Wisconsin: Potawatomi Casino and Gene Simmons open new Rock & Brews restaurant in Carter 

Wisconsin's Potawatomi Casino Hotel and Gene Simmons, co-founder of rock band Kiss, have opened a new rock-inspired restaurant and entertainment venue called Rock & Brews. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Carter casino's new amenity was held on Tuesday. 

Simmons was in attendance at the ribbon-cutting for the new restaurant. He and fellow band member Paul Stanley were there when the project broke ground in September 2023. 

This is the second Rock & Brews location in Wisconsin. Last August, the first one opened at the Potawatomi Casino Hotel in Milwaukee.

"If this is your first time here, it’s not going to be the last time, because you’re going to feel like you’re part of the family -- and that’s what Paul [Stanley] and I felt like the very first time we met these fine folks at Potawatomi," Simmons said before he cut the ribbon.

The 3,000-square-foot Rock & Brews restaurant is equipped with a stage to allow for performances from local bands. It also features an art installation honoring the Forest County Potawatomi Community. Simmons performed live with the Gene Simmons Band at Rock & Brews Milwaukee on Wednesday as part of the celebrations.

The first Rock & Brews Restaurant in Wisconsin opened on August 1 at the Potawatomi Casino Hotel in Milwaukee. The 250-seat restaurant was "an integral aspect" of the property's $190 million renovation, the tribe said at the time.

Set in the heart of Milwaukee, the casino features six restaurants and more than 60,000 sq. feet of event space. A 500-room, 19-story hotel opened in 2014 with a second tower unveiled in 2019.