1 What’s the average life expect-ancy of a casino restaurant?
TW: It really varies. We’ve been involved in restaurant designs that vary from the simple, high-volume buffet to high-end, low-volume specialty restaurants. There are different drivers for each, and the restaurant itself may outlast its design. For example, Olive (at Bellagio) has been open since 1998 but went through a remodel a few years ago. The brand is still strong, but the space needed changes. As a general rule of thumb, we find that designs hold for about five years.

2 What’s up with the mid-20th century decor at casino restaurants? It’s become such a trend.
Restaurant design, like any other design genre, goes through constant change.  A few years ago, opulence was more the standard; today, we’re designing clean, simple-yet-sophisticated designs.

3 What’s cooler right now–opulence or minimalism?
Minimalism is currently what’s on the boards. There are new concepts coming that will change the current design trends once more.

4 What’s cooler right now-spaciousness or intimate niches?
The one constant we’re seeing is a transition to more intimate dining.  Restaurants that would have been based on larger, more open concepts are now transitioning to a smaller, more intimate model.

5 Other than the ’50s-’60s Rat Pack interiors that seem so prevalent, what are some other noticeable trends?
It would be wonderful to say that theming is dead in Las Vegas, but isn’t this mid-century, ’50s-’60s Rat Pack interiors thing just another form of theming? The difference is that the notion has shifted from theming based on a place to theming based on a time. I hope you’re going to see more of a design fusion-designs that evoke a feeling or place, but don’t necessarily directly mimic them.