Sean Christie’s Carver Road Hospitality left its initial impact on the Las Vegas Strip with Carversteak at Resorts World. Now, the company is ready to maximize the sports boom in Vegas with Flanker Kitchen & Sports Bar, opening June 10 at Mandalay Bay—coincidentally, just steps away from the House of Blues, which was the first gig that brought Christie to town.
A major player in the evolution of nightlife and other Vegas experiences, he continued at the Light Group, Wynn and MGM Resorts before rounding up an all-star team of local and national industry pros to create Carver Road, which has already launched Flanker sports bars in Salt Lake City and at the BetMGM Sportsbook at Arizona’s State Farm Stadium. And though it might seem like a fancy bar so close to Allegiant Stadium would be a short and easy kick through the uprights, Christie says it’s essential that Flanker connects with the ever-changing sports experience on the Strip, and perhaps most importantly, finds its chemistry with locals.
Is Flanker going to be an especially elevated take on the sports bar, maybe similar to what you’ve done with Carversteak in the steakhouse genre? I think the sports bar has been evolving in Las Vegas over the past decade, but in most cases, people are still seeking out a traditional sports bar. Back in the day, you’d have to trade out, because the idea of an energetic environment during games and at certain times didn’t always coincide with premium food and beverage offerings and well-designed [spaces]. When I was at Wynn, I worked on the sportsbook, and at that time it was a good differentiator with the bar, some luxury with the banquette seats and the curved LED screen. I think what really set things in motion was Circa [Resort] and what they did with Stadium Swim and at the sportsbook. There’s been a natural progression, and we’re hoping to take that to the next level with a place you’ll want to go to watch sports, or not; just a great place for a burger and a beer. Our executive chef at Carversteak, Daniel Ontiveros, has done the menu with his take on what I would call more American grill dining.
RM Seafood was a pretty iconic Strip restaurant, but the location also seems like a good fit for a sports bar given its closeness to the stadium. MGM Resorts and Mandalay Bay built this beautiful escalator that goes right down to [the street] where everyone walks to and from the stadium on event days, so there’s a huge influx of people that walk right by our door. We want to capture that, but the magic will be in having this be for everybody, locals included—just a great place to have a great meal. And we’ve built the space in a way that we can compartmentalize it as the evening goes on.
But how do you create that local, neighborhood sports bar feeling in a big casino on the Strip? It’s a great question. I think what’s different about Las Vegas and sports is the way the people that live in Las Vegas are so welcoming. I’m from Boston, a die-hard fan of all those teams. If the Yankees came to town, when that game lets out, I can almost guarantee you there will be one or two fistfights between Yankees and Red Sox fans on the street behind the Green Monster. In Las Vegas, everyone is so hospitable; everyone wants visitors from all over the world coming here. And when they show up, even if they are our archrivals in hockey or football … there’s this spirit that when we’re in the arena, we’re going to combat you, but outside, we recognize you’re a guest in this city and we want to take care of you. We want to harness that spirit.
We’re hoping Flanker has a local feel to it, and in our company, we’re used to making sure that industry people and locals are first on the list of priorities. And when the 49ers or the Broncos are coming to town with [their fans], those worlds can coexist here. And again, it’s not always like that in other cities that can be so sports-centric.
You mentioned burgers. Is there a particular burger or another dish that really exemplifies the culinary approach at Flanker? Our first tagline we came out with was “Burgers, Crafts and Drafts.” We’ve done extensive tastings of Chef’s version of all different types of burgers, Nashville hot chicken sandwiches, all the things that you’d expect. One is an over-the-top western burger that’s really decadent and requires a steak knife to cut it and share with two people.
We’re hand-making everything every day. Even our to-go window, it’s not going to be, “here’s your turkey wrap in a boring takeout box.” We put a lot of thought into the way those things are packaged and presented, the way they’re going to hold up in the heat as people might be walking over. And we’ve been working on the beverage program, with more than 40 taps in the bar, over 90 different types of beer, a large Belgian beer selection. Flanker is going to be exactly what you think it is, but it’s our job to wow you and make it better.
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