I love fine dining, and those of you who have ever met me in person know I’m telling you the truth when I talk about my passion for gourmet cuisine. That’s one area in life where New Jersey’s governor Chris Christie and I are kindred spirits. We are both obviously connoisseurs of exceptional foods, and a lot of it.
Fine dining is much more than good food. It’s an experience. To qualify, it must charm and fascinate my senses and stimulate my mind entertainingly so. Las Vegas offers almost countless choices for me in my quest to please my palate, but when I arrive in Sin City, I always try to make it to McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant on Hughes Center Drive. The atmosphere and food are truly wonderful, but there’s another ingredient that earns my loyalty.
I visited McCormick & Schmick’s for the first time a good number of years ago while visiting on business. My then-managing editor, Krista Reiner, and I had decided we wanted a fine meal after a long day of meetings throughout Las Vegas. I had heard good things about this restaurant, and we decided to give it a try.
We arrived early and took seats in the bar as we waited for our table to be readied. Our bartender, clearly a master at mixology, was conjuring up exotic Bloody Marys with various stout beer chasers, all while engaging us with funny and witty stories. It was maybe 20 minutes later when our hostess came to us in the bar to tell us our table was ready. That impressed me. She could simply have called out our name, but it wouldn’t have been personal. She took the time to become acquainted with us and observed where we seated ourselves. She asked if we would like our drinks brought to our table, which we did, and taking them, she escorted us to our table where we were introduced to our waiter Carl. Together they bantered back and forth with us briefly. Then Carl took center stage, and what a commanding performance he gave. He was an older fellow of German descent who possessed a worldly sophistication and an amazing knowledge of fine food and wine. Carl had done his homework, and I’m quite sure he loved what he did. After assessing our tastes and preferences, Carl made a few recommendations from the appetizers to the desserts. He was spot on. I think both Krista and I felt like we had known Carl for years.
As I mentioned, I visit McCormick & Schmick’s almost every time I’m in Las Vegas. This restaurant has a highly effective marketing strategy, but it wouldn’t do much if it weren’t built upon the outstanding experiences I have been provided each time I walk in their door. It’s always a perfectly choreographed effort that I’m sure operates layers back beyond what I see. Someone there understands very well that guest experience is paramount, and they do not rely on e-mail marketing and direct mail to handle customer contact. They use it as it should be and as a tool to remind me of their brand.
Unfortunately today, many casinos are so caught up in marketing technology that they have let go of the focus on personal relationships that Las Vegas was built on. Sure you can message them at the machine, you can message them at the signs they walk by, you can message them with ads in newspapers and gambling magazines, you can send them direct mail and fill their e-mail box with all sorts of offers, but if your casino doesn’t have a Carl, you’re missing out.
Casino patrons are social creatures who have mostly reasonable expectations. The casino staff needs to be kind, courteous, understanding, entertaining and positive. They should also be inquisitive and generally interested in their guests. Done right, it will deliver great results. My prediction is the year ahead will be a time to get back to the old school, tried-and-true ways of building loyalty.
Happy New Year.
Peter E. Mead
Publisher,
Casino Enterprise Management
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