Randy Markin took a call Friday morning and apologized for all the racket in the background.
“Sorry!” he called out “I’m in the kitchen!”
No need to apologize. For Markin, the kitchen is the place to be.
The owner of Battista’s Hole in the Wall and adjoining Stage Door Casino, just east of the Strip on Flamingo Road, have reopened both business. The dual revival comes after a seemingly interminable six-month closure.
“It’s good to walk in here and smell the cooking,” Markin said. “It just feels really good, and the staff is so happy. I probably had 40 of them come up to me in hugging and in tears.”
Battista’s reopened Wednesday and Stage Door on Friday. Originally, the restaurant went dark the first week of June, with plans to reopen that month. Stage Door, with its connected liquor and convenience store, shut down mid-June, with plans to reopen in July.
But weeks spilled into months as Markin repaired roof leaks and installed all-new air conditioning units in there and update equipment. The buildings he’s working on were built some 60 years ago.
“We just needed to replace the bones. We put new roof on. We put all new air conditioning units up there,” Markin said. “We’ve got got six, 15-ton AC units up there. We replaced plumbing. We replaced all the electrical (wiring).”
At Stage Door, Markin replaced the flooring and brought in all new gaming machines.
The restaurant reopening was hardly noticed unless you walked west on Flamingo Road toward the Strip on Wednesday, and good luck with that with the road closure for F1 Grand Prix. Battista’s turned about 200 covers that night and again Thursday. It’s OK for F1 week, but about a third of what the restaurant usually serves.
But the big stat for own Markin in the restaurant’s reopening is 65. That’s the number of staffers under Markin’s employ who remained with the business through its sixth-month shutdown.
“Battista’s is a really tight group. I mean, these people are like family,” Markin said. “They do things together, they hang out together, and they’ve been doing it for years. So many people were so happy to see each other again.”
All but two employees, a pair of bus boys, remained with Markin through the closing. All the staffers were paid during longer-than-anticipated renovations. The crew pulled down the thousands of photos on the restaurant’s walls, indexed them, and returned them to their original positions.
“If somebody walks into Battista’s,” Markin said, “they won’t see one change.”
The liquor and convenience store are next to open, by Monday.
Battista’s revival was the night before the opening of the third F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, which has undercut business at the restaurant, and also Stage Door. In September 2024, Markin joined neighboring Jay’s Market in a class-action lawsuit against the racing series. The sides reached a settlement in August.
Markin demurred when asked about his relationship with F1 currently. Suffice to say you won’t see him track-side during this year’s race. But at Battista’s or Stage Door, certainly. Markin took over Battista’s, which opened in 1970, a few years. That purchase saved the restaurant from being closed by then-owner Caesars Entertainment.
The photos on the walls span the decades. Markin walks the floor every day to gaze at pics of Elvis, Sinatra, Wayne Newton, Jerry Lewis, Tom Jones a veritable museum of the city’s entertainment history.
“We’re the last of old Vegas,” Markin said. “There’s nobody else left like us.” ‘
He owns it
Mark Davis hung with the regulars at the end of The Power of 3 set at Thursday night’s F1 practice round at the Heineken Stage at East Harmon Zone by Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Davis wound up at the barrier in front of the stage by the end of the set.
Orianthi, Cindy Blackman Santana and Rhonda Smith braved a chill, occasional drizzle, and sparse crowd, discourage by the unfriendly conditions. No matter. The resulting video of the stage show was very cool. This band will be heard from, and loudly.
Back-to-back at Allegiant
The Raiders have a short turnaround to put together its in-game entertainment for Sunday’s tilt against the Browns. But Cassadee Pope (who attended Jewel’s “Not Alone Awards” event at the Wynn on Nov. 11) will perform the national anthem. The ever-rocking, ex-Eagles’ guitarist Don Felder, a Raiders and Davis favorite, is back to jam during the halftime show. Kickoff is 1:05 p.m.; get there 40 minutes or so beforehand for all the pregame action.
And, a hint: Keep your eye out for Prime Time. His kid’s starting at quarterback.
Tease this …
A major Las Vegas philanthropic is to honor a rock star, once in a duo, then a soloist, next year.
Cool Hang Alert
Dependably smooth crooner Ryan Baker headliners Maxan Jazz at 7 p.m. Sunday. Classic voice, classic attire, classic vibe. A $25 F&B minimum per person for this Sunday show. Go to maxanjazz.com for intel.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.