Academics
The Las Vegas Restaurant World
If you missed The Las Vegas Restaurant World, please click here to see the entire presentation in full.
An all-star panel of Steven Shussler of Shussler Creative, Jason Lapin and Elizabeth Blau of Blau and Associates, Todd English, and Damian Mogavero of Avero LLC discussed several topics related to their experience in the food and beverage industry: value, marketing and branding, data-based decision marketing, technology, and success.
The panelists agreed that value is now more important than ever, and is expected at every price point. Guests at all restaurants, from fast casual to fine dining, want an experience, and restaurateurs have the duty to create a “monument to escapism” where every aspect of the dining experience—food, décor, service, color, etc—is perfected.
Panelists also discussed the need for effective marketing, especially in a competitive restaurant environment like Las Vegas. In an area where there are many great restaurants to choose from, marketing is an integral part of encouraging customers to choose yours over the competition. Elizabeth Blau, for instance, mentioned how a restaurant in Las Vegas marketed their Sunday brunch by featuring servers in pajamas and bartenders in nurses’ outfits; this technique generated approximately 5000 average covers per brunch. They also agreed about the importance of locating new restaurants in high-traffic areas where marketing, and customers, are already there—Disney is a prime example of this.
Panelists understood the need to stay up-to-date on new technological trends, even though they admitted that they themselves have great difficulty understanding the latest developments. Technology for managing guests’ preferences and statistics is imperative; after all, as Steven Shussler pointed out, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure.” Technology has become a necessary tool for providing guests with a better experience, and also for reaching out to a younger generation of diners. However, the panelists disagreed over whether top executives themselves should stay current with the latest trends, or if the responsibility should instead be given to younger, newer employees.
Panelists also discussed the ramifications of success, which they all intimately know firsthand. They agreed that success can be dangerous: the bigger you are, the harder you fall. Success should make you work harder, but it becomes detrimental when egos interfere with the ability to see possible ways to improve. Constant learning and a customer focus is imperative: as Todd English pointed out, “you’re only as good as your last dish.”