ESPN’s #1 sports bar on the East Coast, Chickie’s & Pete’s will debut on the Las Vegas Strip this September with the help of hospitality veterans Katherine “Lee” Lardner and Chef Isaiah Utter. The historic opening inside SAHARA Las Vegas will mark the beloved crab house and sports bar’s first West Coast venture and only location outside of New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
SAHARA Las Vegas Taps Lee Lardner & Chef Utter
Coming on board as General Manager will be Katherine “Lee” Lardner. Lardner brings an impressive 15+ years of leadership experience across multiple venues along the famous Las Vegas Strip including Beerhaus at The Park, TAP Sports Bar, and Nine Fine Irishmen Pub. In addition to her extensive sports bar expertise, Lardner has also held prominent property-wide positions with Resorts World Las Vegas, MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Luxor Resort & Casino and Excalibur Hotel & Casino.
Leading the back-of-house operations will be Chef Isaiah Utter, who will serve as Chef de Cuisine for the crab house and sports bar. Before beginning his culinary career in 2007, Utter graduated from Boise State University with an AAS degree in Culinary Arts. Prior to his most recent role as Executive Sous Chef for Avenue Café inside MGM Grand Las Vegas Hotel & Casino, Utter spent six years leading the kitchen as Executive Chef for Michael Mina’s Pub 1842 at the property.
Chickie’s & Pete’s is currently hiring for 50-60 open positions across front and back of house. Open roles include managers, food servers, bussers, hosts, cooks, sous chefs and more. SAHARA Las Vegas will host a job fair at Bella Bistro inside the property from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 25 and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 26. A full list of open positions with job descriptions can be viewed at saharalasvegas.com/job-fair.
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For additional information on Chickie’s & Pete’s or SAHARA Las Vegas, please visit saharalasvegas.com.
About SAHARA Las Vegas
SAHARA Las Vegas is an all-encompassing resort and casino with 1,615 guest rooms and suites in three distinctive towers – including the AAA® Four Diamond Alexandria Tower, more than 85,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, two rooftop pools and a collection of acclaimed restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. The inviting casino occupies 60,000 square feet and features approximately 600 of the latest slot and video poker machines, 50 classic table games, Infinity – a premium gaming lounge, The Poker Room at SAHARA Las Vegas and a sports book operated by global gaming leader, William Hill. An impressive selection of culinary and cocktail offerings includes Bazaar Meat by José Andrés™, named “Best Restaurant in Nevada” by Business Insider; CASBAR Lounge; Uno Más; Northside Café & Chinese Kitchen; Prendi; The Tangier; and more. In 2021, SAHARA Las Vegas looks forward to welcoming MAGIC MIKE LIVE Las Vegas presented by Channing Tatum, the all-new Azilo Ultra Pool and an array of exciting new dining concepts, including famed Philadelphia sports bar Chickie’s & Pete’s; The Noodle Den from renowned Chef Guoming “Sam” Xin; and James Beard award-winning Chef Shawn McClain’s Ballo. SAHARA Las Vegas players can also enjoy the perks of an Infinity Rewards membership, a joint loyalty program between SAHARA and its sister property Grand Sierra Resort and Casino Reno, that gives players the opportunity to earn and redeem rewards across both destinations. SAHARA Las Vegas is a minority-owned business certified by the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council. For more information, please visit saharalasvegas.com and stay connected on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
