Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Process Essay

It was the summer of '07 and I had just finished the design plans for the permanent gaming facility when I caught the inbound email outlining an upcoming meeting to discuss the merging of all our “projects”. Having successfully opened several restaurants and one casino I was very familiar with time line's, dependency charts, and Gantt's. I knew what I needed to do to make the door swing open, however a project of this size required more. I needed to know who was responsible for certain items and when they would be completed. With something this big it's not just the one guy that keeps track of all the tasks associated with opening. There was a person responsible for every group of tasks and we were each interdependent on certain items completion before certain other tasks could begin. Steve, the AGM sort of spearheaded the meeting. He's opened dozens of property's all over the world, he's a real calm collected kind of dude that just seems to know everybody. The meeting helped us identify the critical path, the items that directly affected the opening date. It also guided us through the project's process in a few key ways.

The first thing Steve asked us to do was to decide on our individual tasks. We individually brainstormed for a few weeks and compiled a list of tasks. This was a daunting task at times. You think about the big picture, the Casino opens. Then you start listing off the larger tasks that have to happen before the big picture, IE the restaurant is ready to open, the lounge is ready to open, the offices are ready, etc... Then you get into the good stuff, the real meat of a project. You drill down on each of these items, flooring is complete in the restaurant, the staff is hired, trained, clothed, and scheduled, the furniture, fixtures, and equipment have been identified, ordered, delivered, and installed, the food has been identified, ordered, prepared, tested, tested again, and re-ordered. What starts as one goal, or an “end” if you can picture it becomes a list of thousands of tasks.

Then came the post-its. Each task is elaborated on in a few ways: who is responsible for the completion of the task, what are the short details of the task, when must the task start, how long will it take, and when must it end. Steve had us take our lists and hand write each of the pieces of information on a yellow post-it. We then littered our individual office walls with this venerable flurry of notes and began to sort logically. We developed individual trees of sorts where the tasks started in chronological order, from beginning to end, but they had to be trailed by their dependencies. This took weeks to complete, each of us trying to put together a building but with missing pieces. The object of the exercise was to identify the gaps created by others tasks and to become intimate with our own. Then each of us took the notes in the order and arrangement that made the most sense to us and captured them in our respective project time lines.


Lastly, we met with intentions of merging all of our post-its in an effort to come up with a comprehensive project time line. Each of us arrived to the meeting with all of our post-it's in an ordered stack. We then individually presented our tasks to the executive committee and talked through where we saw their places in the time line. The discussion was as a group, we all help guide each others tasks into the mass, the matrix that was evolving a little more as each presenter finished. This helped us bind our tasks together and fill in all the gaps. We completed the exercise and ended it with a 25' by 20' boardroom wallpapered with post-its. From here all of the data was collected and entered as one large project with several milestones based on departmental achievements. The post-its were torn down and the new plotter printed time lines then covered the walls.


We now had a formal plan of attack, an approach, a guide, and a way to know when we had finished. This process as unusual as it seemed to me at the time, was probably the most effective way I've ever seen a large scale project organized. I believe that it was this plan and our strict adherence to it that made this opening happen the way it did. Our property's opening was acclaimed as the smoothest and most successful property open in the companies short history. Several of us caught a lot of positive industry attention as the word spread of our success. I was happy to be a part of this process and the opening, but I'm happier still that I can say to a degree that “I did that”.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Contrast Essay

Ever since I began my career in gaming I've heard how incredible Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun were. I've noticed it's common for people to make a comparison between these two different properties. I hear the differences people see between the two all the time since I represent a sort of nearby similar option. They always tell me they were each so big you couldn't see from one end to the other. They had the best of everything. But I've heard they each do some things better or worse than the other. I never was really sure of what to think about either place because a lot of the information contrasted, but they both sounded so impressive. Well, I finally made may way down there and got to see these man-made marvels, these venerable behemoths, these towering city like structures first hand.

During my trip the first thing I noticed as a difference between the two was the level of service. At Mohegan Sun there was a noticeable absence of slot attendants. The casino floor was not speckled with security officers. Most teller windows and table games were closed. The restaurants felt light on staff through each meal. The servers, which cost the least, were hard pressed to visit the table or to replenish drinks. I punished the Texas no limit hold'em table for a few hours and only ever managed to get a cocktail waitress three or four times, with tipping generously to boot. Most casinos require cocktail servers to reach every gaming position in their section every 10 minutes. At Foxwoods it was quite the opposite. The entire facility was a flutter with service employees. Most of the tables were open. The restaurants were well staffed. Their was a cocktail waitress at every turn. In fact the only employees that I didn't see in abundance were EVS (environmental services) or maintenance folk.


