The first-ever Rock & Brews Casino and Restaurant opened for business in Braman, in north central Oklahoma, on May 10. The project features an expertly curated interactive rock-inspired entertainment experience that only Rock & Brews—and its co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of iconic rock band KISS—can provide; and a distinctive “agrarian-industrial” architectural and interior design by national Top 5 casino design firm HBG Design.
Owned by the gaming entity of Oklahoma’s Kaw Nation and developed in partnership with Rock & Brews, the project is a 67,000-square-foot expansion and 4,000-square-foot renovation to the Kaw Nation’s existing casino operation.
The new branded casino and restaurant thoroughly delivers on Rock & Brews’ promise for a high-octane experience.
The entertainment is wrapped in distinctive contemporary architecture by HBG Design. The exterior design visually ties into the highly structural barn buildings found in the surrounding rural Oklahoma locale.
The 71,000-square-foot exterior geometry is animated by gable pitched rooflines, and ribbed metal, wood and glass materiality, and features a six-panel sliding glass door that opens to provide indoor/outdoor Rock & Brews restaurant dining and access to a grand event lawn.
A cohesive interior palette serves as a canvas for bold rock ‘n’ roll elements. The Rock & Brews brand and venues are noted for their heavy integration of rock ‘n’ roll imagery and iconography. HBG Design’s overall interior design palette became an ideal canvas for these bold elements.
The design palette helps achieve visual cohesion from the existing casino to the new casino expansion area. Reds, grays and purples give an edginess to the vibrant walls and patterned carpeting. A mix of color, pattern and texture complements the design intent.
Determination of the appropriate music-related graphics and design implementation within the gaming areas was a team collaboration between Rock & Brews, Kaw Nation and HBG Design.
Across the casino and restaurant, murals of rock bands and performers—including a large KISS mural—adorn the walls and ceilings, lending a casual rocker lair vibe. Guitar fret patterns are etched into columns. Vinyl records with names of recording artists add dimension and variation to the floor patterns at the Grab and Go. A cymbal-look ceiling element hangs overhead.
Ceiling elements help with wayfinding between the Rock & Brews Casino gaming floor and Oklahoma’s first-ever Rock & Brews restaurant. A large guitar pick inscribed with The Beatles’ logo and band member signatures looms above the brick rotunda entryway to the Rock & Brews bar and restaurant.
The host stand is created from identifiable “roadie boxes” with a backdrop art piece crafted from industrial metal chains to add true rock ‘n’ roll ambiance.
To maintain the authentic brand experience that Rock & Brews restaurant and bar is known for, the design team consulted the company’s brand manager for in-depth guidance on the specific, and proven, layout, finishes and materials required in the entry, bar and dining room designs.
Inside the large, vaulted Rock & Brews brew house, practically every inch of ceiling space is covered with theatrical banners and backlit framed graphics showcasing signature rock ‘n’ roll graphics. The graphics are framed by a dramatic performance stage lighting truss hanging from the pitched ceiling, painted the signature Rock & Brews-branded red. Colorful murals enliven brick walls. Plank wood-effect tile helps subdue and contemporize the floor plane around the dining and bar areas.
The new Rock & Brews Casino rock ‘n’ roll vibe fully immerses guests in a concert-style environment and high-quality audio and visual experiences, all designed to celebrate the defining moments of rock ‘n’ roll.
The Kaw Nation and Kaw Gaming, Inc., owner/operator of Southwind Casinos throughout Oklahoma, partnered with Rock & Brews to develop this premier Rock & Brews-branded casino and restaurant. Rock & Brews co-founders Stanley and Simmons, along with their other brand partners, restaurateur Michael Zislis and concert industry veterans Dave and Dell Furano, have opened Rock & Brews restaurants across California, Florida, Kansas, Missouri and Texas, and now Oklahoma.
Rock & Brews Casino
Owner: Kaw Nation
Design and Architect of Record: HBG Design
