CHARENTON — The Mr. Lester’s Steakhouse dining room was filled to capacity Tuesday as Cypress Bayou Casino celebrated 20 years, inviting past and present Chitimacha tribal council members, officials and longtime patrons to celebrate.

Staff brought out extra seating as people were filing into one of the several restaurants Cypress Bayou now boasts.

Tribal Council Chairman John Darden walked those present through the history of the casino, from its start as a bingo hub in 1988 to where it is now, with seven dining options, a hotel, entertainment venues and hundreds of slot and table games.

Darden said the casino soon will add a convenience store, as well.

He said the tribe has expanded little by little, building as it could afford to do so. The casino has grown from 250 employees to 1,095 employees. More than 100 employees, Darden said, have been with the casino since the beginning.

“You can see the things we’ve done over the years,” Darden said. “We’ve improved not just the tribe, but the community around us.”

He said they’ve been able to add infrastructure and services for the reservation — like fire and law enforcement — that extend into the surrounding area.

Rebecca Martin, originally of New York, moved to Franklin in 1976 to teach at the Chitimacha school. She said when she told people in Franklin where she worked, they didn’t know what she was talking about.

“They didn’t even know the reservation was here,” she said. “I was amazed there was this nugget, this gem, and people nine miles away didn’t have an appreciation of what they had.”

Martin’s husband, Terry Martin, a former tribal council member, said the casino has undergone quite an evolution, but it wasn’t easy.

“Finding funding wasn’t easy because no one had the same beliefs we had,” he said.

It was with success that the casino and reservation found attention and support, Rebecca Martin said.

Darden also introduced the casino’s new general manager and CEO Anthony Patrone.

Patrone said he’s originally from Atlantic City, N.J., and has been in the casino industry for about 25 years. He didn’t mention what, if any, specific plans he has for Cypress Bayou, only that he wants to keep moving it forward.

“It’s clear to me this is the premier gaming and entertainment facility in Acadiana,” he said. “My mission is to keep that product at that level and grow it.”