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No more animatronic characters for you at Rainforest Cafe. The restaurant that sits next to Hakkasan at the MGM Grand shut down last night to make way for a new location opening at Harmon Corner on Sept. 1.
The "A Wild Place to Shop and Eat" takes over the former Goretorium horror-themed attraction at Harmon Corner. Zombies and horror attractions are replaced with animatronic decor, fake forest ambiance, fountains and casual American fare on Sept. 1. Landry's Inc. owns the chain that also runs the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant right next door and will share the same balcony patio.
The new restaurant features a 3,002-square-foot entrance on the bridge level of the Harmon retail complex, plus the two mezzanines and the 11,493-square-foot, third-floor main dining space with outdoor balcony seating.
As for the MGM Grand version of the restaurant, rumors at one time pointed to Mario Batali bringing his Eataly to the space that sits right on the Strip, but a better educated guess would have Hakkasan Group taking over the space.