The second thing I noticed was how these places were maintained. At Foxwoods the decor was falling apart. The video walls and bits of marketing collateral were half functioning, half not. There were cigarette burns every few feet of carpet, on any ledge or railing, and on the majority of the gaming tables. There was noticeable dust collecting on all of the sills, in the elevators, and on the fake vegetation. The windows were yellowed with residue from collecting the smoke of millions of cigarettes. However, Mohegan was the positive opposite this time. It was very clean in all regards. I didn't find a single cigarette burn or any dust. All of the slot signage was functional, the video displays were pristine, and the decor was in good repair. The most impressive to me in this area was that I was unable to find a single light bulb out!


The last thing I noticed was the different amenities that each had. They were probably closest to each other here. They both had several restaurants, though I found Mohegans most appealing and in greater abundance. In fact the buffet at Foxwoods was so bad I found it offensive. The stores at Foxwoods seemed to be more high end or expensive, I think they had a Rolex store. They both offered complimentary alcohol, of course as I mentioned earlier Foxwoods provided it better. They both had very impressive night clubs, but the mountain-like lounge and the Italian bar over water at Mohegan were my favorites. They were beautiful shops and stores, but I think you could find anything you were looking for at either really.


I've been to dozens of casinos all over the US and Canada. I've worked in the business for about 4 years and have been consulting on Casino Food & Beverage operations for just as long. Being intimately familiar with Quality Assurance from having conducted so many inspections at many facilities over the years has really given me sharp eye for these kind of things. I've never seen facilities as large as these two, but I've seen close. I think it's safe to say that these two mighty, once largest in the world, casinos were both very impressive in some areas, and fell down in others. If your considering a trip, I'd say you could have a good time at either, but if it were up to me and I had to chose one or the other it would be Mohegan for sure.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

I-search What

I know what I like in flavored alcohol. I know that I have a lot of questions to answer. I know the more you filtrate vodka the cleaner and better the taste is which at first seemed a little off subject but to properly flavor the alcohol I think you probably need a fairly clean taste, kind of like a blank canvas. I know that you need a still to make alcohol and there are many kinds of stills and alcohols. I know that flavoring is more common today than infusing, but that infusions are gaining in popularity. I have a good feeling that most alcohol manufacturers purchase their concentrates for flavoring. I'm pretty sure most vodkas don't take long to make and are not aged for a long time. I'm not certain beyond a shadow of a doubt how they determine the right flavor, smell, or look but I think that it is done through a test panel and a series of trials. I know it is illegal to make alcohol in your own home in Maine, but I know there is a manufacturing facility in Lewiston so there is a way to make it in a place of business. I think I should probably focus on where to buy meat flavorings, how to clarify them if they aren't clear, and possibly if it's cheaper to buy alcohol and flavorer it than it is to make alcohol and then flavor it.

Monday, March 16, 2009

I-search Why

I believe there is a real potential for Meat flavored liquor to gain some steady popularity and then to become a hot new trend in the industry. I believe that this product will hit the market hot and fast and will then burn out quickly, which means it's important to get in on this just before it hits so that I can maximize the potential gains. I am really big on the beverage business so being the guy that comes out with the hottest new trend in the industry would be totally awesome, a huge career booster, and has the potential to be a very lucrative endeavor.

What are the best sources of information regarding production techniques?
What are the benefits of the different production techniques?
What types of equipment used?
What are the advantages of each type of equipment?
What practices are used for clarifying concentrated flavorings?
What are the advantages of infusing vs. Flavoring?
Can infusions be done with Meat?
Are concentrates usually purchased or made?
If they are purchased, where?
If they are made, how?
How long does it take to make a bottle of flavored alcohol from beginning to end?
How do they develop the right flavor, smell, look?
What are the advantages of the different types of ingredients used to make vodka (grapes, potatoes, etc...)?
What kind of permits or licenses are required in Maine to make alcohol?
What kind of licenses are required to sell and/or export massive quantities of alcohol?

