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 fad-happy society. Baja-fresh, burgers and design-your-own 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!