Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood will debut a new signature restaurant developed by Major Food Group (MFG), replacing Cipresso, which served its final guests on July 19 after seven years. The name, culinary direction, design, and opening timeline will be revealed this fall, but the announcement signals a significant upgrade to the South Florida integrated resort's food and beverage portfolio.
The Partnership Context
The forthcoming concept is the next tangible output of a strategic partnership Hard Rock International and Major Food Group formalized in 2024 to develop distinctive dining experiences across Hard Rock's global portfolio of integrated resorts, hotels, and casinos. MFG — founded in 2011 by Mario Carbone, Jeff Zalaznick, and Rich Torrisi and named one of GQ's "20 Most Creative Companies in the World" — operates more than fifty restaurants, private clubs, bars, and hotels across fifteen cities, with properties including CARBONE, Torrisi, The Grill, Dirty French, and ZZ's Club.
The two companies have already collaborated on property. In December 2023, MFG brought a Carbone residency to Cipresso to mark the historic launch of craps, roulette, and retail sports betting at Seminole Gaming properties across Florida — a preview of the deeper integration now underway.
What Operators Should Note
For the hospitality industry, the deal illustrates a broader strategy gaining traction at large integrated resorts: replacing in-house or legacy restaurant concepts with branded partnerships from celebrated independent hospitality groups. Rather than developing culinary IP from scratch, resort operators are licensing — or co-creating — with groups that carry their own cultural cachet and proven guest loyalty.
"Major Food Group has an extraordinary ability to create restaurants that become destinations in their own right," said Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming. "Bringing an exclusive MFG concept to our resort is an exciting next step in our partnership and reflects our continued investment in world-class dining and hospitality."
MFG Co-Founder Jeff Zalaznick framed the collaboration in terms of longevity: "We look forward to building something very special together — a restaurant that's exciting, extraordinary, and gives guests yet another reason to love Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood for many years to come."
Bridging the Gap
In the interim, Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood is ensuring continuity for Cipresso loyalists. Select signature dishes — including Nonna's Meatballs, Bolognese, and Bone-In Veal Chop Alla Parmigiana — moved to Abiaka Wood Fire Grill starting July 27. Abiaka is also expanding to seven-day-a-week operations to absorb the added demand, a practical transition play that limits revenue disruption during the concept changeover.
The property, which features more than 20 food and beverage outlets across its 87-acre Hollywood Seminole Reservation campus, positions the new MFG restaurant as a flagship dining draw within a resort that already competes at the top tier of integrated resort hospitality. For operators tracking how legacy casino-hotel properties are elevating their restaurant programming, the Hard Rock–MFG model offers a clear template: pair real estate and guest volume with a hospitality brand that delivers editorial credibility and a built-in following.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
