Popular Latino Restaurant Ojos Locos Opening Las Vegas Casino

Posted on: September 19, 2022, 09:28h. 

Last updated on: September 19, 2022, 02:09h.

Corey Levitan Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Entertainment, Expert Insight, Las Vegas, Restaurants, Las Vegas Myths.

The popular Ojos Locos restaurant chain – with 22 locations in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas – is opening its first Nevada location, along with what its owners claim will be the first Latino-focused casino and hotel in the US.

Ojos Locos restaurant Dallas
The Ojos Locos (“crazy eyes”) in Dallas is one of the Southwest chain’s 22 restaurants. Its first foray into Nevada, and gaming, will be a takeover/makeover of Fifth Street’s Lucky Club in North Las Vegas. (Image: yogonet.com)

The Ojos Locos Sports Cantina y Casino at Hotel Jefe will debut in North Las Vegas by the end of the year.

Ojos Locos, whose Spanish name means “crazy eyes,” is partnering with Las Vegas-based Fifth Street Gaming, which offered up its Lucky Club Hotel-Casino for the transformation.  A renaming ceremony and groundbreaking for the renovation will be held Tuesday morning.

“We are gratified to join together on this endeavor with Ojos Locos, a vibrant and growing brand which has, over the last 12 years, established itself as a national leader in providing authentic hospitality experiences to the Latino community,” said Fifth Street CEO Seth Schorr in a statement.

Big Addition

When the rebrand is complete, the Ojos Locos Sports Cantina y Casino at Hotel Jefe will offer 10,000 square feet of gaming space, 10,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor entertainment space, and the largest Ojos Locos restaurant in the US, seating up to 300 guests.

Fifth Street Gaming operates a portfolio of casinos, gaming taverns, restaurants, and bar concepts. That includes the Downtown Grand in Las Vegas and the Silver Nugget Casino in North Las Vegas.

The new Ojos Locos hotel will remain open during the renovations, though its casino and restaurant will be closed.

All Ojos on North Las Vegas

Ojos Locos became a popular chain for celebrating Latino culture. Servers greet diners in Spanish, and Spanish-language broadcasts of soccer matches play on TVs. The hotel-casino will continue this tradition, offering Spanish entertainment, including concerts, Mexican rodeos, and food festivals.

A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute found that Hispanics represent the second-fastest growing and second-largest ethnic group in the US. By 2060, according to the study, Latino people will represent almost 29% of the US population.

“I think that Latino community is one that is deserving of an experience that is designed specifically for them in every way,” Schorr told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “The language is the most obvious. But food, entertainment, all of our programs are completely programmed for the Latino community.”