The Cordish Companies and Bruce Smith Enterprise reached a structural topping out at Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia in Petersburg this week, marking the highest point of construction on a 445,000-square-foot gaming and hospitality resort carrying 20 food-and-beverage venues and a late-2027 opening target.
The project replaces a temporary gaming facility on the same I-95 site, roughly 25 miles south of Richmond. In its first decade of operation, the resort is projected to generate $2.8 billion in regional economic stimulus and $504 million in tax revenues — including $240 million directed to the City of Petersburg — figures that underscore the scale of hospitality investment moving into Central Virginia.
The F&B Lineup
The resort's food-and-beverage program is built around three anchor concepts already operating at other Live! properties across the Mid-Atlantic and Gulf Coast. Sports & Social, the Cordish-owned sports bar brand with 18 locations nationwide — including outposts at Truist Park in Atlanta and the South Philadelphia Sports Complex — will anchor the entertainment floor with an 8,000-square-foot venue featuring an 82-foot-wide LED screen. The concept has earned USA Today Top 10 Sports Bar recognition and drives high-frequency repeat visits anchored to major sporting events and watch-party programming.
The Prime Rib, a fine-dining steakhouse that earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2026 and holds a USA Today Top 10 Best Casino Restaurant distinction, will bring its white-tablecloth format — prime rib, filet mignon, jumbo lump crab cakes, Chilean sea bass — into the Virginia market. Luk Fu, the group's Pan-Asian concept recognized for Best Asian and Best Sushi by Casino Player Magazine's 2025 Best of Dining & Nightlife Awards, rounds out the flagship trio with sushi, wok-fired dishes, noodle programs, and locally sourced proteins. Both Luk Fu and The Prime Rib are being designed by Beth Bloom Designs, a hospitality-focused interior firm. Additional local partnerships are expected to be announced through 2027.
Jobs and Supply Chain
The existing temporary casino has already created more than 600 permanent positions, including 100-plus table games dealer roles. The full resort build is projected to add 1,000 more permanent jobs upon opening, spanning culinary, hotel services, beverage, events, and guest services functions. To accelerate dealer pipeline, Richard Bland College runs a free seven-week Dealer Institute in partnership with the property, with the next cohort beginning November 16, 2026.
On the procurement side, the developers will host a Local Contractor & Vendor Fair on October 14 at the Petersburg Public Library, targeting MBE/WBE, veteran-owned, and local suppliers across food and beverage, facilities maintenance, hotel and spa products, and professional services. The Virginia Department of Small Business & Supplier Diversity is co-hosting the event.
Regional Context
The Virginia build is consistent with a broader national trend of integrated resort operators expanding F&B footprints as a primary traffic and revenue driver, particularly as gaming-adjacent dining shifts from amenity to destination. Cordish's Live! brand — which welcomes more than 65 million visitors annually across its portfolio — has positioned multi-concept dining programs as a core differentiator against regional competition. With a 200-room hotel, resort pool, spa, sportsbook, and a 70,000-square-foot event center on the same campus, the Virginia property is structured to capture extended dwell time across dayparts, from casual bar visits at Sports & Social to special-occasion covers at The Prime Rib.
David Cordish, CEO and Chairman of The Cordish Companies, called the topping out "a defining moment" for the project and signaled continued national brand expansion. Petersburg Mayor Samuel Parham cited the resort as a catalyst for broader city transformation.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
