The two-story establishments will offer barbecue, burgers and pizza and will feature decor and design replicating the 500 block of Craghead Street, which Barker has worked to redevelop over the past several years.
Danville developer Rick Barker is bringing three restaurants to the Caesars Virginia casino resort when it opens in December.
Barker is partnering with Steve Parry, of Parry Restaurant Group, on the project, Caesars announced in a news release Friday morning.
Parry, the former vice president of Ruth’s Chris Steak House who has developed dozens of restaurant concepts, will lead the food hall’s operations.
The eateries will include The Garage Artisan Smoked Meats, which Barker owned and operated briefly on Craghead Street but closed down during the pandemic, as well as Mill Burger and Southern Slices.
“We’re transferring The Garage from downtown,” Barker said. “The burger and pizza concepts are brand new.”
Mill Burger will offer smash burgers, as well as hand-breaded chicken tenders, classic French fries and truffle fries with house made garlic aioli.
The Garage will feature smoked pulled pork with a choice of sauces, smoked chicken and brisket, as well as sides including baked beans and green beans.
At Southern Slices, customers will be able to order 10-inch personal pizzas, as well as cheesecake.
The three restaurants will be in a food hall branded as the 500 Block Food Hall, a reference to Barker’s and Parry’s restoration of architecture and creation of businesses in the old buildings along Craghead Street.
“The 500 Block in Danville’s River District is the visual manifestation of Danville as a comeback city,” Barker told the Register & Bee.
In the 2010s, Barker took “tear-down quality buildings standing vacant for decades” and restored them and brought them back to life. The 500 block commercial restoration project began in 2015.
“The restoration of this blighted urbane block set the tone for other quality development throughout the district,” Barker said. “Similarly, the Caesars project will restore parts of our local economy and also inspire future investments, in which local businesses can participate.”
Layout at the food hall will take design cues from River District architecture.
“The newly constructed two-story brick buildings within the casino will retain the industrial vibe from downtown,” Barker said. “One will see familiar bricks, metal beams with heavy rivets, great lighting and seating for over 100, all in a dynamic, fun atmosphere. This will become a great place to meet your friends.”
Efforts to open the eateries at Caesars Virginia had been in the works for nearly two years, Barker said, adding that company representatives approached him about bringing them to the resort.
“We were just fortunate to be invited to participate,” Barker said.
The idea was to deliver a Southern Virginia experience at Caesars, he said.
“It doesn’t get any more Southern than barbecue,” Barker said. “We would recreate this Southern downtown atmosphere. The space is inspired by the architecture in the River District we created.”
With the pizza, burgers and barbecue, they wanted to bring high-quality food for a customer base that’s in a hurry, he said.
“Rick and Steve have been amazing partners, and we’re excited to team up with them to offer an authentic local dining experience to our guests at Caesars Virginia,” Chris Albrecht, senior vice President and general manager of Caesars Virginia, said in a prepared statement. “We appreciate that they have embraced the industrial aesthetic of downtown and incorporated it into the design of 500 Block. It’s another way we are celebrating Danville’s past while offering our guests something fresh and modern.”
Barker and Parry conducted market research to determine what types of restaurants to open at Caesars. Those three items were the most popular in other casinos across the country, Barker said.
Marnell Companies, the architectural firm that designed Caesars Virginia, designed the 500 Block Food Hall, Barker said.
“It has been very exciting for me to work with Marnell Companies,” Barker said. “Marnell is a world-class architectural and design firm working on A-list projects all over the world. To have Marnell interpret my vision to create a 500 Block-inspired space within the Caesars property is a career milestone.”
Based in Las Vegas, Marnell has been behind casino/hotel and other projects there including the famous Bellagio Las Vegas, the Caesars Palace convention expansion, Park MGM, Wynn Las Vegas Hotel, Haus of Gaga-Park MGM and numerous others, according to the company’s website.
“They’re one of the top design firms in the country,” Barker said.
The restaurants will begin operating when the casino opens in December, he said. Barker hopes to hire about 40 employees among the three establishments.
The food hall concept will include one large dining area for all three restaurants, where customers will place their orders at a counter and have their number called when their food is ready, he said.
Anyone interested in applying for a position at one of the restaurants can send an email to Eat@500blockva.com, or call 804-845-2750.
Read the original article here (Danville Register & Bee, John Crane)