Does Giada De Laurentiis at Caesars Palace Have a Name?

One of the top five success stories in the Caesars Entertainment restaurant portfolio, seems to be on the move. It was inevitable superstar chef and small screen fixture Giada De Laurentiis would eventually debut a second Las Vegas concept. Rumors of an expansion to Caesars Palace first date back to 2014, when the new dining tenant of The Cromwell was rumored to be moving into the shuttered Central Michel Richard space.

Giada herself has now personally verified local rumors of her next Las Vegas restaurant, twice confirming to local KVVU-TV show “More Access” that she will be taking over the still operational Payard Patisserie & Bistro, located opposite Rao’s and the Bacchanal Buffet. The show even posted a since deleted photo of the plans for the new Caesars Palace space.

Promised to be a more informal venture, her company GDL Foods Inc. recently trademarked the name Pronto By Giada for a future restaurant, a very appropriate moniker for a quick-and-casual concept featuring ready-to-go dishes. Still under wraps, Giada explained to New York’s Daily News, “We're on our third year [in Vegas] and I wanted to do something a little more casual for anybody who can't do the fine dining thing, sort of as an introduction to my food, so I think this will be a really great opportunity to do that."

The trademark was filed in May by high-powered attorney Eric Greenspan, who employed De Laurentiis for five years as his part-time, personal family chef, before she exploded to national fame.

De Laurentiis told “More Access” she was hoping for a November debut, currently an optimistic timeline. The Caesars parent company has yet to confirm the expansion and Payard Patisserie & Bistro remains very much open, accepting reservations into September.

• All Coverage of Giada De Laurentiis [ELV]