(Eagle Mountain Casino, Porterville, CA 93257) – Bradford Hamilton is the Food and Beverage Director at Eagle Mountain Casino. Hamilton is from Oklahoma and has been in the Food and Beverage business for 25 years and the Casino business since 2004.
“Half of my casino business experience has been with tribal gaming until 2013. Then, I moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, and helped open up and spent nine years at the Margaritaville Resort Casino”, said Hamilton.
Following the Covid pandemic, Hamilton returned to the Margaritaville Resort, but due to many changes and policies, he decided to take time off. During that time, he was recruited by Eagle Mountain Casino.
Hamilton has been with Eagle Mountain Casino for 15 months now, focusing on transitioning from the current property to the new one that will be opening in 2023.
“Right now, we are hiring and putting our team members through the training processes. We will soon be opening our steakhouse during the day on weekdays and doing our diner menu training in the evenings. Cocktail servers are now present on the gaming floor, which is new. Our cocktail servers are walking around with actual tray service, which will replace the current bar carts at the new property”, said Hamilton.
When the new property opens in 2023, it will be the first time Eagle Mountain Casino will serve alcohol.
“We will have full cocktail service throughout the casino floor, in our River Steakhouse, and our Redwood Taphouse at the new property,” said Hamilton.
Hamilton also provided a preview of what to expect from the new property’s food and beverage venues.
“Our Redwood Taphouse will feature 208 seats with 24 slot machines in the bar. 60 TVs will be visible throughout the whole restaurant. We will be very barbeque centric as we have a large smoker in our kitchen. It won’t be your typical pub food, more gourmet burgers and large platters. I will be introducing some mid-western and southern dishes like our Cajun queso and looking at doing some exotic meats like fried alligator as well”, said Hamilton.
Hamilton will soon be welcoming a Senior Chef who spent 13 years in Macau, China, and they will work together to solidify the food menus.
The award-winning River Steakhouse will still be traditional, and Hamilton says they are adding more seafood and other items to spice it up, but they will not change the people’s favorites. “Our steaks are very well known, and we will continue to do that,” said Hamilton.
The new property will also feature a new food court featuring Italian bakes and pizzas, Ramen, and Street Tacos with a total of 44 seats.
“Our Acorn Diner is massive with 200 plus seats. It will be traditional breakfast, lunch, and dinner with jazzed-up menu items,” said Hamilton.
The Center Bar will be situated in the middle of the new property’s gaming floor; Hamilton says it will feature 24 slots and 74 seats and be accessible to anyone playing on the gaming floor.
“The Event Center will be a 2000 guest concert venue, including a pre-function area where guests can purchase alcohol before going into the concert. The event center can also be used for wedding receptions and class reunions. It will be very multi-versed on what we can do with it”, said Hamilton.
Eagle Mountain Casino always shows appreciation to its team members, and the new property will be no different. Hamilton says team members will have a private restaurant where they can relax and enjoy their breaks.
“They can get grab-and-go salads and sandwiches, bring their food, but they can also order a cheeseburger or get some chicken fingers. We will also have a blue-plate special line where team members can walk up for a themed meal like spaghetti and meatballs on a Monday”, said Hamilton.
Hamilton does not want to show all his cards on new property details.
“We’re bringing some things to the table that the Valley hasn’t seen before, priced for the market too,” said Hamilton.
Currently, Eagle Mountain Casino is located 17 miles east of Porterville and is a full-service casino owned and operated by the Tule River Tribe. Guests must be 18 years of age to enter. The casino is open 24/7. In addition, the Grizzly Food court is open 24/7, and the River Steakhouse is open Friday – Sunday from 5pm – 10pm. Eagle Mountain Casino is a short drive from Bakersfield or Visalia.
The new casino property is scheduled to open in 2023, off Highway 65 in Porterville, CA, next to the Porterville Fair Grounds. The new property will double in size, growing to over 100,000 square feet, featuring new dining options, 1750 slot machines, 20 table games, and a state-of-the-art event center.
