Beating the Odds with Safe Food

Winning. That desire goes without saying when visiting a casino. But wanting to win doesn’t stop at the slot machines or betting tables. It extends to food services -- an often overlooked but important component to driving overall guest satisfaction and subsequent guest returns.

Having a “winning” food strategy is a strategic imperative casino operators have been embracing to drive guest satisfaction and retention, extending the amount of time guests stay in the casino and encouraging frequent return visits. The casino industry estimates that food and beverage can account for nearly a third of all revenues generated within the casino.

Not surprisingly, casino executives see food service as a critical component of overall operations. Stale, day-old buffets are a thing of the past as the dining experience gets more diverse and competitive. Variety and creativity now reign in food service, and with this new direction comes the need for food that is high in quality and safe. Given the high volumes of diners at all hours, a casino's culinary team now embraces a more proactive and predictive approach to food safety that includes upholding food and equipment safety practices that meet or surpass HACCP guidelines.

In addition to conducting HACCP checklists and activities associated to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), casinos also focus on the operational and equipment costs of storing food. A recent report from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) found that 4 to 10 percent of food purchased by a restaurant or foodservice operation is discarded before reaching the guest because of a breakdown in the storage process to monitor food storage equipment to help lower operational costs.

Data capture sensors and devices (often referred to as IoT -- "Internet of Things") can be quite beneficial in this area, providing a “second pair of eyes” that continuously monitor key equipment within the facility, assist in maintaining the health of equipment and ultimately help to reduce food waste due to equipment malfunction. IoT can quickly identify when specific assets are out of compliance so action can be taken immediately to address issues and save valuable food items.

Casinos have often been on the front line of innovation and investing in technology that improves efficiencies and ultimately drives down operational costs. As the expectations of casino guests evolve toward better and safer food, there is a growing need for a comprehensive digital food safety solution that combines food safety, task management and IoT remote monitoring to empower a faster, simpler and smarter pathway to lowering labor costs, increasing overall operational efficiency and ensuring high levels of guest satisfaction. A win all the way around!