Solutions to your Covid F & B problems
By Paul Heretakis
We can argue about vaccines and the calendar all day , but in the end we will come out of this and changes will need to be made .
Offering less and expecting more is not realistic as we reopen the country . There will be obvious health concerns , but the bigger issue that no one is addressing is the new level of spend of our customers .
If you live in Las Vegas , you observe empty fine dining establishments that are open for business , closed buffets and nightlife venues .
We need new ideas . You can ’ t just reopen with limited offerings , menus and seating . People ’ s expectations are still high . You still need to attract and WOW them ; that will not change . A celebrity chef or national brand is not going to save you . You all need to come up with new ideas .
The Buffet Buffets are used generally as a marketing tool , with either over-the-top offerings or a discounting program for player card holders . The true essence is “ food porn ”— an overwhelming display of goodies . Unfortunately , they have a lot of breakdowns in perceived health safety . They also require a lot of space .
The Solution Can you turn your food service line into a food hall ? Each station can become its own offering with fresh food display , prepackaged to-go goods and its own pay station . Use pre-paid cards ( or phones ) so no cash is exchanged . The food porn aspect still exists , with even more impressive displays . Staff limitations can be monitored . The large seating areas can be thinned out or simple musical entertainment can be added , as they usually open to the gaming areas and will add energy to the casino as well .
Fine Dining Existing fine dining establishments will be fighting for their lives as the customer base that can afford these offerings will shrink . Whether it ’ s reduced spending , travel or lack of savings , their core customer will be less .
The Solution Show the people you care about them and you are sympathetic to their limited financial position . Open for lunch and offer specials like you do during popular dining weeks . Offer an entertainment option like an old-fashioned supper club seating later in the evenings . How about a late-night comedy club entertainment option ? As a complement to the last seating , offer specialty desserts , drinks , cigars , etc ., to extend the late-night fun . You have all this space that ’ s closed more hours than it ’ s opened . Expand your hours , expand your offerings — keep the register running longer .
Some of these fine-dining restaurants will need to change their format ; there are too many at a high price point . Change the format . Even if I have less money , I still believe I ’ m special ( my mother tells me so ). I still want VIP experiences . Can the closed steakhouse become a VIP sportsbook offering with presold tables with locked-in pricing tied to various sports events ? I can still feel special , but I also know how much the experience will cost me .
Fast Casual For the regional casinos that don ’ t rely upon food and beverage to drive visitation , Covid has helped you . You ’ ve closed high-operational-cost buffets and fine dining offerings . Your fast casual offerings have excelled . People view them as being a cleaner exchange of food delivery . These changes have driven your profit margin through the roof . If you ’ re in a destination casino resort , you have a lot of decisions to make .
The Solution A more “ pop-up ” approach should be considered . The fast casual offering is very tenuous in our fadhappy society . Baja-fresh , burgers and design-yourown pizza concepts have dominated the market , and have disappeared just as quickly . Shorter leases will warrant a lower rent , but that will give you the ability to stay relevant with your offerings . New offerings need to fold into the casino lifestyle better . Can they offer room service delivery options ? Promote more app-friendly ordering solutions . There are less moving parts with fast casual , and you can control the environment better . But that ’ s not an excuse to get lazy and offer a bad experience . Efficient , fresh , healthy , clean and safe must be the goal , but you still need to exceed expectations and be memorable .
Conventions The future of the convention business is in shambles . Large-scale conventions that Las Vegas , Orlando and a few other cities compete for are on hold . But for every big show there are 1,000 small shows that accommodate 50 to 200 people , and they are booked in multiple hotels across the country . You need to reinvent and dominate that market .
The Solution Can you have these smaller conventions in your fine-dining restaurants during the day ? Imagine having a convention in a Puck restaurant on Monday , Giada on Tuesday and finishing out at Ramsey ’ s on Wednesday . Now that ’ s a convention and an offering few can compete with . You have all of these names and more under one roof .
Set up a great A / V system , a small stage , and you can reinvent the business . Save two business segments in one move . What else can you do with all of those closed restaurants , lounges , bars , theaters and nightclubs ? Let ’ s get creative — that DNA is at the core of the casino industry . Do you have it ?
Covid excuses are over . Don ’ t laugh at these ideas and poke holes in them . Turn your cynicism into optimism . Use them as inspiration for your own ideas . You can ’ t afford to do nothing or pull back on the dream to save money . People go to a casino to escape reality . We need to offer them unique experiences . It will be more competitive than ever to attract customers and their money . Bring it ! Earn your pay and deliver creative solutions to a new world . Give them something to desire . I ’ ve acted — I ’ ve laid down the gauntlet .
It ’ s your turn now !
Paul Heretakis , RA , vice president of Westar Architects , has over 15 years of experience overseeing hospitality design and mixed-use , master-planning projects throughout the world . Heretakis can be contacted at pheretakis @ wagnarchitects . com .
2020 CASINO STYLE 45