Patrons walking around the Grand Pequot Tower at Foxwoods Casino are bound to see the resort’s latest feature.
After all, it’s hard not to notice a 25-foot-tall flaming pitchfork behind a crystal-clear window.
But it’s what’s behind the pitchfork that Foxwoods executives were excited about Thursday, as they unveiled their newest restaurant: Hell’s Kitchen, owned by celebrity chef and TV host Gordon Ramsay.
“He’s the ultimate celebrity chef, he’s a Michelin Star chef,” Foxwoods Resort Casino President and CEO Jason Guyot said during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday. “His demographic crosses over.”
The event certainly caught everyone’s attention, with a crowd gathering around the press conference to get their first glimpse of a restaurant that officially opens Saturday.
“I’m a huge fan of Hell’s Kitchen, and I saw chef Christina and said ‘oh, my god, they’re opening,’” said Isabella Lafacui, who was down from Massachusetts for a dance competition at the resort when she and her mother, Tricia, happened upon the opening.
Lafacui was referring to Christina Wilson, who won season 10 of Ramsay’s “Hell’s Kitchen” competition show and is now vice president of culinary for Gordon Ramsay North America.
“Everybody that visits this restaurant is going to have that feeling as if they’re on set,” Wilson said at the opening, noting the new restaurant’s decor mirrors the set on the show.
The Foxwoods location does have some unique features, including a custom display holding 300 bottles of wine and the fire feature.
The structure, at 25 feet by 10 feet, resembles the pitchfork symbol of the “Hell’s Kitchen” reality show, now in its 21st season, and sits in the restaurant’s front window.
Guyot said he believes the flaming pitchfork is the largest flame feature in the country, and he’s confident it will become “the picture spot and selfie spot” in the casino. That’s just fine with Foxwoods officials.
Foxwoods plans to unveil a new casino in the Grand Pequot Tower later this year that will include 400 slot machines, 24 table games, and a 45-seat slot bar.
Foxwoods has also partnered with Great Wolf Resorts to build a Great Wolf Lodge, which is scheduled to open early next year.
The new restaurant and expansions come as Connecticut’s two tribal casinos continue to face new competition in the Northeast.
Both Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have seen their slot revenues decline annually, as evidenced by the funds they send to the state as part of the gaming compact.
Foxwood’s payment to the state dipped to $81.7 million in fiscal year 2021, down from a peak of $205 million in 2025, but that number rebounded to $89.4 million in fiscal year 2022.
Guyot also said Foxwoods is confident it can outdo its competitors because it’s a resort featuring restaurants like Hell’s Kitchen and partnerships like the one with Great Wolf, among other non-gambling features.
“They can go to a show, go out to dinner, stay overnight, go-kart racing, go zipline, play golf. whatever it might be, we have those amenities that our competitors don’t,” he said.
At least for the Lafaucis, the new restaurant may do the trick.
“We haven’t been in a while just because we have three kids, but now we will be,” Tricia Lafauci said, adding her entire family watches the show.
Wilson said the menu will include some of Ramsay’s signature dishes, including beef Wellington, lobster risotto, and crispy skin salmon.
She also said the chefs will come up with options that are exclusive to the Foxwoods location. Ramsay, who also hosts or appears in several other TV shows, owns several restaurant chains, including some that specialize in certain dishes or cuisines.
Guyot said Foxwoods is hiring “nearly 100” new employees to staff the new restaurant, bringing the resort’s total workforce to more than 3,200 people.
