Since its first location opened in December 2012 in the Las Vegas Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Gordon Ramsay Burger has been the go-to destination for burger lovers. As a full-service restaurant developed by internationally renowned, multi-Michelin starred Chef Gordon Ramsay, the highly acclaimed eatery offers stunningly crafted burgers and fries, made-from-scratch sauces, and delicious milkshakes. With Gordon Ramsay’s establishment continuing to bring in crowds and fans even after almost a decade, Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino was prompted to meet this demand with a highly-anticipated expansion.

With sights set on an expansion of 282 seats and more opportunities to accommodate larger parties, Caesars Entertainment tapped Las Vegas’s Austin General Contracting as the general contractor of this high-profile renovation. The enhancements would also include a larger grill in the kitchen, a second side station, and more TVs in the dining room. For this to work, the plan required 1,500 square feet (139.3 square meters) of additional urethane cement flooring that would need to seamlessly integrate and perfectly match the custom design of the existing surface. GM Construction, LLC of Las Vegas was recruited to lead this specific endeavor and they worked closely with LATICRETE to acquire the needed materials, receive technical advice, and implement a plan of attack for adding to the existing floorplan without disrupting the current aesthetic.

The Challenges

• Tight Timeframe: As a full-service restaurant in the popular Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, Gordon Ramsay Burger required a quick turnaround that would enable them to reopen promptly after renovations were completed. As such, the installation team needed fast-acting products and efficient solutions that would enable them to keep to task and on schedule.
• Color Matching Existing Flooring: The existing floors at the restaurant were made with a custom color that was designed more than 10 years prior. To achieve the desired look and effortlessly meld the previous cement with the new areas, tailor-made pigments would need to be painstakingly crafted.
• Long-Lasting Performance: With the celebrity-crafted eatery remaining open during the expansion and being centrally located within a packed casino and resort, the teams needed to plan for heavier foot traffic than normal. To accommodate the inevitable crowds, the flooring expansion would necessitate truly durable and enduring materials that could withstand constant exposure to cooking smoke, grease, and other elements common in a burger joint and busy restaurant.

A LATICRETE Solution

The SPARTACOTE® Resinous and Decorative Flooring System was chosen because it’s a seamless, safe, highly-durable, and easy-to-clean solution that succeeds under the most demanding flooring challenges. With tailored systems for industries ranging from industrial to hospitality and everything in-between, the SPARTACOTE System helps reduce downtime through innovative, quick return-to-service products proven through years of successful installations. A variety of available textures, finishes, and colors allows customization to match any decor, enabling the LATICRETE and GM Construction teams to put together a custom color match exclusively for Gordon Ramsay Burger.

The success of any resinous flooring project is always founded on optimum concrete surface preparation. Without proper preparation, resinous flooring projects often result in failure due to surface contaminants, laitance, and other bond breaking agents. Once the teams leveled and smoothed the floors for the main SPARTACOTE application, SPARTACOTE General Primer was applied to prime the steel walker duct area. When combined with proper surface preparation, SPARTACOTE General Primer creates a strong base for SPARTACOTE epoxy and urethane systems by promoting strong substrate and intercoat adhesion while helping to eliminate common issues such as outgassing.

Next, the resinous flooring crew began mixing the three-part SPARTACOTE Urethane Cement SL material. The resinous flooring crew starts by pouring out the SPARTACOTE Urethane Cement SL and spreading out the material using a gauge rake set to 3/16th inch (76.2 mm). This elevation gives an application rate of approximately 42 square feet (3.9 square meter) per kit. After applying the urethane cement, another crew member immediately back-rolled the material with a spiked roller, leveling the SPARTACOTE Urethane Cement SL out over the floor.

The coatings crew repeated the mixing and placing process until all 1,500 square feet (139.3 square meters) of the restaurant was covered with SPARTACOTE Urethane Cement SL. This continuous process was imperative to maintain the wet edge of the material to prevent resinous flooring failures. Since SPARTACOTE Urethane Cement SL requires an 8-hour cure time, the resinous flooring crew was finished for the day after the floor was covered in wet material.

After the SPARTACOTE Urethane Cement SL 8-hour cure time was complete, the crew prepared the next coat of the resinous flooring system. The SPARTACOTE Surface Build coat was specifically pigmented in the custom red and bronze colors and had to be flown in overnight to ensure the tight schedule was met. LATICRETE successfully delivered not only on time, but the colors of the topcoat matched perfectly with the existing floors.

SPARTACOTE Surface Build is a high solids, multi-purpose, self-leveling epoxy floor coating for decorative and protective applications that eliminates the need to carry and stock multiple epoxies, simplifies ordering, reducing inventory carrying costs, and adding greater field flexibility. Its improved leveling and working properties make it easy to work with, reduces the number of surface defects, and creates a better overall high-gloss finish.

Lastly, SPARTACOTE FLEX PURE™ was installed, also in the custom red and bronze color pigments. As the topcoat, SPARTACOTE FLEX PURE is a low-VOC, low-odor, fast-curing, two-part polyaspartic aliphatic polyurea coating also for both decorative and protective applications. This polyaspartic coating provides excellent impact abrasion and chemical resistance for high traffic areas, and it is ideal for indoor applications requiring low odor installations, making it a perfect choice for Gordon Ramsay Burger.

“We would like to thank the LATICRETE team for helping us push this through to the finish line,” said Ron Garamendi, founder of GM Construction. “The LATICRETE team played a crucial role in this installation by allowing us to color-match and remake the pigments that had initially been damaged by UPS delivery — even going so far to ship them on the same day to ensure our schedule was met.”

The Outcome

In March 2022, the expanded Gordon Ramsay Burger reopened with its stylish ambiance drawing on the energy of both the casino and the nearby Miracle Mile shops. The refreshed space has allowed more people than ever before to enjoy the chef-crafted menu that uses only the freshest, quality ingredients.

One month after the reopening, Las Vegas Magazine called Gordon Ramsay Burger “one of the best places to get a burger on the Las Vegas Strip… and the restaurant is now better than ever, thanks to an expansion of both the space and the menu.”