Las Vegas native Christina Ellis always knew that she was going to join the family business. As her last name implies, she plays a key role, now general manager, in the family-owned empire that includes Ellis Island Casino.

The beloved off-Strip institution was created by her late grandfather in 1968. What started as a humble shopping center bar has grown to include a hotel and casino, plus restaurants, multiple Village Pubs, breweries and a winery/distillery in Saint George, Utah. The family also owns the storied Mount Charleston Lodge, which was recently destroyed by an early morning fire. (Thankfully, no lives were lost and the fire was contained to the structure.)

Ellis is working hard to continue developing the business while preserving the brand’s friendly, approachable qualities. In this interview, Ellis tells the Weekly about her experiences growing up in a restaurant family, the backstory behind that famous eggnog and her hopes for the future.

Do you ever sing karaoke at Ellis Island? And if so, what’s your song? I have a horrible singing voice, [but] I have sung karaoke at Ellis Island a couple of times. Both of my sisters had their 21st birthdays inside of the karaoke lounge at Ellis Island. My karaoke song is “Teenage Dirtbag” by Wheatus.

When did you join the family business? I started working here over the summer when I was growing up. My first job was hostessing when I was 12. Then every summer, I would work in a different department: human resources, accounting. I was a fine art student [at] USC, for painting and graphic design. Instead of doing an internship, I was doing the cage audit.

How did you find your niche in the hospitality industry when you were fresh out of college with an art degree? It was kind of a difficult period of transition. … After working here for a year or so, I took over the marketing, and that was where I really felt like I was able to make a difference for the company. … It was truly like a light just switched one day, and it became so much fun, because I was able to get really creative with the way that the brand was talking about the things that we offered people visiting Vegas.

Do you ever have time to make art? I always have a canvas in my kitchen. I probably do one painting a year. I switched to oil paints, because they don’t dry as fast. I will still jump in every now and again and work on a design project for Ellis Island. I also have had a lot of fun finding artists to do art for Ellis Island. We got some artwork put into the casino recently and are looking to expand that. Then working with different artists, designing growlers and things like that.

Most of your family works with you at Ellis Island: sisters overseeing player development and human resources; cousins doing guest experience and bartending; and your dad is owner/operator. What’s that like? It’s fun. I see my family all day, every day throughout the week. And we still get together every Sunday and have family dinner.

The majority of Las Vegas casinos are owned by giant corporations. Could you speak to being a David among Goliaths? That’s really a part of the appeal of our small property. We’ve created this place where, when you come to town, you’re going to nightclubs [and] name-brand celebrity chef dinners, then we’re here to take care of you with a $6.99 steak after you’re tired and you just want a good meal and a low-maintenance place to hang out.

Is there a story behind Ellis Island’s famous seasonal eggnog? When [my great-grandfather] passed away, my dad always remembered him making this eggnog concoction for the family at Christmastime. So my dad found the recipe and he started making it. I remember being 5 or 6 years old and watching my dad making this eggnog. He would serve it in Rubbermaid containers to his friends, because he was just mixing it in our kitchen. People became obsessed. When we opened the brewery, he could make it at scale. Now we make batches of 5,000-plus bottles every year for the holidays.

Any other childhood memories from growing up in a restaurant family? There was a time when, for six weeks, we were eating fried chicken all the time, because [Dad] was trying to perfect a fried chicken recipe. That seemed normal to us when we were growing up. Looking back on it, it’s like, oh, we were a little test kitchen.

Las Vegas was heartbroken by the Mount Charleston Lodge fire. How did you learn about it?I woke up early Friday morning to missed calls from our manager from the Lodge, and a text message from my mom sent to my sisters and me explaining what had happened.

What was your response when you found out?I was in complete shock. I immediately started calling my family; we were all consoling each other. It was very surreal.

What are your plans for the future of the Lodge?While we will never be able to completely replace the Lodge and what it means to our community, we are dedicated to rebuilding and recreating the atmosphere and charm that so many were able to enjoy throughout the years.

You recently earned a dual MBA and hospitality master’s from UNLV. Why go back to school when you have a lifetime of work experience? Having a fine arts degree is very wonderful, but I felt like I should have some formal business training. I learned quite a bit. Working in a casino my whole life, I had no idea how to deal craps. In my casino management class, we went through all the rules of how to play craps and deal craps or play blackjack and deal blackjack and go through all of those things that you really only learn if you are going to dealer school.

What do you still hope to achieve? I’m excited to just continue to grow within the company. Moving into this new role has definitely opened my eyes to [its full scope]. Longer term, I’d love to open up other styles of restaurants.

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