Harrah’s Waterfront Buffet, Atlantic City, N.J.
This dining operation, supported by a production kitchen, takes the notion of eatertainment to a whole new level in this hyper-competitive market.
By Donna Boss, Contributing Editor -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 8/1/2007 12:00:00 AM
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Each time resort and casino owners build a new buffet, they want it to be more exciting and spectacular than anything that has come before. Yet raising the bar higher requires inventiveness, creativity and willingness to take risks. At Harrah's in Atlantic City (HAC), "exciting" and "spectacular" were criteria for the 26-year-old property's new 630-seat, 26,000- square-foot Waterfront Buffet, which opened in February 2007. The buffet got its name because the dining room adjoins a 23,000-squarefoot pool area. This dining operation and its companion back-of-the-house production kitchen reside in an entirely different location than the smaller, 380-seat buffet it replaced. HAC shut down the old buffet to accommodate the hotel's 961-room, 44-story tower addition and expansion of the casino floor. When the hotel addition opens in the winter of 2008, Harrah's room count will rise to 2,590 rooms.
Photos by Charles Edwards
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"We wanted to provide a great guest experience that would result in making this buffet a food destination experience," says Bill McNulty, vice president of food and beverage, HAC. A graduate of the Cornell Hotel S chool, McNulty's resumé includes stints at several casino/resort properties in the United States and the Bahamas. "We wanted the Waterfront Buffet to capture more contemporary food trends, while maintaining the seafood focus for which we are well-known. Featuring freshly prepared food is a priority, as well as giving points of customization where customers can order their menu preferences."
Interior designer Steve Anderson, chief designer for Steelman Partners, chimes in with another intention for the buffet. "We wanted to create a serious 'wow' dining experience with impressive food and the way it's prepared."
Consultant and kitchen designer John Egnor, principal of JEM Associates, explains, "Twelve years ago, Harrah's then new buffet was state-of-the-art and the best in the city. When other casinos and resorts built new buffets, Harrah's began to look dated. So, like magicians, we had to bring a new rabbit out of the hat, add more action stations and menu variety and take the buffet to a new level. We also tried to keep labor costs minimal."
The "wow" features in the new 7,900-square-foot servery include a round, churrasco grill for cooking meat, poultry and fish on rotating metal rods over an open flame; a fire pit that rotates clockwise while terrets holding whole fish revolve counterfacility clockwise over the open fire; a wok station in which the cooks face customers; a Mongolian grill; a dim sum station where customers help themselves to hot, steaming products sitting in baskets; and a dessert tower with shelving rotating in opposite directions. Also contributing to customers' memorable experience are hot pans placed on a heated electric plate, which maintains dishes' steam and sizzle; seafood chills in an iced and refrigerated seafood display and open air screens keep chilled food fresh while giving customers easy access to products it contains.
"In the servery, we wanted different trade zones for food venues but didn't want to use traditional exterior facades of restaurants," Anderson explains. "So we selected colors, tiles, shapes and textures that give the flavor of each area and provide easy transitions from one concept to another." The main entry floor and servery feature porcelain tile resembling wood in the servery, which provides a unifying element that is also more durable than wood.
The 630-seat, 11,700-square-foot dining area divides into separate and distinct sections. This prevents customers from feeling like they are in a mess hall during busy dining periods, yet they don't feel lost during slower times, Anderson says. "Diamond" guests, those regular customers who have earned such status with HAC, can sit in a specially designated area that overlooks the pool. "It has a 16-foot glass wall and customers feel as though they are in a garden," Anderson says. Customers can also sit in a rotunda that overlooks a promenade, as well as a large area near the servery stations, and four 40- to 60-seat dining rooms. Chandeliers with fluorescent bulbs and diffusers hang in each room to offer a warm, soft, indirect glow that Anderson describes as more "home-like." Accent lights fill in where needed.
Downlights and spotlights in the servery offer a brighter hue and emphasize the food. Concepts in the servery include American, Italian Market, Rodizio, Down the Shore Coastal Cuisine, Asian Wok and Mongolian Barbeque, Sushi Bar, Dim Sum, Salads, and Desserts. An 8,800-square-foot BOH buffet kitchen supports the servery stations. Three service bussing stations that comprise 1,900-square-feet.
"Selecting Waterfront Buffet's food concepts requires continual investigation into trends," says Edward Batten, executive chef for HAC, whose work experience includes executive positions in Texas, Florida and The Original Bookbinders in Philadelphia. "The popularity of the 'Food Network' has increased our customers' interest in food. In fact, they are fascinated by ingredients and preparation."
