A new restaurant called Significant Other is taking shape on East Sunset Road directly across from Harry Reid International Airport, with an October debut planned for the space at 1725 E. Sunset Road, Suite 150. The exterior sign has just gone up, and general contractor Mike Austin says seeing it installed is what finally made the opening feel real.
Austin and his wife, Kristi Austin, are the owners and operators behind the project, and the restaurant’s name is a nod to their own relationship: Significant Other is meant to evoke an intimate partner’s romantic counterpart, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Mike Austin decided to create a restaurant of his own after years spent building other people’s, and he has called the project deeply personal. Jason Goldwater developed the Significant Other name and brand, and the restaurant can be found on social media at the handle @significantvegas.
Austin General Contracting, the firm Mike Austin runs, is leading the Significant Other build, and the Austins also decided to construct a new Austin General Contracting headquarters across from the airport at the same time. The general contracting firm has built several Las Vegas restaurants over the years, and its reputation carries some weight statewide: Nevada’s Safety Consultation and Training Section gave Austin General Contracting its Safe Partner Award in March 2020, a distinction handed to only four employers statewide each year.
A Hospitality Team With Strip Pedigree
To run the food and beverage side, Austin recruited restaurateur Matthew Silverman, who co-founded Las Vegas hospitality group JRS Hospitality in 2012 and previously served as corporate executive chef for the Michael Corrigan Restaurant Group, overseeing Summerlin’s Vintner Grill and RoadRunner Restaurants, according to Cuisineist. Austin and Silverman have a history together, having worked on Beer Park and Alexxa’s at Paris Las Vegas. Silverman also served as culinary executive for Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken concept near UNLV, helping shape the space and set brand standards ahead of its October 2018 launch, per IZ Design Studio…