Managing Guest Expectations in a Rapidly Changing Industry

Michael Lewis, brings over 15 years of experience in casino F&B, having entered the industry during the final days of its “Golden Age.” He has witnessed its evolution from a pure amenity to a core driver of guest experience. Today, he focuses on elevating hospitality in highly competitive markets, ensuring every guest moment creates lasting loyalty and return visits.

From Loss Leader to Profit Driver

The landscape has shifted from the days of just having food available as fuel for the guests. Our strategy has pivoted to our F&B program being the catalyst for the guest’s decision on where to do their gambling. All casinos have slots, table games, some form of keno and now sports betting. Marketing gets people to the doors with promotions that mirror other casinos in the area, as long as they’re keeping up with the competition then we are going to capture that category of gamer regardless. With marketing hitting their targets and the guest experience at table games, slots and sports betting relatively fixed, the onus on getting the guest in then falls to the restaurants available. Aligning your offerings with what the guest wants is a science in itself. Today’s gamer desires diverse menu offerings, value for what they are paying for and an over-the-top experience to match the value they perceive they are bringing to the casino.

The Changing Role of F&B in Guest Choice

Providing an experience that matches the guests own perceived value that they bring is challenging on a daily basis. At the front-line level operations need to be flawless in guest service and execution of the menu items. Casinos have a unique system of comps and discounts, and the processes for the guest to redeem their offerings should be simple and convenient for both the guest and servers who are getting the guests back to the gaming floor.

Service should never feel rushed but there should be a table turn goal for the staff to ensure that time on the machines is maximized for each guest. Specials and offerings should make the guest want to come in because not only are they getting great food, but they are getting a deal that is worthy of them choosing your property over one that may be closer. Working with food and alcohol vendors on setting up promotions and giveaways is a great way to increase perceived value for the guest on money they were already going to spend by giving them an opportunity to win items that are little to no cost to the property. Last quarter our Sports bar gave away a Seattle Mariners basket that included a hat, t-shirt, bucket and tickets to a game, all from a vendor at face value. The guest only had to purchase select products from that vendor to get a raffle ticket. This promotion drove an increase of 30 percent revenue compared to the averages for the day of the week we did the promotion on. The perceived value for the guest was maximized at a negligible cost to us.

The Reality of a Post Covid World

The post Covid world of F&B has been filled with the impossible task of providing a better experience to a guest that is more demanding than ever with costs as high as they have ever been in the industry. Per Bar and Restaurant News, F&B is the three factors influencing a guest’s casino choice. It is on the ground floor management staff to ensure that their teams have all the tools, training, experience, ingredients, and know how to create the best guest experience possible and drive business to your property over local competitors. F&B is no longer a loss leader, and it shouldn’t aim to break even. When we design every guest interaction to meet or exceed perceived value, we transform dining from an amenity into a core profit machine. In the casino industry in 2025, guests don’t just play where they can win or lose, they play where they feel the most valued.