“Where there’s no Rock & Brews, there’s a void,” Paul Stanley, frontman of the legendary rock band KISS and co-founder of the American-style restaurant chain, once told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
With 21 locations in six states, there are plenty of voids left to fill. But Stanley and his longtime bandmate, Gene Simmons, will plug another hole on August 1 when Rock & Brews’ 22nd location opens in Milwaukee at the Potawatomi Casino Hotel Milwaukee. Stores also opened earlier this year in Plantation, Florida, and San Antonio.
Expansion for the chain has been slow but steady since PMQ featured Stanley and Simmons on its November 2013 cover. “This is a family-friendly restaurant that provides great food and a broad selection of craft beers in a fun environment,” Stanley said at the time.
Related: How Paul Stanley of KISS makes pizza at home
Casinos and airports have become high-traffic hotspots for Rock & Brews, which features pizza, burgers, sandwiches and other classic American-style entrees. In addition to the Milwaukee opening, the chain operates in two casinos in California and two terminals in the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The company also has its own casino in Braman, Oklahoma.
The Potawatomi Casino Hotel Milwaukee underwent a $100 million renovation last year in advance of the new Rock & Brews’ debut. Stanley and Simmons appeared at a groundbreaking ceremony on May 11, 2022, cracking off-color jokes and hyping up the new restaurant. “We pride ourselves on our food,” Simmons said, according to CBS 58. “You can go to [the restaurant’s website] and actually see the food. And the first thing you’ll notice is size. Despite what your girlfriend is telling you all these years, size does count.”
Dave Furano, Gene Simmons and Michael Zislis are among the Rock & Brews partners. (Rock & Brews)
Stanley and Simmons will be on-hand for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 1 at the Potawatomi Casino Hotel Milwaukee. The new restaurant spans 6,000 square feet and seats 250 people.
The grand opening will be followed by a series of concerts at Potawatomi Casino Hotel Carter, including tributes to Bruno Mars and Guns N Roses, as well as an August 13 performance by Jefferson Starship. That classic-rock band will take the stage again at Rock & Brews Casino in Braman on August 19.
