Hard Rock Casino Rockford is busy preparing for the grand opening of its permanent home on Aug. 29, which is about two months away.
Amid the bustle leading up to the grand opening of the newest Illinois casino comes the announcement of all nine restaurants and bars that will be on-site at Hard Rock. For guests looking forward to visiting the casino, PlayIllinois has you covered on all food and drink options.
Nine bars and restaurants will be available at Hard Rock Rockford
Let’s go in alphabetical order and outline each restaurant and bar, as well as the hours they will be open.
– Brick’d Italian Kitchen is a brick-fire pizzeria. The “chef led” restaurant will offer a highly curated menu. It will open Wednesday to Sunday from 4 to 10 p.m. but will be closed on Monday and Tuesday.
– Constant Grind is a casual coffee shop option for guests. It will feature areas to sit and relax, with espresso specialty drinks available. It will be open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day.
– Council Oak Steaks and Seafood is one of the fancier eateries at the Hard Rock Rockford. It is pitched as a “sophisticated, classic American steakhouse.” It will close on Monday and Tuesday, like a couple of the other restaurants, but will open Wednesday to Sunday from 5 to 10 p.m.
– Alongside the steakhouse will be the Council Oak Bar, but its hours will vary. From Monday through Thursday, the bar will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. Those hours will extend from noon to midnight on weekends.
– The Hard Rock Cafe needs no introduction. Having a Hard Rock Casino and not including a Hard Rock Cafe would be blasphemous; thankfully, Hard Rock Rockford got it right. The restaurant will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
– The Hard Rock Center Bar will likely be one of the most popular areas of the casino, since, as its name suggests, it sits in the center of the gaming floor. It will be open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
– The Plum Lounge is being billed as a VIP dining experience for guests. It will be open every day, but depending on the day, the hours will vary. Monday to Friday, it will be open from 3 to 10 p.m., but on the weekends, its hours will expand to 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
– Street Tacos will be selling its namesake. From Monday through Thursday, it will be open from 12 p.m. to 4 a.m.; on Friday, from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.; on Saturday, from noon to 2 a.m.; and on Sunday, from noon until 10 p.m.
– Lastly, Hard Rock Rockford will have YouYu, which is described as “a modern, high-energy Asian restaurant and noodle bar.” It will open Sunday to Thursday from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m., and those hours will be extended to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Hiring spree among Hard Rock Rockford’s grand opening preparations
To get everything ready on time, Hard Rock also has been on a hiring spree. It started with bringing in a new HR manager responsible for filling over 400 new positions. One of those positions went to Marine veteran and Rockford local Mark Johnson as director of gaming operations. It’s hoping that all these efforts will help it gain a larger share of the Illinois casino market.
Johnson graduated from East High School, then enlisted in the Marine Corps. Now, nearly 20 years later, he’s on his way back to Rockford to help Hard Rock take its next step into the future with the grand opening of the permanent casino at Interstate 90 and East Street.
Johnson recently commented on the casino. In his excitement, he claimed it could be one of the greatest additions to Rockford in his lifetime.
“The casino looks amazing,” he said. “It’s crazy to see, like, day by day. You go there and it’s unrecognizable, from the start of just being a concrete slab to now the carpets are in and the first slot machine is going in next week. It’ll be probably one of the greatest things, at least that I’ve been alive for, to see in Rockford.”
