Tally another mark in the category of charming industry people who’ve been charmed by the industry. Basic High grad and born-and-raised native Nicole Day spent four years as a dental assistant before a friend told her she should apply to cocktail on the other side of town, at Summerlin’s spectacular Red Rock Resort.
“I didn’t know anything about it, but three years later here I am,” she says. “They molded me. I loved dental, but I’d take everything home with me, always thinking about my patients. Here I get to build relationships with all these people and I get to have more fun. And you’d be surprised how many people’s days you make, not just by serving them a drink but just listening. I love it.”
Now that she’s made the move to Summerlin, Day has become a Red Rock regular even when she’s not working. “It’s true, I’m here on my days off, going to Hearthstone for happy hour or doing a movie on Mondays then going to a nice dinner,” she says. “We just celebrated 10 years [at Red Rock], and it’s still so pretty. I go to the Strip for a staycation every once in a while, but I always come back here because it’s so nice.”
Between working, post-shift morning gym trips and bar-hopping to check out other “friends in the industry,” Day has even found time to rediscover golf. “I golfed in high school, so it’s been nice to pick that back up. Back then it was serious. We didn’t use carts or have any drinks, of course. It was all about walking the holes in Nevada weather. But I was decent. People underestimated me because I’m short. I’m 5-1. But ... you’d be surprised.” Lucky Bar at Red Rock Resort, 702-797-7777; daily noon-close.
