Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert, California, will debut the next phase of its $1 billion expansion on May 4. New offerings include a collection of original food and beverage concepts led by award-winning chef Roy Ellamar and Vice President of Culinary Operations Jennifer Murphy-Ellamar, highlighted by the resort’s first rooftop restaurant, a high-energy sports bar, and an artisanal doughnut and dessert shop.
Also debuting is a new 144,000-square-foot, fully non-smoking gaming floor.
Later this year, the resort will debut additional food and beverage concepts and a new nightlife experience, followed by the opening of a new hotel tower with 200 guest rooms and an adults-only pool in 2027.
“Graton’s expansion marks a defining milestone for the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria and our entire community,” Graton Rancheria Tribal Chairman Greg Sarris said in a statement. “We’re bringing new ideas and experiences to the region that showcase the incredible culinary talent, local ingredients and sense of place that define Sonoma County. This growth creates hundreds of local jobs and reinforces our long-term commitment to building a world-class destination that gives back to the region that has supported us.”
Leading Graton’s culinary evolution is husband-and-wife Chef Roy Ellamar and Jennifer Murphy-Ellamar, whose combined experience spans Las Vegas’ restaurants and resorts. Ellamar’s career includes formative time in the kitchens of the Michelin-starred L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas and the creation of his critically acclaimed Harvest by Roy Ellamar at Bellagio. Murphy brings leadership experience overseeing multi-restaurant operations, culinary teams and guest-facing hospitality programs. They will conceptualize, create and operate Graton’s food and beverage program, grounded in sustainability, local partnerships and staff education.
The May 4 opening will introduce three venues that mark a significant evolution of the resort’s food and beverage portfolio:
AYA will be Graton’s first rooftop restaurant and the centerpiece of the new culinary portfolio. AYA spans 28,000 square feet and is designed by David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group. The $40 million dining destination will feature Coastal California cuisine with Asian influences, led by Chef Roy Ellamar. The menu will emphasize seasonality and sourcing, pairing bright crudos, local oysters and wild-caught seafood with whole fish and selected meats prepared over a wood-burning grill.
Ingredients will include produce grown through a custom program on Graton’s nearby 40-acre farm, alongside organic lamb and pork programs and premium beef offerings including Japanese wagyu. AYA also is investing $1 million in its wine program, which will include a library of rare vintages from wineries from around the world.
Perched atop the resort with views of the Sonoma Hills, AYA will have a dedicated exterior entrance, a first for the property, allowing guests to access the rooftop directly without entering the resort. AYA also will feature two outdoor terraces, one designed for nightly dining and another dedicated to private events, creating a setting for celebrations and corporate gatherings.
Playbook Sports Bar will introduce a new game-day destination to Sonoma County, pairing wall-to-wall screens and large-format viewing with comfort food and a social atmosphere. Designed as a place to watch, dine and gather, the 168-seat venue will feature screens throughout the space, including a dramatic halo screen along with individual TVs at tables for a personalized viewing experience.
The menu offers takes on sports-bar favorites, including Detroit-style pizza baked in traditional blue steel pans, Buffalo wings fried in beef tallow with a range of bold sauces, birria nachos, cheeseburger egg rolls, smoked pork belly burnt ends tossed in a sweet kalbi glaze, and a pastrami bánh mì layered with pickled vegetables and kewpie. Desserts feature a collaboration with SoCo Dough Co., spotlighting signature doughnut hole monkey bread and rounding out the experience as a social hub for casual fans and serious food lovers.
SoCo Dough Co. will be a full-scale dessert destination built around handcrafted doughnuts, unique gelato flavors and specialties, all prepared fresh daily. A team of dedicated “doughnuteers” hand-decorates each batch throughout the day.
Using the best Sonoma County ingredients, the doughnut menu features inventive flavors such as Vanilla Buttermilk Glaze finished with Maldon sea salt, Pistachio Rose with rosewater cream, Ube Honeycomb layered with pastry cream and honeycomb streusel, and Vietnamese Coffee doughnuts finished with condensed milk drizzle. The menu also features a robust beverage program featuring flavored iced lattes and SoCo’s signature “Dirty Milk,” a lineup of dessert-inspired flavored milks topped with drizzles and cold foam.
Savory breakfast options include an Everything Doughnut with scallion cream cheese and a maple-glazed doughnut breakfast sandwich with egg soufflé.
The heart of the May 4 opening is a new 144,000-square-foot, non-smoking casino. The wing will house a state-of-the-art poker room, a high-limit slots lounge, and nearly 2,000 new slot machines, including yet-to-be-released games making their global debut.
The expansion’s design seamlessly integrates with Graton’s aesthetic while introducing modern architectural elements. The space balances sleek, contemporary finishes with cultural references that honor the tribe’s heritage, including curated art installations throughout the wing.
The entire expansion wing will be non-smoking, marking a significant milestone in the resort’s evolution.
Graton Resort & Casino is recruiting more than 430 employees across the resort, including 160 culinary and food & beverage professionals at all levels who will work closely with Chefs Ellamar and Murphy-Ellamar.