Choosing equipment to fit the buffet's mission went hand-in-hand with menu selection. "We didn't compromise on quality," Batten says. "The buffet must last at least a decade. We can't come back in and make changes, so we need heavy-duty equipment that can be easily maintained and kept clean."
For three days before Waterfront Buffet opened, Batten and his staff also kept the old buffet operating. About 30 percent of the "old" equipment was salvaged and positioned in locations such as the banquet kitchen and coffee shop. The servery and kitchen do not use any "old" equipment.
Food deliveries come into a dock located on the opposite side of the building to the kitchen. Staff transport them via pallet and forklifts to the buffet staging area where other team members disassemble the pallets and place food in proper storage. A door in the walk-in cooler is large enough to accommodate a pallet jack so staff can disassemble pallets in cold temperatures. Cooler doors connect to allow staff to take products to their appropriate storage place - dedicated walk-ins for produce, meats and proteins, and desserts, and a walk-in freezer for crab legs and shrimp. (For more about the kitchen, see www.fesmag.com.)
"This is the first-of-its-kind buffet on the East Coast," Batten says. "Like Las Vegas, it has multiple points of customization and provides destination dining with multi-mini-gourmet rooms in a buffet setting. Yet, it is labor-efficient because staff perform multiple tasks and interface with guests." All stations, except the seafood station, are open for breakfast.
At Rodizio, staff prepare Brazilian/Portuguese cuisine on a churrasco broiler that allows slow-roasted steaks, poultry and sausage to absorb seasonings. Staff then present the meats on Gaucho swords and carve them to order. "Carved sirloin is every bit as popular as prime rib," McNulty reports. A vertical rotisserie also provides eye appeal at Rodizio. A warming and holding cabinet, hot display counter and railed refrigerator also support food prep here.
At the American station, a charbroiler produces made-to-order seasoned steaks. A pressure fryer turns out large quantities of freshly breaded and fried chicken. An induction cooker sautés vegetables.
Pizza baked in a brick oven attracts customers to the Italian Market. Pizza prep is a continuous event as cooks assemble ingredients. Cooks also prepare pasta to order with customers' choices of sauces and toppings. Staff use a range for last-minute sauté work and heating sauces.
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Design Capsule |
The relocated buffet opened in February 2007. This was done as part of a larger plan, which includes the hotel's 961-room, 44-story hotel tower addition, which will open in the winter of 2008, and the expansion of the casino floor. In 2008, Harrah's hotel capacity will increase by nearly 60 percent, offering a total of 2,590 rooms.The 26,000-square-foot buffet is named Waterfront Buffet because the dining room adjoins the 23,000-square-foot pool area. Waterfront Buffet includes 630 seats in distinct sections comprising 11,700-square-feet. Concepts in the 7,900-squarefoot servery include American, Italian Market, Rodizio, Down the Shore Coastal Cuisine, Asian Wok and Mongolian Barbeque, Sushi Bar, Dim Sum, Salads, and Desserts. The food counter continues for 290 feet. Nearly 190 food items are offered. An 8,800-square-foot BOH buffet kitchen supports the servery stations. Three service bussing stations comprising 1,900-square-feet. Pricing (tax is separate): lunch and dinner/adult, $27.99; children up to 11, $20.99; brunch/adult, $15.00; children up to 11, $7.99. The buffet registers more than 13,000 covers/week. Transactions: weekly volume over 13,000 covers/week; on busy days, more than 3,500 meals are served. First-year annual sales projected to be $14 million. Staff is 171 individuals, including 50 servers, 25 host-cashiers, 36 stewards and 60 cooks. Project's total cost: $20 million; the equipment investment was $3.2 million. Hours of operation: Monday, Thursday and Friday, 4 p.m. - 9 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, noon to 9 p.m.; Saturday brunch, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.; Saturday lunch and dinner, 1 p.m. - 11 p.m.; Sunday brunch, 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.; Sunday lunch and dinner, 2 p.m. - 9 p.m. Ownership: Harrah’s Entertainment General Manager: Scott Barber Vice President of Food and Beverage, Atlantic City Region: Michael Bowman Vice President Food and Beverage, Harrah’s Atlantic City (HAC): Bill McNulty Director of Foodservice and Executive Chef, HAC: Edward Batten Director of Food and Beverage, HAC: Louis Dimino Waterfront Buffet Chef: Edward Daggers Waterfront Restaurant Manager: Robert Newcomer HAC Executive Steward: Mario Chiong HAC/Showboat AC Executive Pastry Chef: Deborah Pellegrino Interior Designer: Steve Anderson, chief designer, Steelman Partners, Las Vegas Foodservice Consultants and Designers: JEM Associates, Pleasantville, N.J.; John Egnor, president; Ron Alwine, project manager Equipment Dealer: Thomas-United, Atlantic City, N.J. (furnished and installation) |
In order to keep a constant rotation of fresh menu items, pans of food sit on electric plates that replace traditional steam table wells. "We now have more space to display food and can keep food hot without using water, which eliminates the need for a drain in this location," Egnor says. The "hiccup," as Egnor points out, was the need to "make modifications to get heat to transfer evenly to each plate." Individual lamps were added to focus heat over each of the plates.
