Revving up Route 66 Casino with Thunder Road Steakhouse - a unique destination packed with unforgettable automotive flair
Inspired by the 1958 movie, "Thunder Road" this interior restaurant design was created to offer a completely unique steakhouse concept to the Route 66 Casino.
Combining Southwest décor with high-impact automotive imagery, the new interior restaurant theme provides a truly distinctive dining and entertainment destination within the Route 66 Casino property. Retro cars, neon signage, and wall murals featuring lyrics from The Ballad of Thunder Road immerse guests in a vivid, cinematic experience. This bold thematic approach not only honors the film’s daring spirit but also creates a dynamic visual anchor within the casino.
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Thunder Road is one of several theme-based restaurant concepts designed and built for Route 66 Casino. The Pueblo of Laguna's goal for this space was to create a distinct and entertaining dining destination within the property that was a draw in its own right.
Multi-dimensional flames and Southwestern-style signage welcome customers to an entertaining dining experience. Rustic columns which flank the entrance are topped with illuminated fixtures. A life-size, bygone-era police car sits atop a platform high above the 180-degree bar.
A vintage moonshiner’s car that has “crashed” halfway through the wall in the dining area is anchored safely above patrons. Faux windows with raised mullions and vivid, large-format mural scenes were created for each area within the space. A rustic wood-style trellis is suspended from large wooden beams and provides support for several custom chandeliers in the center of the main dining area. Above the bar, suspended illuminated beams extend into the dining area, adding an element of excitement.
The interior package was constructed off-site, which significantly reduced the overall onsite schedule. All of the specialty elements for the interiors followed the historic theme and our design team members took daily tours to ensure the finishes and overall scale of the elements were true to the design intent. By completing the entire interior package in this way, the installation of these completed elements could be achieved in just 3 weeks.
Thunder Road Steakhouse and Cantina is now its own destination within Route 66 Casino and has attracted many guests. All of the design elements throughout the steakhouse communicate the “Thunder Road” and Route 66 theme, initiating a lively and interactive atmosphere, that is unlike any other dining experience in the area.
