Three days after celebrity chef Guy Fieri’s American Kitchen + Bar opened at Choctaw Casino & Resort in Durant, Okla., it closed.
On July 10, managers learned that one of the restaurant’s employees tested positive for COVID-19. It is temporarily shuttered while it is being cleaned, according to a spokesperson. The restaurant originally opened July 7.
The casino is located about 90 miles north of Dallas, close to the Texas-Oklahoma border. It has been popular among North Texans looking for an evening or overnight getaway close to home.
Fieri’s new restaurant opened at a time when COVID-19 cases are surging and restaurant workers are getting sick. Record-breaking COVID-19 numbers are being reported in Texas, California and Florida, and 43 states are seeing higher increases in the past two weeks, The Hill reported.
In Bryan County, where Choctaw Casino is located, those numbers aren’t as staggering: According to COVID-19 cases by county in Oklahoma, Bryan County has seen 184 positive cases and one death. But public health officials warned that traveling around the July 4 holiday could cause the new coronavirus to spread to areas not as hard hit. “Because travel increases your chances of getting infected and spreading COVID-19,” says the CDC’s website, “staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting sick.”
Wearing masks will help slow the spread, according to recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Masks are not required in Oklahoma, but officials at Choctaw Casinos now require that all guests wear them, as of June 30.
In the few days it was open, Fieri’s restaurant served American fare like burgers, ribs and wings. Fieri’s name is on several dozen restaurants internationally, including Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint in Arlington — which is also temporarily closed. The chef is best known for his Food Network show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.
Choctaw’s casino, spa, bowling alley, pools and other restaurants remain open at reduced capacity, according to its website.
Choctaw Casino reopened May 27 after being shut down for nearly two months.
