Wolfgang Puck, Golden Knights players close to Summerlin restaurant deal

Wolfgang Puck and his team are finalizing a partnership with Vegas Golden Knights players that would convert his Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in Downtown Summerlin into a sports restaurant and lounge.

Tom Kaplan, senior managing partner for the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, confirms negotiations for the partnership are in the final stages.

“It will definitely involve multiple Vegas Golden Knights players, in their capacity as individuals,” he explains, stopping short of naming names.

Once the deal is finalized, he predicts the restaurant will close for seven to 10 days in October or November to accommodate a remodel that will include new furniture and signage, and as well as new screens on which to watch hockey games and other sporting events.

Puck’s name will remain attached to the rechristened restaurant. And Kaplan stresses that it will be a “sports restaurant and lounge,” offering an experience a bit more elevated than that of a typical sports bar.

“If you’re not going to the game, or if you can’t go to the game, or it’s an away game, there’s a place you can go for a steak night with your buddies and watch the game.”

He insists, however, that the new menu, still in development, will be designed and priced with cost-conscious neighborhood diners in mind.

“We want to make it inclusive. Locals are going to know that this is a place that players are coming to, and players own. But this is not a place that is price-prohibitive, where (locals are) not wanted.”

“Maybe on the weekends there will be a steak or something that’s more expensive. But there will definitely be approachability. And I think our pricing will be even more sensitive than it is now.”

Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter.