Over $140 million has been injected into reimagining and transforming the Disney-adjacent Caribe Royale Orlando, which has gone from a 20-year-old, three-star hotel to a buzzworthy and AAA Four-Diamond destination. The crowning jewel of the resort is Stadium Club—a high-tech NextGen Casual concept that’s poised for future growth in and outside of the hotel space.
“I recognized we needed a hangout spot. We needed a place with energy that would keep our customers and bring in locals that’s got energy at night,” says Amaury Piedra, Caribe Royale Orlando’s managing director, on a recent episode of THE RESTAURANT INNOVATOR PODCAST.
“It’s like a sports bar on steroids, because it’s got a very interactive component with the simulators. We wanted to make it an immersive experience that made you feel like you were at a game,” he adds.
Piedra partnered with former “Top Chef” contestants Janine Booth and Jeff McInnis, the husband-and-wife team responsible for Root & Bone. Together, the couple has modernized “Southern comfort food,” opening restaurants in New York City, Indianapolis, Puerto Rico, and Miami. Booth and McInnis developed the menu at Stadium Club, which is comprised of fun and elevated sports bar classics with twists. One offering in the “Pre-Game” section is called Winning Mac Carpaccio, which comes with thinly sliced wagyu beef, shredded lettuce, and Stadium Club sauce. “The ordinary sports bar you go in doesn’t have carpaccio made out of wagyu beef,” McInnis says.
Other menu highlights include the crispy tuna tartare cones filled with spicy tuna, caviar, and scallions; and The Royale Cheeseburger with a half-pound prime burger, black garlic aioli, caramelized onion jam, and choice of cheese. Five pizzas, Stadium Club wings with three sauces, and four salad options under “Field of Dreams” round out the diverse menu.
Entertainment is ingrained in every part of the guest experience, from the state-of-the-art sports simulator suites featuring 13 sports and games (from soccer to zombie dodgeball) to the unique presentation of the cedar plank salmon with bright green rice and marcona almond romesco. “We take a really high-alcohol, high-proof rum and pour it over the salmon and light it on fire tableside,” Booth says. “So there’s theatrics in the food and that creates another level, another layer of entertainment.”
Stadium Club opened in January to “rave reviews,” Piedra touts. “I challenge any type of restaurant like this in Orlando to have better quality and a more innovative menu than what we have right now, which is kudos to Jeff and Janine.”
In the immediate future, Piedra is planning an outdoor extension of Stadium Club with a bar and a retractable roof that can seat about 100 people. “Very much in tune with the rest of Stadium Club, the flooring might be designed as an NFL football field, so ‘hey, your table’s at the 20-yard line,’ or whatever the case might be,” he says. A big projection screen and a stage for live events will hopefully attract snowbirds looking to maximize their outdoor time in the Sunshine State, as well as locals and people looking to host larger private events.
“Once we get that done and get this place running to where everybody is really happy with it, then we’ll take a look and see where the next location that we potentially open is,” Piedra says.
Looking out further into the future, franchising isn’t off the table. Stadium Club has been receiving requests from across the country already, Piedra says, though he’s not in a rush to expand too quickly.
“It’s funny, I’m telling you from all over the nation, people have come to visit and either discovered it or been here on purpose and they’re talking about, ‘hey are you franchising in Indianapolis,’ for example, was one request. Atlanta was another. Dallas was another,” he adds. “That’s a process unto itself. So we want to make sure we got everything where we want it to be, and then take a look at what the future holds.”
Booth and McInnis are also focused on refining the Stadium Club brand in the next few months, from switching out menu items to reinventing or fine tuning dishes.
“We would love to see Stadium Club in all the major and minor cities around the country, so that’s what we’re going to be focusing on in the next few months,” Booth says.
LISTEN TO THE STADIUM CLUB FOUNDERS ON THE RESTAURANT INNOVATOR PODCAST
