The team members are getting their last hours of training in, the covers are getting removed from the tables, the floors are getting shined and the windows cleaned for Wednesday’s Opening Night of the North Fork Mono Casino.
Last week, it was announced the Casino will open at midnight Wednesday to bring an end to a 20-year journey for the North Fork Mono Indian tribe.
“We’re very excited,” said Vice Chairman of the Mono Indian Tribe, Fred Beihn. “We’ve been waiting a long time. We can finally relax.”
There is certainly buzz in the air, not only around the Casino, but around Madera.
“We want people to come in and realize we built it for them,” Casino General Manager Mark Ward said. “We heard what they wanted in the marketplace. We know when they come in they are going to say, ‘It’s not only nice, but also comfortable and a place where I can be myself and have a good time.’”
Although there is still some litigation pending, Beihn says they are staying optimistic, but they are ready to go.
“It’s amazing to come here. The team has done an outstanding job,” he said. “Every project they have keeps getting better and better. We have the opportunity to have the best of the products.”
Beihn he will be there on opening night, watching all of the guests enter the casinos, and knows all of the emotions will hit.
“Everyone has been waiting and anticipating,” he said. “There’s been so much work that there’s been so much relief.”
The Casino, built right off of State Route 99, is in the center of California, and will be a place for people to go.
“This is an excellent location. We expect a lot of traffic coming into this place,” Beihn said.
When guests enter the Casino, they will notice a lot of things that have been influenced, and decided by the Mono Indian Tribe.
“A lot of the design and features come from our culture up in the mountains,” Beihn said. “Our tribal council and past tribal leaders have been involved in what they wanted to see in the casino.”
Beihn has been around the project since he was on the Council almost eight years ago. His father and family have also been on the Council, and were a part of the Casino project.
There is still a Phase 2, but when that will start is undetermined, according to Beihn. The second phase will include a parking garage and a hotel.
Because of the 20-year wait to open the Casino, Ward said it gave them an opportunity to find out what guests wanted from a casino.
“We had a few unexpected delays, but with that came some opportunities,” Ward said. “One, it allowed us to spend more time in the market and talk to more potential guests about what the casino should offer. When we built the property, we were able to take all of that into mind, and design a facility that is guest-centric. Some of the architectural things are unique like the floor-to-ceiling glass walls on the north and south side of the buildings. You also see a lot of light colors. We put in a nice high limit area that wasn’t even contemplated on the original design. A lot of that came as a result of having a little more time to work on it. When we open the doors, the guests will say, ‘Wow, it really is worth the wait.’ It really is a place we built for them. We’re excited about it.”
In addition to the largest casino floor in the market, North Fork Mono Casino will feature two full-service restaurants — Clubhouse 99 and Manzanita Steakhouse.
“We have the casual lunch and dinner in the Clubhouse 99 restaurant,” Ward said. “We like the idea of having a sports theme in there. It’s also a place to get a quick bite, but have a large variety of hand-held food, and casual dining. There are 56 big-screen TVs in there. It will be a great game day destination.”
Manzanita is the Casino’s flagship restaurant.
“It’s open every night for dinner,” Ward said. “It is the nicest restaurant in the Central Valley. Our guests will tell us that next week. We really wanted to have something that raised the bar. I think we accomplished that in a great way with Manzanita. It’s great product, great service and it’s very unique in the Central Valley.”
In getting ready for Wednesday’s opening night, the team has been training since June. The card dealers will have between 16-20 weeks of training when opening day hits.
“We did extensive training for everybody,” Ward said. “Everyone that comes on, regardless of position, goes through a minimum of three weeks of training. In order for us to be really exceptional, the team has to know how to do the job. Our job is to show them how to be successful.”
North Fork Mono Casino features 2,400 slot machines, 40 table games and four bars.
“We have the advantage of being the largest casino in the market,” Ward said. “We have a large variety of games. We have the best food products. We have eight restaurants, including the food court options. We have a great location. The newest location is built for the market. A lot of things are leaning our way.”
Ward has been a part of the Mono Indian Tribe for the past six years when the tribe was going through the initial processes to put a shovel in the ground. He brings more than 25 years of experience of managing tribal casinos in California.
Like everyone else at the North Fork Mono Casino, Ward is ready for opening night.
“We are very excited to be here. It’s been a very long journey for the tribe,” Ward said. “It’s been a long journey for everyone who’s been involved in the project, myself included. Now as we are getting ready to open, everyone is just electrified and enthusiastic about what’s ahead.”
“Everyone seems to be so happy and can’t wait to get into the door,” Beihn said. “I hear there’s going to be a long line. We’ll be ready for them. Our whole tribe is excited, the community is excited, the mountain is excited. There’s a lot of excitement.”