognize that guests may be celebrating, entertaining clients, staying at the resort or simply looking for an exceptional night out. Staff will be trained to read the occasion and adapt accordingly. Regular guests should be recognized and remembered, special occasions should receive thoughtful acknowledgment, and discreet VIP service should be available without making other guests feel overlooked. Ultimately, the standard is simple: warm Greek hospitality delivered with the precision, consistency and sophistication expected of the finest American steakhouses and luxury resorts in the world.
The Casino - Resort Enviorment
A casino restaurant should be designed differently from a standalone restaurant because you are not only managing food, service and guest satisfaction—you are managing the guest's journey through the casino ecosystem.
For this Athens project, I would think about it in terms of dwell time, spend, gaming behavior, hotel behavior and repeat visitation.
1. Don't try to get guests out quickly
For a luxury casino steakhouse, I would target approximately 2 to 2½ hours for a normal dinner, with 2½–3 hours being perfectly acceptable for a celebration, business dinner or tasting experience. The mistake would be to operate the restaurant like a high-turnover steakhouse. A casino guest isn't necessarily valuable because you can seat their table three times; they may be more valuable because you create a memorable evening that keeps them on property.
I would actually design several different dwell-time experiences:
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90 minutes: pre-show / pre-gaming / business dinner
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2–2½ hours: normal luxury dinner
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2½–3+ hours: celebration or destination dining
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Late night: cocktails, steak, desserts and premium spirits after dinner
The restaurant should feel comfortable enough that guests want to linger, particularly at the bar. You don't want a server subtly communicating, "It's time for you to leave."
2. The bar becomes extremely important
Inside a casino, I would make the bar a destination in its own right, rather than simply a waiting area.
Think about a guest who has finished dinner at 10:15 PM. Instead of leaving the restaurant, they might move to the bar for a rare bourbon, Cognac, Martini or dessert cocktail. That extends the relationship and potentially moves the guest toward additional casino activity afterward.
I'd build:
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Serious American whiskey collection
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Greek spirits and liqueurs
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Premium Cognac and Armagnac
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Large-format cocktails
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Tableside Martini service
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Excellent Champagne
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Premium by-the-ounce wine
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Late-night food
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Comfortable bar seating
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3. Think about the restaurant as part of the casino's customer journey
The restaurant shouldn't operate in isolation.
You need to understand:
Hotel → casino → restaurant → bar → casino → nightlife → hotel
A guest might gamble before dinner, dine, return to gaming, come back for a nightcap, and eventually go upstairs to their room.
That means the restaurant should have visual and physical connectivity to the casino experience, while still feeling sufficiently sophisticated and separated that guests don't feel like they're eating in a casino food court.
4. Build a VIP strategy from day one
This is one of the biggest differences between a casino restaurant and a conventional restaurant.
You will have:
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High rollers
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Casino hosts
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Hotel VIPs
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International guests
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Casino executives entertaining clients
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Players receiving dining benefits
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Celebrity/entertainment guests
The restaurant needs a system for recognizing these guests without making the experience uncomfortable for everyone else.
VIP benefits might include preferred tables, special cuts of beef, private dining, rare wine access, complimentary amenities or chef experiences.
Most importantly, the restaurant staff needs to know who the guest is and what matters to them before they sit down.
5. Create a strong "casino comp" philosophy
You need to determine early how the restaurant interacts with casino comps.
For example:
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What food can be comped?
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Can alcohol be comped?
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Who has authority to approve it?
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What is the acceptable comp percentage?
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Are premium wines treated differently?
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Can casino hosts reserve tables?
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How do you protect prime tables from excessive comp usage?
You don't want the restaurant's economics destroyed by an overly generous comp structure. At the same time, you don't want casino marketing to view the restaurant as difficult to use as a VIP benefit.
The restaurant and casino should have one economic strategy.
6. Don't underestimate reservations
Casino restaurants can have unusual demand patterns.
You could have:
6:00–7:00: pre-dinner
7:00–9:00: peak dinner
9:00–10:30: second wave
10:30–midnight: casino/nightlife crowd
I'd deliberately hold some inventory for casino guests and same-day demand rather than selling every table days in advance.
That gives the casino host team somewhere to take an important guest tonight.
7. Late-night dining should be a major revenue opportunity
This could be particularly powerful in Athens.
A traditional restaurant might effectively shut down after dinner. A casino steakhouse shouldn't necessarily do that.
After 10 PM:
Prime steaks → Wagyu sliders → oysters → shrimp cocktail → bone marrow → steak tartare → fries → caviar → Champagne → whiskey
The late-night menu can be smaller and faster while maintaining the luxury positioning.
8. Design the menu around gaming psychology
This is subtle but important.
A casino guest may not want a three-course dinner every time.
Give them multiple ways to engage:
$25–40: cocktail + bar bite
$50–75: burger/steak sandwich + drink
$100–150: steak + sides
$200+: premium steak + wine
$500+: Wagyu/caviar/rare wine experience
That allows the restaurant to capture different levels of casino guests without cheapening the brand.
9. Protect the luxury positioning
Being inside a casino doesn't mean the restaurant should feel like a casino restaurant.
I'd create a dramatic transition from gaming floor to dining room.
Once guests enter:
Lighting changes. Sound changes. Materials change. Service changes.
Wood, leather, brass, stone, art, excellent acoustics and a sophisticated bar can create the feeling that they've entered a separate world.
10. Measure more than covers and average check
For this restaurant, I'd establish a casino-specific dashboard:
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Covers
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Average check
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Revenue per available seat
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Table duration
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Bar revenue
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Beverage mix
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Wine bottle sales
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Premium spirit sales
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VIP revenue
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Comp revenue
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Casino-generated covers
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Hotel-generated covers
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Repeat visitation
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Late-night revenue
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Guest gaming before/after dining, where appropriate and permitted
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Casino host utilization
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Guest satisfaction
The ultimate question isn't simply "How much did the restaurant make tonight?"
It's:
"How much value did this restaurant create for the entire resort?"
That's the mindset I'd use in designing the operation.
One particularly important idea
For this project, I would not design the restaurant around maximizing table turns.
I'd design it around maximizing the value of the guest's entire evening.
A guest who spends $250 on dinner, $100 at the bar afterward, returns to the casino, books another dinner two weeks later and tells five friends about the restaurant may be far more valuable than squeezing another $100 dinner out of the same table.
That is the fundamental advantage—and the fundamental challenge—of operating a luxury steakhouse inside a casino hotel.