Sponsored By

True Food Kitchen opens 11,000-square-foot unit in Las VegasTrue Food Kitchen opens 11,000-square-foot unit in Las Vegas

Casual-dining brand also opens first stand-alone True Bar

Ron Ruggless, Senior Editor

February 26, 2020

8 Slides
Nation's Restaurant News logo in a gray background | Nation's Restaurant News

Already have an account?

True Food Kitchen in February opened its first restaurant in Las Vegas at The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, debuting its largest unit at 11,000 square feet and its first standalone scratch bar and lounge, called True Bar.

“As we thought through your presence in Vegas, we noted that it has changed quite a bit over the last few years. It has an amazing food scene. You have all sorts of conventions that are coming to town with different food needs,” said Christine Barone, True Food Kitchen CEO, in an interview.

“We have a lot of various sizes in our portfolio,” Barone said. “We’re really thoughtful about the community where we go in. We have stores that range from 4,200 square feet up to the 11,000 square feet.”

“In Vegas, you want to be thoughtful about the event space,” she said. “It made a lot of sense to have a larger location.”

Adjacent to the restaurant, and beneath the Forum Shop’s freestanding spiral escalator, True Food Kitchen opened its first a True Bar in the venue’s reflecting pool.

The bar-lounge features fresh-pressed juices, organic teas and natural refreshers, such as the Sparkling Prickly Pear Tisane, the Hangover Rx and Kale Aid, as well as a seasonal lineup of craft cocktails, wine and beer.

Barone said that emphasizes True Food’s positioning as the “Oasis in the Desert.”

Related:True Food Kitchen CEO: Delivery fees should be lower for casual dining

“The Forum Shops is the largest shopping destinations in Las Vegas,” Barone said. “As you think about spending time there, having a place to take a break, we felt like it was a good part of the mix.”

She said the brand thought out how guests would feel in each of the spaces.

“We had a lot of fun with the design of this restaurant,” Barone said. “As you walk into the restaurant, it’s like a garden. We have different spaces: the greenhouse with the garden feel, the back patio to the garden feel. The fabrics are up-level. We were thoughtful about new elements we could throw in.”

The Las Vegas unit has hours open past the general 9 p.m. local time closing. “We will be open until midnight to 1 a.m. on weekend nights,” Barone said. “In Vegas, it’s a much later crowd.”

Phoenix-based True Food Kitchen has 33 locations in 14 states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Barone said the brand’s next opening will be on Long Island, N.Y., in six to 12 weeks.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]

Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless

About the Author

Ron Ruggless

Senior Editor, Nation’s Restaurant News / Restaurant Hospitality

Ron Ruggless serves as a senior editor for Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN.com) and Restaurant Hospitality (Restaurant-Hospitality.com) online and print platforms. He joined NRN in 1992 after working 10 years in various roles at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, including restaurant critic, assistant business editor, food editor and lifestyle editor. He also edited several printings of the Zagat Dining Guide for Dallas-Fort Worth, and his articles and photographs have appeared in Food & Wine, Food Network and Self magazines. 

Ron Ruggless’ areas of expertise include foodservice mergers, acquisitions, operations, supply chain, research and development and marketing. 

Ron Ruggless is a frequent moderator and panelist at industry events ranging from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators (MUFSO) conference to RestaurantSpaces, the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers, the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group, local restaurant associations and the Horeca Professional Expo in Madrid, Spain.

Ron Ruggless’ experience:

Regional and Senior Editor, Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality (1992 to present)

Features Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1989-1991)

Restaurant Critic and Food Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1987-1988)

Editing Roles – Dallas Times Herald (1982-1987)

Editing Roles – Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (1980-1982)

Editing Roles – Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald (1978-1980)

Email: [email protected]

Social media:

Twitter@RonRuggless

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronruggless

Instagram: @RonRuggless

TikTok: @RonRuggless

 

Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters
Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more.