Inside Asian Gaming

January 2016 inside asian gaming 17 Industry profile IAG: How does F&B in a gaming environment differ from F&B in say an ordinary hotel, restaurant or bar? RO: Players come to gamble, not eat and drink, so they don’t really care about anything else. You can’t interrupt them to say dinner is ready and will soon be cold. Sometimes they’ll spend millions and order a simple bowl of wonton noodles. Then there is superstition which you have to be very careful about. When serving a fish, for example, don’t remove the head or turn it over after one side is eaten, because that’s bad luck. If guests are losing a little mistake can turn into a big problem. IAG: You’ve traveled a lot around Asia, what are the differences you’ve noticed in cuisine in the places you have been? What is your favorite style of cuisine? RO: I’m married to a Vietnamese woman and I love their cuisine for its simplicity and natural ingredients. I’m not a big fan of Sichuan cuisine because I find it overdone with the peppers and frying. They’ll add a kilo of chilies and you can’t taste anything because your mouth and tongue have gone numb. IAG: You deal with food all day every day. Do you still like to cook when you get home after work? RO: I’m not a chef but I take pride in being a good cook. When I have time I make the dishes I loved when I was growing up. For example, cabbage stuffed with minced beef, which can be cooked the Russian or Lebanese way for completely different flavors. I love the Lebanese salad tabbouleh, made with lots of olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and mint. IAG: The current project you are working on will have in excess of 30 bars and restaurants, together with wine tastings and European butler service. Tell us about the challenges of your job. RO: Sometimes you’re catering to more than 3,000 guests, who all want to eat breakfast every day at the same time. Then there’s 2,000 staff who have to have a healthy diet in order to perform. If you’re not switched on, organized and prepared to the last detail you’re dead. When I started this job my boss told me that if anyone can run an operation of this size, there’s no other property he will not be able to handle. IAG: You’ve got a great reputation for being able to create a high perceived F&B value for a reasonable spend. From a purely business point of view, that’s a great asset to any gaming property. What strategies do you use to achieve this? RO: To find the best balance between price and quality you have to be personally involved with every selection. For example, when I was brought in as a consultant “ My biggest strength is in direct contact with guests. Ultimately I want to go back to being the GM of a resort, where I say hello to everyone who checks in, and goodbye to everyone who checks out.”