BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — After two years in the works, the formerly known Hollywood Casino finally opened its doors to the public as the Queen Baton Rouge at 9 p.m.
The Queen Baton Rouge is located near the Louisiana State Capitol and the Mississippi River at 1717 N. River Road in Baton Rouge.
“We’ve provided a fun, exciting, safe environment and completely redid the parking lot, lighting, and security. We just want people to come down, have fun, and feel safe,” said the Queen Baton Rouge general manager Matthew Shehadi. “The Hollywood is out. The Queen Baton Rouge is in. It’s an $85 million renovation. It’s absolutely stunning.”
With over 700 machines and 18 table games, the casino is more than 100,000 square feet and ready to bring a Vegas-style casino to the capital city with unique food spots.
“1717 is kind of our flagship restaurant where we have the sit-down full-service restaurant. We have Big Chicken, which is our quick-service chicken restaurant. We have capital coffee, so that’s a coffee shop. We have pastries, sandwiches, lattes, cappuccinos, as well as smoothies. And then we have 3 Woks, which is our Asian noodle bar, fried rice, noodles, ramen, things of that nature,” said Executive Chef of Queen Baton Rouge Kevin Foil.
1717 also brings a two-floor restaurant vibe that allows guests to dine while viewing the Mississippi River, including a loft that is only for 21 and older adults. The Queen Baton Rouge also has Big Chicken which is Shaquille O’Neal’s chicken restaurant’s first location in the state.
Besides foods and drinks, another popular spot the casino is excited to showcase is the Drafts Kings Sportsbook area where people can learn to place sports bets.
“Draft Kings sportsbooks offer the state-of-the-art technology to be able to place your bets, either at a kiosk or at the counter. If you’re not familiar with sports betting, come down,” Shehadi said. “We have people here that can definitely walk you through that, show you how to bet and make that a smooth transition for you as you come down as a first-time sports bettor.”
Now the casino has employed more than 100 Louisianians and is looking to fill more positions in the capital city. To apply for a job opportunity in the Queen click here.
For information in regards to the Queen Baton Rouge Casino, click here.
