Planning for a New Buffet
As casinos expand from simple gaming centers with limited amenities to multi-faceted gaming entertainment destinations, gaming operators often increase the number and size of food and beverage operations as part of their expansion programs. Very often such expansions include a two-meal or three-meal buffet operation. There is a generally held belief that a casino should have a buffet in order to appeal to a broader base of gamers, feed large groups of people quickly (such as buses), give gamblers a quick meal option and to create an additional attraction to people who might gamble but have not yet demonstrated an interest in visiting the casino. Conversely, there is a belief that buffets, if designed and executed poorly, do little more than increase food costs, attract a marginal segment of the dining public that has little interest in gaming and place an undue burden on overall profitability. It is for these reasons that prior to starting construction of a new buffet the casino operator must first thoroughly research the market, develop a buffet business strategy, and then develop a predictive model that forecasts food revenues, expenses and incremental gaming revenues that would be derived from diners who gamble in the casino.
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