"Fine" Dining5 Feb 2025

Hooter Bowl 3: The History of the Worst Hotel in Las Vegas feat. Alexander Poncio

Hooters Casino Hotel was meant to be a game-changer—bringing its busty brand of mediocrity to the Las Vegas Strip. Instead, it became one of the biggest disasters in Vegas history. A casino so bad, it made Circus Circus look classy. So... what went wrong?

For my third annual Hooter Bowl Spectacular, I had to go big. So I spent 19 hours trapped inside the Hooters Casino Hotel (now OYO), enduring its busted elevators, depressing ambiance, and suspiciously sticky carpets—all for the sake of history.

Along the way, my guest Alexander Poncio and I uncover the shocking history of this cursed Las Vegas casino—including its mob ties, multiple bankruptcy scandals, and an abandoned attempt in the 1980s to become Vegas' first LGBTQ-friendly resort.

"Fine" Dining is now on video! Head on over to my YouTube to WATCH this episode!

💬 What's the WORST hotel you've ever stayed at? Drop it in the Discord!

📢 SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY:
🚨 Support the show & unlock exclusive content! 🚨

🍔 Bonus episodes – including deep dives into underrated chains like the most recent monthly exclusive: Dan's Hamburgers (Austin, TX)
📢 Extended Yelp from Strangers segments – with even wilder reviews
🎶 Download exclusive music – including all 7 tracks from our Olive Garden musical!

👉 Join us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/finediningpodcast
👉 Hop into the Discord! https://discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4
👉 All links in one place: www.linktree.com/finediningpodcast

🎵 Music by: James McEnelly (@Ramshackle_Music)
🎶 Theme Song by: Gabe Alvarez (@spooky.gabe)
🎙 Segment Transitions Voiced by: Sandy Rose

Patreon Producers: Joyce Van, & Sue Ornelas

Follow Alex on Instagram @ponciosa

⚡ Like, Subscribe & Share if you enjoy deep dives into the weirdest chain restaurant history!

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(172)

We Drove to LAX to Eat Airport Planet Hollywood feat. Steve Moulton (I Think You Should Leave)

It's Turbo Time! Steve Moulton (I Think You Should Leave, Young Rock, Sharknado) joins the boys in going to LAX, one of the busiest airports in the world, to dine at a pre-security Planet Hollywood G...

3 Mai 20231h 28min

The Cinnabon Injunction feat. Jessa Day (Twitch)

No service? No problem! The boys make a casual dining exception for Cinnabon Michael sues Garrett in Food Court (the honorable Judge Jessa Day presiding) to block him from ordering Cinnabon desserts o...

19 Apr 20231h 4min

Applebee's: The Most Mediocre Restaurant in America (So Far) feat. Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien, Firefly)

Applebee's scores a 5.00 from one of the boys Michael tells about the time he chauffeured Ron Jeremy Alan Tudyk tags in as Steven's voice for this week's Cheese Review The presence of a Cinnabon-licen...

5 Apr 20231h 12min

Red Lobster: Soaked in Butter feat. Casey Adler (The Upshaws, Bunheads, Stand-Up Comedy)

The boys are joined by comedian Casey Adler at Red Lobster The origins of Darden start at Red Lobster Casey recites a monologue on Red Lobster's stage Ollie reviews the Red Lobster kids menu in this w...

22 Mar 20231h 14min

Literal Eternity at Benihana

It takes 2 hours for Michael & Garrett to finally get food in front of them A child pyromaniac in this week's "What's Going On Over There?" segment The least charismatic hibachi chef ever Michael & Ga...

15 Mar 20231h 31min

"The Cleavage Effect" at Lucille's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que

Lucille's history provides some racial turmoil The You-Must Bowl forces Michael to wear a "Bride-to-Be" sash and tiara The boys enlist some Yelp from Strangers as the boys read their favorite 1 & 5-st...

8 Mar 20231h 13min

Analysis Paralysis at The Cheesecake Factory feat. Colin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway?)

Michael & Garrett get big casino hotel vibes from The Cheesecake Factory The Factory Apocalypse reanimates Cheesecake zombies Colin Mochrie from Whose Line Is It Anyway? voices cheese correspondent St...

1 Mar 20231h 13min

BONUS EPISODE: 20 Restaurants: The Current Scoreboard

Michael & Garrett look back at 20 (+1) restaurant visits and analyze if their scores look correct on the Tchotchke of Mediocrity JUB will help you fill your life with regrets Garrett comes clean about...

22 Feb 202346min