Bon Appetit! Commerce Casino's Food and Beverage Department Caters to Players' Tastes

Every poker player knows that you can work up quite an appetite sitting at a poker table for six to eight hours. Man, or woman, does not live by cards alone. Depending on the length of play, time of day, and luck of the draw, most players require sustenance to keep up their stamina. Since food is the fuel that clears the mind, revitalizes the spirit, and often keeps a good game going strong, the value of a delicious, satisfying meal should never be overlooked. Second only to that perfect flop or destined draw, players relish having a variety of menu selections, consistent quality and taste, and excellent service. There's comfort in knowing that your meal will always taste great, even if the cards don't always suit your tastes. Maybe that's why Commerce Casino decided to give its food and beverage service a key supporting role in the casino's quest to deliver the most satisfying gaming experience possible.

According to Food and Beverage Director Jim Griffo, the decision to put food on a high tier in the casino's hierarchy of service was made soon after Commerce Casino opened for business in 1983. "Much of the credit goes to our Executive Chef Tony Ortega," Griffo stated. "When Tony joined our team 13 years ago, his expertise completely turned our menu around. He brings over 35 years of food preparation experience in the casino industry to our kitchens. We continue to reap the rewards of his talent and commitment to quality, as do the players. The same is true of our Assistant Executive Chef Francisco Solares. Both Tony and Francisco are willing to do whatever they can to please our customers. That attitude translates to excellence in preparation, presentation, and selection. Everything is literally homemade; we make our soups, sauces, and gravies from scratch, and use quality ingredients throughout. Everything is fresh every day. Cost has never been the most important issue that we consider; quality is."

Griffo elaborated, "Our food and beverage service ultimately reflects our commitment to customer satisfaction. We do whatever we can to appeal to the preferences of our players, even when it comes to their eating and drinking habits. For example, we were the first casino to respond to the cultural diversity of our player base by hiring international chefs to prepare authentic ethnic foods."

Commerce Casino presently offers a full range of ethnic cuisine, including Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and continental dishes. To further its appeal, the casino's menu is constantly changing to reflect the results of ongoing customer satisfaction surveys and feedback. Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts became Commerce staples as a result of such customer input.

While the majority of food is prepared for the casino floor, which in essence constitutes the casino's largest restaurant, Commerce Casino houses several distinctive restaurants ranging from a Las Vegas buffet to a New York deli, tropical snack bar, and sushi bar. In conjunction with its new Crowne Plaza Hotel, the casino recently added two new restaurants, the upscale Eden restaurant and Arena Sports Bar & Grill. Featuring more than 25 large-screen televisions with live sports broadcasts via satellite, the Arena serves grilled steaks, chicken and hamburgers, salads, soups, and other casual dining fare, not to mention daily happy hour specials. Premium beers are available on tap and a full selection of fine wines may be purchased by the glass. Since Commerce Casino's food and beverage department is ultimately responsible for all food and beverage items served on the property, the hotel's room service, minibars, and banquet facility needs collectively fall under its jurisdiction as well.

To serve the needs of its various food service outlets as efficiently as possible, the casino now boasts five state-of-the art kitchen facilities. In fact, three new kitchens/food lines were added while building the new hotel. With regard to quality, Commerce Casino employs a full-time quality control person/health inspector to make sure all food preparation and handling practices are kept at optimum levels. Ongoing training is provided and frequent inspections are designed to maintain the casino's enviable "A" rating with respect to kitchen practices and cleanliness standards. All items are purchased from credible wholesalers and suppliers to ensure quality and consistency in product.

"As the largest poker casino in the world, we serve over 6,000 meals daily. The vast majority of our customers are very pleased. If not, we're willing to make changes so that they get exactly what they want. Actually, in the high-limit poker area, over 95 percent of our meals are special orders. Many of our food servers know the players so well that a simple thumbs-up sign can signal that a player is ready to eat; when this occurs, the food server instinctively knows what that player wants," said Griffo.

"We have also made it policy to serve complimentary meals to seated players on selected holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. We even offer complimentary food for the Super Bowl and treat our female players to complimentary dinners on Valentine's Day. VIP parties and special events usually command lavish buffets and a wide assortment of ethnic dishes, too," commented Griffo.

Griffo concluded, "We're very proud of what we do. There are 520 dedicated people in the food and beverage department who deserve a round of applause for making players feel at home with what we believe is the best food and beverage service of any casino anywhere."