Nation's Restaurant News: Bartolotta wins contract for Potawatomi tribe's $120M casino

MILWAUKEE -- Bartolotta Restaurant Group won the foodservice management contract for multiple operations at the Potawatomi Indian tribe's new $120 million casino facility, now under construction near downtown Milwaukee.

Scheduled to open in phases beginning this summer, the casino, owned by the Forest County Potawatomi Community, will replace its smaller 9-year-old casino, which is about one-sixth as large. Foodservice in the new building is expected to bring in between $12 million and $18 million annually, said Joseph Bartolotta, owner of Milwaukee-based Bartolotta Restaurant Group.

"Our goal is to create an entertainment experience that will be really neat," said Bartolotta, who owns three local restaurants: Ristorante Bartolotta in suburban Wauwatosa; Bartolotta's Lake Park Bistro and Mr. B's, a Bartolotta steak house, in suburban Brookfield; and a catering company.

The as-yet-unnamed foodservice outlets at the new Potawatomi Bingo Casino will include a high-end restaurant featuring steaks and venison, the latter from a Potawatomi-owned game farm; a 325-seat buffet restaurant; an upscale sports bar; a 550-seat cabaret dinner theater serving appetizers and desserts; two snack bars; and 10 POS-equipped portable carts on the casino floor.

Checks in the fine-dining restaurant should average about $50, while the buffets will be priced between $8.95 and $12.95. Because the casino, which features high-stakes bingo, blackjack and 1,000 slot machines, is the only one in the area, Bartolotta expects to benefit from a large captive audience.

The foodservice operation will employ about 330 hourly workers and 26 managers. An estimated 3 million gamblers visit the casino annually, which reportedly pays out more than $5 million in cash daily.

"Consistent with our commitment to establish a world-class facility, we wanted to partner with experts in fine dining with an exceptional reputation," said Kip Ritchie, marketing director for the Potawatomi Bingo Casino. In the Bartolotta group, "We got that and a whole lot more."

The design of the new casino will tie into Potawatomi tribal culture and will be "beautiful," Bartolotta said. He credits the tribe with donating a large amount of money to local charities and municipal event sponsorships. "They have been very generous to everybody," he said, adding that he is proud to work with them.

The bingo parlor will be convertible to a concert hall or theater-in-the-round. Smaller stages for a variety of live entertainers will be scattered throughout the casino.

Bartolotta said he expects all of the restaurants to be open by this December. "Our goal is to provide the guest with the best possible dining experience in each price range," he said.

The fine-dining restaurant will be influenced by his Mr. B's steak house, which was a remake of the more casual Nonna Bartolotta. Bartolotta's conversion of that restaurant into a more upscale format has been credited with turning what had been a marginal business into a success.

Bartolotta said he currently is developing additional restaurant concepts for his company, but he would not disclose details.