Sunday, March 8, 2009

I-search Background

I guess my infatuation with the beverage industry started about 10 years ago when I started slinging booze professionally. I spent years experimenting with drink recipes, different preparations methods, and pairings. I even built my own full bar in my basement complete with over 100 different liquors and draft beer. Being young and in love with the creature made it easy to experiment with drink recipes and new types of tastes. Every time a new liquor came out I had to get my hands on it (this is still true) so that I could try it out and begin to find ways of serving it best as I saw it. I was lucky to have started in the beverage racket when I did, I saw the explosion of flavors and new preparation methods really take off. When I first started bar tending the only flavored alcohol that anyone knew of was Absolut Citron. Today there are hundreds of flavored spirits in every variety from Bourbon to Tequila. I've stayed close to the heart of the beverage industry over the years. I've closely monitored every beverage magazine in the US for the last decade, taking note of every change that shows promise. I've had the advantage of attending dozens of beverage conventions and shows over the years and I've worked first hand with all of the most advanced technological changes the industry has made. About 5 years ago I predicted Meat and/or meal flavored liquors would hit the industry in about 10 years. Believing still that I am right, I'd like to capitalize on this forecast and ride the wave. With the rest of this essay I hope to answer the questions I have yet to answer, to learn the methods required to produce flavored alcohol, and to determine what types of equipment are necessary for production.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Essay #2

I was touring and talking with an employee that had just started when I noticed it... It's a funny thing the way the mob classifies the newbies. No sooner than they were brought through the door and walked past the employee break area they were subjected to the masses judging gauntlet. I could see their scanning eyes probing the new girl, was she going to get along with them, what position did she have, and most importantly what type of employee was she? They see everyone as fitting into one of three categories. There are the Short-termers that think they are just using the job as a stepping stone. The Greenies, they are the ones that have just landed their first jobs. And lastly there are the Pro's the ones that are well seasoned, they come with experience and are here with more permanent intentions.

The Short-termers make the majority. Most of them have been in the industry a long time. I like them because they have a good understanding of how it is they need to do their job. There is only one difference between them and the Pro's, they won't accept that what they are doing just works for them. It's unfortunate because their jobs aren't the jobs they want. They are more often people that have tried a different line of work, or aspire to. They are always trying to convince me that they are only going to cook or wait tables until they get back on their feet, finish school, or hit it big on their next trip to AC. It's this group that I have the most empathy for. They know what they are doing but they don't like where they are at. I wish for their sakes that they could just be happy being good at their jobs but it seems that isn't enough to them, they haven't lived up to their own expectations. I suppose we can all relate to the situation in one way or another.


“Greenies”, they are referred to as such because of the relation to unripened fruit. They don't come with all of the experience and understanding of how to do their job, they aren't yet ripe. I like these people because they haven't developed any bad habits. They don't know yet to complain about a tip under 15% or that they can cook things their own way but still have the food come out looking the same as what is specified. They are about to learn so much. How to interact with peers professionally and how to complete tasks associated with their job proficiently. I am always so excited for these individuals. I cherish every opportunity I have to pick up a new trick. I love learning and like others to have the opportunity to learn, so I like to see the Greenies coming into their own and getting to take it all in. The biggest benefit for me with Greenies is that they only know how to do things one way, the way we taught them.


Then there are the Pro's. These are the people that have chosen their career and exhibit great skill in it. These are of course the ones I like the most. They come with a wealth of knowledge and are only interested in applying it along with their ability to the job I've hired them for. They take pride in their work, they work hard and are precise, and they complain less because they like where they are at. These people have a spark, they are passionate about people, good food, and fast paces. I'm happiest for these folks because they only want to do their job, they've reached the point that they had hoped to achieve and are successful in it. I make an extra point to touch base with these individuals because they always have the best suggestions.


I manage a team of almost 150 very diverse individuals in an assortment of over 20 different types of positions. All of them bring something different to the table and they were all hired for a reason. There is something I like about each type of person even if there were only these 3 types of people. I don't really dig the whole, ”let's divvy ourselves up” kind of mentality that always seems to happen when you group people together, but I think everyone ends up sort of programmed with it from youth. In the end, I finished the tour with the young lady and congratulated her on her new position. I watched her walk into the employee restaurant, look around the room, and eventually sit down with a group of young girls that had all started within the last month. I suppose she may have done the same thing they did and had decided just as they probably had that she was one of them.