April 19, 2021
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Bobby Flay Steak, a popular restaurant at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, will permanently close in Atlantic City on June 30, 2021.
Bobby Flay Steak, a mainstay at Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, will close June 30 as the space transitions into a new concept, the casino announced Monday.
The popular restaurant, one of several brands promoted by the celebrity chef, opened at the Borgata in 2006 and quickly became a showpiece of the Jersey Shore destination, with red leather decor and a large lobster tank.
In a statement, the casino said the decision to close the restaurant was made mutually.
"Borgata and Flay's hospitality group, Bold Food, made the mutual decision to close the restaurant as part of the companies' evolving business strategies," the Borgata said.
The day after the closure, a temporary new concept owned by the Borgata and MGM Resorts International will take over the space. Details about the restaurant were not immediately available.
The pending closure comes after a tumultuous year for the casino industry in Atlantic City. The coronavirus pandemic sank profits by about 80% in 2020. The Borgata posted an operating profit of $650,000, down 99.7% from 2019.
As many of Atlantic City's nine casinos reopened last summer, the Borgata waited an additional three weeks to ensure that its safety protocols were sufficient. The casinos are still limited to 50% capacity.
Flay, a Food Network and Cooking Channel star with 16 shows and specials over the years, recently announced his next venture will be a collaboration with his cat, Nacho, on a line of wet cat food formulas, dry kibble diets and freeze-dried protein treats.
Several of his restaurants have either closed or undergone transformations in recent years. Amalfi, an Italian restaurant, is set to open in May at Caesars Palace Las Vegas, occupying the space that formerly housed his Mesa Grill restaurant.
In his home state of New York, Flay closed Bar Americain in 2018 and temporarily shuttered Gato amid the pandemic.
The Bobby Flay's Burger Palace chain also has about a dozen locations across the United States. A previous location in the University City section of Philadelphia closed in 2019 after nine years in business.
