Built From Experience.
Built For People.
Built For What Comes Next.
Fusion Culture Group is the result of years spent
building, operating, hosting, leading and learning
inside hospitality, restaurants, entertainment and
live experiences.
For Antonio “Tone” Barnes, hospitality has never
been only about what happens on a plate. It is
about the room, the energy, the people, the
service, the music and the feeling guests carry
with them after they leave.
His experience stretches across multiple restaurant
operations (Illinois – Nevada – Texas), hospitality leadership, live
entertainment, festivals abroad and more than
1,000 events throughout Illinois.
Along the way, he has worked beside talented
people who gave everything they had even when
circumstances above them made the work harder
than it needed to be.
Those experiences became part of the foundation
for Fusion Culture Group: build the organization
differently, take care of the people doing the
work, and never lose sight of the guest.
Founder & CEO · Fusion Culture Group
I Remember Who Stood Beside Me.
Some of the people Antonio hopes to build this
company with are people he has already been in
the trenches with — cooks, servers, bartenders,
managers, entertainers and hospitality
professionals whose talent deserved the right
environment.
Fusion Culture Group is being built with a
commitment to do right by the team: clearer
leadership, stronger systems, genuine
accountability, professional development and a
culture where great people can actually grow.
The goal is not simply to open restaurants. It
is to create a hospitality company people are
proud to work for and proud to return to.
Every Detail Is Part of the Experience.
Food Worth Remembering
Menus designed around technique, flavor, culture
and a point of view — not simply another
collection of familiar dishes.
Service With Intention
Warmth, professionalism and consistency should
be felt from the first interaction through the
final goodbye.
More Than a Meal
Design, music, entertainment, energy and culture
come together to create destinations guests want
to experience again.
A Hospitality Platform Built to Grow.
Culture
Fusion Kitchen & Culture
A globally influenced culinary experience centered on culture,
flavor, hospitality and connection.
Brunch
Flame & Flour
Pizza, Italian inspiration, brunch, cocktails and late-night
energy anchored by the fire.
Entertainment
Fusion Live
Music, comedy, cultural programming and entertainment designed
to make the venue itself part of the destination.
Memberships
Premium Cigars
Flame Lounge
A premium cigar and spirits lounge offering curated cigars,
elevated atmosphere and membership-based experiences.
The Vision Extends Well Beyond One Restaurant.
Fusion Culture Group is being built as a
multi-brand, multi-location hospitality company with
ambitions that extend across restaurants,
entertainment, lounges, events and destination
hospitality.
One of Antonio’s long-standing goals is to
ultimately develop and own an all-inclusive resort
in the Caribbean or Mexico — bringing together food,
culture, entertainment and hospitality on an even
larger stage.
This company may begin with individual concepts, but
the vision is much larger: build an organization
capable of creating experiences in multiple markets
and eventually around the world.
We Intend to Earn Our Place.
The ambition is not simply to participate in the
hospitality industry. Fusion Culture Group
intends to compete at a high level —
operationally, creatively and culturally.
That means building concepts worthy of
recognition, earning loyalty one guest at a
time, developing exceptional teams and pursuing
the restaurant and hospitality awards that
follow truly excellent work.
The opportunity ahead is significant. The
responsibility is to be ready for it.