Long after New Orleans and the rest of the world have cleaned up the beads and confetti the party is still going in Cross Lanes, West Virginia, at Mardi Gras Casino & Resort.
    “The party never stops - it’s always a party. It’s what we do,” says Mardi Gras General Manager Bob Lagg. “Because of the nature of today’s world, it is always somebody’s Friday night. We have to cater to that. We want you to enjoy your Friday.”
The 90,000-square-foot gaming and entertainment venue is open 24-hours a day, 365 days a year. It offers a dizzying diversity of entertainment options from live greyhound racing to more than 1,000 slot machines, 30 different table games and a designated poker room.
    If gambling doesn’t appeal, there are plenty of other options for amusement, says Lagg. “One of the greatest opportunities is just to come out here and watch people! There is always something going on here. If you’re not here on your Friday or Saturday night, you are missing something.”
    Louie’s Lounge, open on Friday and Saturday nights, has become the hottest nightclub in the region. Complete with a dance floor, full-service bar and no cover charge, the lounge has a rotating entertainment schedule that varies from live bands and DJs spinning popular dance tunes to comedy acts.
    For foodies, Mardi Gras offers five restaurants to choose from. Each has its own distinct culinary offerings. Of the casino’s 750 workers, more than 300 work in food service alone. Bayou Buffett is an “all-you-can-eat extravaganza” complete with a homemade beignets (French donut) station. The French Quarter Restaurant & Bar is considered one of the Charleston-area’s premier fine dining destinations serving up steak, seafood, prime rib, wine and champagne. For patrons who don’t want to miss a minute of racing action, they can watch and wager at the Grill at First Turn where individual TVs simulcast greyhound and horse racing events!
    Café Orleans and Cresent City, on the casino floor, serve up home cookin’ staples and ethnic-inspired dishes along with a selection of fresh sandwiches, snacks and drinks at all hours of the day or night. Lagg recommends the fish tacos and homemade soup of the day. A recent offering was a fresh coconut curry soup, about which he said, “It was delicious. Some of these kids are really, really talented when you take the restraints off. We try to do that here.”
    Mardi Gras also offers a full-service 150-room hotel with accommodations ranging from its extravagant presidential suites complete with jacuzzis and access to the Winner’s Circle Concierge Lounge to traditional double queen and king rooms with lavish linens and big screen televisions. The region’s best breakfast comes with every stay, as does 24-hour room service.  
“We want to offer our guests as much as we can as part of the entertainment package for the valley here,” said Lagg, a New Jersey native, whose spent 39 years in the business including the last seven at Mardi Gras.
    Lagg expects Mardi Gras will soon offer even more chances for fun. Sports wagering is expected to become legal in West Virginia soon, which will allow patrons to place bets on events such as college basketball and professional boxing.  
Other changes are also on tap. In January, global hospitality company Delaware North, which owns and operates a number of casinos and gaming venues, announced it would purchase Mardi Gras.  The company expects to make a number of capital improvements to the facility in the coming years.  “It’s going to be even more fun,” says Lagg.
    The key to Mardi Gras’ success, he says, is and will always continue to be its commitment to customer service.  He encourages guests to call ahead to let staff know about special occasions. “We will take care of you,” said Lagg.
    Sometimes that means champagne, cheese and flowers. At other times it could be something else.  For example, Lagg said, when local WSAZ Newschannel 3 meteorologist Brandon Butcher called to tell staff he and his wife would be celebrating their anniversary at the resort, the staff got creative.
    Butcher plays poker at the casino’s annual “Chips for Charity” event and so staff knew he was a graduate of Penn State University. The university has its own creamery and has a special flavor of ice cream called Paterno Peach (named after football coach Joe Paterno). Casino staff ordered a quart of the ice cream to serve as the couple’s dessert following dinner at The French Quarter.  Needless to say, they were surprised and pleased, said Lagg.
    “We are willing to go the extra mile. That’s what it is about. It is about making each experience special for somebody, and if you will help us and tell us you have a special event we will try to capitalize on it. We try to make friends,” said Lagg.