Fine Dining Takes Bigger Place On Las Vegas Menu

Fine Dining Takes Bigger Place On Las Vegas Menu Fine dining, the new profit center in the casino environment, is only going to get bigger in the years ahead as celebrity chefs develop more restaurants and new stars emerge, an industry expert says. Kevin Steussi, vice president of food and beverage at Wynn Las Vegas, said like athletes that are admired by loyal followers, the top chefs of Las Vegas will become even more visible and sought out by guests. Panelists in a session on the growing role of food and beverage on a casino’s bottom line at the four-day Global Gaming Expo said the food and beverage departments that were loss leaders for the casino side 15 years ago now have become attractions in their own right. Today, many visitors to casino resorts from Atlantic City to California enjoy the restaurant offerings and never set foot in the casinos. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Las Vegas, where the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority says the average visitor spent $238.78 per trip for food and drink on each visit in 2004, a 13.9 percent increase over 2003. John Curtas, host and food critic for Nevada Public Radio’s “Food for Thought” show and the panel moderator, said it is bizarre that Las Vegas has become one of the premiere restaurant cities in the nation, especially since Southern Nevada is devoid of an agriculture industry. Steussi said the steady competition among resorts has resulted in each resort raising the bar in food and beverage with the Mirage, the MGM Grand, Bellagio, the Venetian and, earlier this year, Wynn Las Vegas developing restaurants that have become attractions. However, Steussi said the key to providing a memorable experience for diners is to stress quality and hire the best front-line people to serve guests -- a Wynn trademark. Another challenge faced by the food and beverage industry is to provide value to the customer. Curtas said the baby boomer generation is willing to pay top dollar -- more than $50 per entree -- for a top-notch experience. Excerpt from article by Richard N Vellotta, Las Vegas Sun Contact author at velotta@lasvegassun.com