- Getting maximum value on purchases across the business
- Optimizing the organization’s venues to deliver enhanced value to customers
- Gaining the most benefits from volume purchasing
- Overcoming a labor shortage
“The challenges that we’ve seen as an operation are finding the best value, making sure we can leverage our strengths and our volume purchasing, and be as impactful and efficient as we can,” Engel explains.
DELIVERING 'PLUS ONE' THROUGHOUT THE ORGANIZATION
“The main thing we’re focusing on is consistency. We have great standards, so we have to deliver to our standards for every guest, every time, and make sure we’re hitting that mark,” Engel says. “Then we’ll take the next step, which is consistency plus one—find a plus one in each department.” He notes that consistency has different meanings for each business area.
Grand Casino has been working with Provista for four years. The relationship has provided reliable pricing and quality in products and services, including items in Provista’s hospitality contract portfolio. Working with Provista also helped the casino overcome legacy programs and take advantage of new offerings.
“We had contracts and relationships with manufacturers from a food and beverage standpoint that go back 20 years,” Engel points out. “With Provista, we’ve seen a lot of our good contracts get even better. And we’ve seen an opportunity to bring things to Provista and say, ‘How about this item or this area where we have partners?’ It’s been a great relationship.”
He also relies on Provista custom analytic reports to help identify which contracts are best for Grand Casino, as well as when it’s time to switch. Eggs are just one of Engel’s examples.
“We’re now using eggs that are on contract and seeing a savings,” he says. “It came up on the quarterly reports. When you’re serving 2,500 to 4,000 guests a day, something as seemingly insignificant as an egg can mean a lot. We use up to 40 cases of eggs per week.”
Sampling Foods at Personalized Tastings
Not surprisingly, food is a big expense for casinos and resorts. Culinary offerings are also critical factors in guest experiences. This challenges Grand Casino to ensure it is serving quality food at competitive prices. Provista helps in numerous ways, from providing industry-leading hospitality contracts to setting up food tastings between suppliers and Grand Casino.
“We’ve done food immersions with Provista,” Engel notes. “Most of them have been with our Broadline distributor utilizing its kitchen. It gets us out of the operations, which is good because sometimes, we don’t have the time to fully concentrate on new food.”
The tastings are full-fledged food shows for four to six people. Representatives from Grand Casino sample foods before deciding which items to offer in their restaurants. “Provista brings offers to the table that we can take advantage of as operators and extend that value to our guests,” Engel adds.
This played out early on in the casino’s partnership with Provista. Grand Casino had a great relationship with a food company for years and thought it was getting the best price. Then Engel sat down with that company and Provista. The meeting opened his eyes to the savings Provista can bring to hospitality members.
“We met with the same people we had been talking to for years, but now they’re talking a whole different language and bringing new pricing into the table. It gave us opportunities to do things we weren’t ready to do in our previous pricing structure,” he says. “We were able to change a couple SKUs and get better quality for a similar price. It makes a difference from our standpoint, and I know our guests see it, too.”
