Chicken Ranch Casino Resort — Attraction in Sonora

I will start by saying that our room was very nice and I thought the overall Aesthetics of the hotel casino were quite Pleasant. We had a concert in Modesto and we were looking to make a whole weekend of it and this seemed like a great place where we could get a nice dinner maybe gamble a little bit and extend our weekend fun. After our one night stay, I can confidently say that we will never be giving them our business again or recommending other people stay here despite the fact that the room and location were so cute.

The first issue was at check-in when we were given two options for which room to stay in. The front desk receptionist was very nice but he told us that the first room was by the pool and that the nightclub that happens on Saturdays would be very loud. I did not think this was a big deal and I appreciated his honesty and asked if we could take the room that was on the other side of the hotel. He then proceeded to tell us that we would likely still hear the pool party and music and that if we needed earplugs they kept them behind the front desk.

The second issue was with the elevators and I think this is connected to the nightclub and the crowds that they get on a Saturday night. When we return from our concert we were shocked to find that it took us 30 minutes to get a elevator up to our room. They have a system where you have to top your card in order to get to your floor which seems very secure in practice but it seems like it led to a lot of people going up and down the elevator without actually getting dropped off at their room. We also discovered that security was holding elevators so that people could only go up and down to the nightclub and it just created a bottleneck where people were stuck just using a few Hotel elevators.

The final issue was concerning a reservation and the dress code policy out there nice restaurant on the 9th floor. We had made a reservation for before our concert about 2 weeks prior and my husband was very excited about having a nice steak. He dresses so casually that I was very concerned about him meeting the dress code that they have on their website. I did not stop to think that any of my clothing might be an issue, but I was stopped almost immediately and asked if I could go back to my hotel room and change my shoes. We had just driven 2 hours to the venue and I only brought one pair of sandals. I admit that I did see their dress code said no flip flops, but I thought the supplied to sandals that you wear at their pool and not to a nicer Kate Spade T-sandal. The rest of my outfit was a very nice dress that I had spent money on for just this occasion. I asked the manager if they had anywhere in the casino that they could sell me an alternate shoe and they said that they did not. I didn't want to argue with her but it felt very upsetting because we were 45 minutes from Modesto and at that point if we drove into town just for me to get a different shoe and back we would have lost our reservation and not made it to our concert. I'll also point out that the couple that came in behind us with a reservation were both in tennis shoes, I guess I just felt like the manager should have given me a little bit of leeway.

We ended up eating at the restaurant on the 3rd or 4th floor that did not have a dress code and the food definitely left something to be desired for the price. As an avid Beer Drinker I was also a little disappointed that the beer in the restaurant was not as cold as it should have been and when I went to the Center Bar downstairs they said that their beer keg was blown out. The casino was actually great if you only are a slots player. The table games were very minimal and they said they only open a table if you ask for it. I felt like a minimum bet of $25 to play a table by myself was a little too steep.

Overall I do not give a two-star rating lightly and if you are just staying here on a weekday and passing through this is a great choice for you but if you are there for the vibes, the food, and the service, I would take your...

Let me start by saying that I have eaten, gambled and stayed at this resort. The rooms are 10/10... Absolutely gorgeous with every detail about them being modern with comfortable beds... BUT, if you are not out of the room by exactly 11am ON THE DOT, they charge you a $75 late check out fee.

The food at The Perch is exquisite. The price of the food is irrelevant to me as long as the food is good, and the food at this restaurant is fabulous. I was actually able to order a dessert I wanted that was off menu, a chocolate tort that was FABULOUS and included in my pictures. 10/10 when it comes to the food and service. They usually have some type of jazz band performance every Sunday evening in the outside dining area. After dinner, my husband and I sat outside and watched the band for about a half hour and took some pictures. It was a beautiful and fun experience.

