Seventeen. That’s the number of restaurants the new Sky River Casino will feature when it opens in Northern California later this year. Dining options are a priority at the new Sky River casino resort.
Ground broke on Sky River Casino in March. The Wilton Rancheria tribe and Boyd Gaming are behind the $500 million venture.
When finished, the Northern California casino will have a large hotel, convention center and more than 110,000 square feet of gaming space. The restaurant areas will be a primary focal point from the get-go. Construction will continue on the overall project even after the resort officially opens.
Shining a spotlight on the dining experience
The casino’s 17 restaurants will provide something for everyone. They include a steakhouse, gastropub, dim sum restaurant and 12 more choices within The Market at Sky River.
While such food court-style options are found in plenty of casinos nationwide, The Market will provide an elevated experience, including higher-end restaurants and cuisines from around the world. Some of these options include a taqueria, Japanese restaurant, wine bar and seafood restaurant.
Sky River’s President and COO Chris Gibase told the Elk Grove Citizen that The Market would be like “walking through a city street and seeing restaurants on every corner.” Even the casino will feature an overall “restaurant-centric” focus, he said.
The casual diner will not be left out. Quick-service coffee, burgers, pizza and fried chicken restaurants are also part of the lineup.
Diners will be able to use their smartphones to order from all restaurants and have food delivered without having to leave their table. There will also be enough space for everybody, with 400 seats available in the area.
Resort will feature local restaurants
Several local businesses will be inside Sky River.
One of those is Fukuro, a sushi bar and sister restaurant to Sacramento’s Kru: Contemporary Japanese Cuisine. Founder and chef Billy Ngo touted his restaurant:
“It will provide guests a phenomenal Japanese experience with an emphasis on the best quality ingredients, outstanding flavor, and sustainably-focused techniques across all of our offerings.”
The 32 Brews Street gastropub will have a wide array of local craft beers on tap. They will highlight several Sacramento and regional breweries. Tilted Mash Brewing, just across Highway 99 from the casino, has secured a permanent tap.
Sky River will also be welcoming San Fransisco’s Roli Roti, America’s first gourmet rotisserie food truck. It will open a brick-and-mortar location inside The Market, featuring sandwiches, rotisserie chicken, pork, salads and vegetables.
Food expected to set resort apart
Upon opening, guests can expect Sky River Casino to provide a full spread of casino games with plenty of action, including 2,000 slot machines and 80 table games. However, it enters a market with six other casinos already operating in the Sacramento area and plenty more in Fresno, the Bay Area and other surrounding towns.
The Wilton Rancheria tribe, which has around 700 members, have decided that an approach focusing on restaurant offerings alongside casino gaming is a winning combination. It allows the tribe to generate revenue quickly while adding more facilities.
That revenue is also crucial to helping improve housing, health care and education for the tribe. It has also pledged $186 million to the city of Elk Grove and Sacramento County to contribute toward improving public safety, education and infrastructure.
Sky River Casino is expected to open in September.
