Focus:Food&Beverage
mostcasinomanagers.Howtobalance 'real'restaurant?Theriseoftheelectronic
theexpectationsoftheguest,withthe casino,thehighendgamingarcades,
needtoprovideacost-effectivesolution haveputtheemphasison'fast-gaming,'
intheseleantimes.It'sathanklesstask withslotsandmulti-playermachines,
andonethatmanysimplyignore, electroniccashsystemsandanalmost
operatingF&Basaloss-leaderratherthan completelyautomatedenvironment
asarevenuegeneratorforthebusiness. contrastingtothe'real'casinomodelof
livetables,exceptionalserviceandhigh
MichaelBradleyhasspent29yearsin endbarsandrestaurants.
casinoF&B,eachofthoseyearsworking
solelyforLondonClubsInternational. THEREALDEAL
Rightfromthestart,Mr.Bradleywas Manyelectroniccasinooperatorswould
servingsomeofthemostdemandingVIP arguefortheirlocationstobeclassifiedas
customersatthehigh-endofthefoodand 'real'casinos,albeitwithoutthelive
beveragespectrum,inlocationssuchas games,butacasinoismuchmorethan
LesAmbassadeurs,TheRendezvousand justitsgamingoffer.It'stheinteraction
TheSportsman. withthecustomer,understandingand
servicingtheirneedsnotjustinregardsto
F&Bhaschangedagreatdealoverthe gaming,butalsointermsof
spanofMr.Bradley'stenurewithLCI. entertainment,foodandbeverage,general
"Thedirectionhascertainlychanged," hospitalityandfirstpersoncontact.The
affirmsMr.Bradley."Thethreeprinciples preconceivedideathatmostpeoplehave
wefollowedwere;feedthecustomer ofacasino,ofsimplyaroominwhichto
quickly,complementarily,andtothe gamble,morefittinglydescribesthe
highestpossiblestandard.Wewouldnot electroniccasino.
tolerateacustomerhavingtowait15
minutesforastartertoarrive-itwas10- Andwhiletherearemanyfactorsthat
12minutesmax.Wealsoprovidedafull differentiateonecasinofromanother,the
restaurantserviceprettymuchatall restaurantisanofferwithwhichweare
times.Ifacustomerarrivedat10pmand allfamiliar,noviceorseasonedplayer
wantedChinese,Thai,Greek,etc.wehad alike.Wehaveacommonpointof
chefstoprovidewhateverthey reference -food.AsMr.Bradleystates,
requested." it'sacomparativetestthateverycasino
couldandshouldusetoitsadvantage.
NecessityhasswungcasinoF&Baway "TherestaurantswithintheLCIestateare
fromsuchhigh-endservice,withmost asgood,ifnotbetter,thananythingyou'll
operatorstakingthisaspectofthe findontheHighStreet.Theaimwith
businessdownmarkettotakeoutcosts, restaurantssuchasLinenatManchester
eventotheextent,insomecases,tothe 235,orBirdinourLeedsAleacasino,is
extremeofreplacingrestaurants toofferexcellentlocalcuisinewhile
altogetherwithbuffetservices.The providingrealvalue,"saysMr.Bradley.
statementthatacasinoisonlya'real'
casinoifithastablegames,could Generally,casinorestaurantsarecheaper
perhapsbeadaptedtoasimilarenquiry- thantheHighStreet.Thetrickisbeing
whatisthestatusofacasinowithouta abletoofferfabulousF&Binastylish
G3 l December2009 l Page41
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