BUT... One thing I immediately noticed when I walked out of the elevator and into the restaurant was that 99% of the people inside were all dressed slovenly, in T-shirts with jeans or shorts and flip flops. I had my hair done, makeup to perfection with a dress and heels. I spent a lot of time getting ready for this dinner date with my husband and for me to show up to what I thought would be a high class restaurant to be surrounded by people wearing flip flops and T-shirts with jeans or shorts? THAT was unacceptable. So, the very first thing I asked our waitress was, "What happened to the dress code you guys have?" Her response was, "We had a dress code in the beginning when we first opened, but then so many local people were coming here, (specifying that it was people who live up here and have lived up here for decades... go figure!) and complaining that they were being turned away because of the way they were dressed. Hello!!! Are you a high class restaurant or not?!

I definitely stood out while on this date because of how I was dressed, and I'll be damned if I feel even a tiny bit bad about it. They need to get their dress code IN LINE and demand the bare basics, like how about we start with covered feet and toes for hygiene reasons alone? The way people were dressed definitely brought down the environment of this restaurant. The food is too good and the restaurant itself is too beautiful to let the entire atmosphere be brought down by LAZY people who can't even put a decent pair of shoes on to go to dinner, which is absolutely pathetic. Why not let bumbs in? The Perch needs to GET IT TOGETHER as far as the dress code goes. I don't care if the "locals" were complaining about being turned away because of the slovenly way they are dressed or not! THIS is one of the main reasons for my 3/5 star review.

Almost every time that I've been here to gamble, I have won. I have ONLY been here a handful of times to gamble though. I am, by no means, a "regular". It is ALWAYS jam packed and the machines are uncomfortably close together, making it hard to not rub elbows with the person sitting next to you, and I'm a small woman. I don't understand how you could possibly build a 325 million dollar casino that is absolutely beautiful, with gorgeous decor and exquisite restaurants and put ALL of the machines so close together that it makes the patrons uncomfortable, with the person sitting next to you practically breathing down your throat. THIS is another reason why I gave 3/5 stars for my review. They need to space out their machines a little more! I don't want the person next to me practically on top of me while I'm sitting at a machine! That is...

Place is new, looks nice inside. Staff is friendly

My BIGGEST complaint - YOU CAN'T SLEEP IN THE ROOMS BECAUSE THE SMOKE DETECTOR LIGHT FLASHING EVERY 30 seconds. How does this resort expect ANYBODY to be able to sleep when you have a bright strobe flashing in what is supposed to be a dark room? Worst yet, you call the front desk at 4am to have the issue addressed and there wasn't anybody on staff who could do anything about it.

My complaints - first- LOOSEN up those slots. There is no d*mn good reason why I had a handful of wins on slots across 7 hours of play. I also heard the same complaint from other players on the game floor that their wins were few & far in between. I don't expect to walk away from this place rich or in profit by any means as this IS a casino, but after a night of play - this place just felt like a giant rip off. According to CA state law , slot machines must pay out between 80 percent and 100 percent over the lifetime of the machine, and well I don't feel like this place is following that law at all. All 5 family members got skunked on this trip with few wins between us - Vegas gave us more wins than this place did less than 3 weeks ago.

45+ minute wait for food at 209 Eats. Front of house staff was VERY nice and courteous - the kitchen was slammed - perhaps they are going through growing pains still but 45+ minutes is way, way to long to wait after ordering.

Now for my pet peeve - THE TERRIBLE AI ART this place has on the wall. I find it hard to believe this place could not find any local artists to fill the spaces on their walls. Whomever selected or created these pieces did not do ANY kind of quality check on what the AI put out. the 4th floor image of the woman with the egg on her eye and you couldn't see the image artifacts from the AI process? With all the money this place generates, I am pretty dang sure they could afford to get local art (heck, even non AI art would do) on the wall.

Look - overall, not a bad experience but I will not be back UNTIL this place FIXES THE SMOKE DETECTOR ISSUE & loosens up the slot machines/increases the wins.

this whole experience just angered me beyond...