Guy Fieri has made a name for himself championing great food with a playful, down-to-earth attitude. This larger-than-life persona posed an interesting challenge when working on Guy Fieri’s Kitchen + Bar at Council Bluffs: How to distill that energetic, rock-and-roll, fun-loving personality into a design. Situated in Harrah’s Council Bluffs Hotel & Casino, we worked with the teams at Caesars Entertainment and Guy Fieri to develop a concept which honored both the Guy Fieri brand and the standard of comfort expected by Harrah’s guests. We aimed to craft a space capable of communicating the “off-the-chain” energy which follows Fieri wherever he goes.
Taking inspiration both from Fieri’s love of music and the performance venue adjacent to the restaurant, we wove musical elements into the décor from the host stand clad in recycled guitar straps to vinyl records and cassette tapes lining the walls. A subtle ceiling feature illustrates a sound wave of some of Fieri’s iconic catchphrases. Reclaimed materials give the space a rustic, homey atmosphere, welcoming guests into Fieri’s world of genuine hospitality.
“This space is really a reflection of all of Guy’s experiences and the public persona he’s cultivated. It was a labor of love, and I think we were able to capture the aspects of Guy’s personality that make him so beloved: his authenticity, his fun and friendly demeanor and his respect and love for the craft of hospitality.” – Liz Neuffer, Project Designer
“This project required thorough communication and coordination, bringing together the ideas of the three distinct teams at Guy Fieri, Caesars and Aria. Add in a truncated timeline and budget constraints in an inflating economy, and we had our work cut out for us. Luckily all of the teams, including Caesars and our contractor at Pinnacle Construction, were really keen to find creative solutions. We were able to have people sipping cocktails and brews by the opening show of concert season.” – Matt Shoener, Project Manager
Read the full Blueprint HERE
Project Details: Scope Architecture & Design Seats 347 Square footage 10,650
Contractor Pinnacle Construction, Inc. Engineers Hart, Gaugler & Associates Inc., MSA Engineering Consultants Kitchen Consultant Jem West Design Consultant Jennifer Lombardo Photography Courtesy of Caesars Entertainment
Saltwater Coastal Grill, a new concept from Lyons Group, brings the fresh air and flavors of the sea to the Chicagoland area. Aria Group collaborated with the restaurant and entertainment group to transport guests to the ocean with a timeless coastal atmosphere. The original space was a moody Irish pub, and maximizing light played a key role in transforming it to look fresh and beachy. Our team opened up existing hidden windows to allow more natural light to stream in. Simplified décor, verdant greenery, and LOTS of white paint went into making the previously gothic-styled pub a bright, airy coastal atmosphere. Rich blue color accents bring the Mediterranean to the Midwest.
“The indoor dining space opens to a sun-dappled patio, allowing the fresh breeze and buzzy energy to flow freely inside and out. Three distinct kitchens come together in a cohesive dining space, taking patrons on a tour from coast to coast with oysters from the raw bar, hand-rolled sushi, and fresh seafood straight from the grill. The simple and dynamic space is perfect for sipping beachy cocktails and diving into the expansive array of fresh, sustainable seafood.” – Joe Junius, Project Designer & Senior Associate
“Lyons Group challenged us with renovating a dark Irish Pub into a bright, airy, coastal restaurant on a tight budget. We looked to utilize the budget where it would provide the best impact by lightening the overall palette, creating a sushi bar and adding operable doors to merge the interior with the exterior patio.” – Matt Clarke, Project Manager & Senior Associate
Read the full Blueprint HERE
Project details: Scope Architecture & Design Seats 273 Square footage 6,084 Contractor Kern Konstruction Engineers Advance Consulting Group Intl., TGRWA Kitchen Consultant ADE Restaurant Services Sign Painting Paul Punke Greenery The Silk Thumb Photographer Chris Dilorenzo, courtesy of Saltwater Coastal Grill
Designing a Restaurant Living Roof
Aria Group has been designing restaurants for over 34 years, but we recently experienced unique challenges while working on Amy’s Drive Thru in Roseville, California. Partnering with a client committed to the environment and social well-being enabled us the opportunity to design a restaurant with a Living Roof. Amy’s is the first Certified B Corporation fast-food restaurant, leading the charge in vegetarian/plant-based options. “Certified B Corporations are leaders in the global movement for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy. Unlike other certifications for businesses, B Lab is unique in our ability to measure a company’s entire social and environmental impact.” – Bcorporation.net. This project strives to educate – showcasing its environmental and social concerns through its teamwork, commitment to climate concerns, and ultimately its design. The following is its story…
Progress photos of the living roof components
Who?
Designing a Restaurant with a Living Roof was made possible through collaboration with our client and many partners. Our team included: Amy’s Drive Thru, KDC Construction, Clarke and Reilly, Chestnut Company, MFSD+B, Henderson Engineering, Hart Gaugler & Associates, Kier + Wright, Camp & Camp Associates, Inc., and Symbios Ecotecture.
Why?
“The living roof at our Roseville Amy’s Drive Thru is not only beautiful – it also promotes a number of environmental benefits including reduced energy requirements, retention of stormwater on-site, habitat biodiversity and reduction of the heat island effect, just to name a few.” – Jason Dedmore, Director of Real Estate & Development at Amy’s Drive Thru, Inc.
A living roof offers many benefits to a building and the environment. The mass of the soil acts as a great insulator helping to regulate the buildings internal temperature. This allows for less heating or cooling and an overall lower energy bill. The return on investment varies per geographical region but Roseville offered a great opportunity for Amy’s.
Symbios Ecotecture installing the Living Roof.
The soil and plants absorb rainwater and hold it on site versus running off directly into the sewer system. Holding more rainwater onsite reduces strain on the sewer system leading to less flooding. This does create the need for a slightly larger structure to support the roof and more caution with waterproofing the building roof, but Aria worked with Amy’s to celebrate the resulting gabled structure by exposing it inside the dining room and celebrating the design on the interior.
Environmentally, the Living Roof also offers a reduction to the urban heat island effect. Higher temperatures in urban areas leads to higher cooling loads in buildings, increasing the carbon footprint, compounding the Climate Crisis.
Growing plants does take time — see below photos of the plants at restaurant opening and six months later. Plant selection is an important process that Symbios Ecotecture and Camp & Camp teamed up to provide the best options of native species to thrive. The selected plants also create a habitat for pollinators and birds, increasing biodiversity.
Left photo at restaurant opening by photographer Cesar Rubio. Right photo six month after opening by Symbios Ecotecture.
How?
The architecture, with cues from agricultural structures, is simple in form, but form follows function in creating various dining opportunities and protecting patrons and employees from Roseville’s climate. The design team chose to have a gabled roof to showcase the Living Roof to patrons and the community, creating a green beacon for Amy’s Drive Thru. A living roof is very much a team effort, affecting not just design but our consulting engineers. By having conversations early and often the team was able to deliver a sustainable end result.
Partial living roof section by Aria Group
What’s next….
Aria Group will continue to innovate and lead by example in keeping social, economic, and environmental concerns top of mind. We are excited to collaborate on designs that continue to enrich our communities and the environment through our designs leading to a more harmonious future with our planet.