A revolving grill that cooks whole fish over a fire pit brings customers to Down the Shore Coastal Cuisine, if not for fish, then to see the attraction. Staff carve the fish before serving to customers. A steam-jacketed kettle heats Alaskan crab legs while a griddle sizzles crab cakes. Seafood stays fresh on an iced and refrigerated display. ""We'll serve more than 3,000 pounds of snow crab legs on a busy day," Batten says.
Customers desiring Asian barbecue find their way to Asian Wok and Mongolian Barbeque. A chef cooks to order on the Mongolian barbecue guests' selection of fresh sliced meats, seafood, poultry, vegetables, noodles and Asian accompaniments and sauces.
A wok for stir-frying also provides entertainment. "In most wok stations, cooks face the walls and their backs face customers. We reversed that by cutting down the backsplash, which was possible by using a pedestal faucet that mounts directly to the wok deck," Egnor says. "Also, once the wok is rinsed out, it comes instantly back up to 500°F. and sanitizes itself."
A deep-fat fryer also supports this station, allowing cooks to prepare spring rolls.
A Sushi Bar features chefs who hand-roll fresh sashimi-grade favorites. A rice cooker steams hot grains so they stay fresh for the chefs' use.
For lovers of small bites, this Dim Sum station allows customers to help themselves to steaming Sio My (pork dumpling), Ha Gow (shrimp dumpling) and pork buns from steaming baskets. Cooks prepare the dim sum at the station, then place it in the baskets. Customers select various Asian dipping sauces to accompany their dim sum.
At the Salad station, cooks chop ingredients, including 12 types of greens, various toppings and salad dressings to order.
Two rotating counters anchor the dessert station. "Everyone puts desserts on shelves, so we added a slow-moving element," Egnor says. "The bottom shelf moves clockwise, the middle counter moves counterclockwise and the top moves clockwise. Customers help themselves to plated desserts such as pies, cobblers, bread puddings, éclairs and cannoli. There is constantly moving action without requiring a full-time person to provide the action. So, the cooks can be freed to flambé cherries jubilee, make bananas foster or crepes." In addition, on-site-prepared gelato is available in five flavors daily.
In order to keep this operation running at high speed and in mint condition, Batten says training remains essential for everything from sanitation practices to food preparation and equipment maintenance. "We can select all the best equipment and devise great systems, but if employees aren't comfortable using them, they'll find ways to use shortcuts. So, we're constantly asking employees and customers for input about how to improve. We have to be on top of our game at all times."
This is not an insignificant challenge. But neither staff nor designers expected raising the bar to be easy. As Waterfront Buffet earns its reputation in and outside of Atlantic City, the staff and designers will continue to be critiqued for their inventiveness, creativity and willingness to take risks. The test of time will be the final judge.
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Miscellaneous Facts about Harrah's Atlantic City |
| * Harrah's Entertainment Inc. owns or manages casinos on four continents. The company's properties operate primarily under the Harrah's, Caesars and Horseshoe brand names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos. * History: Began in Reno, Nev., nearly 70 years ago * At HAC: Gaming machines, 3,738; table games, 84; poker tables, 24; casino sq. ft., 147,077; convention sq. ft., 19,407; number of employees, 3,320; rooms, to be 2,590. * The first phase of Harrah's $550 million expansion project debuted in February 2007 with a new 620-seat contemporary buffet and a retail promenade offering seven shopping outlets. * The new 961-room tower will make Harrah's the tallest hotel casino in Atlantic City and the second tallest building in New Jersey. * The 23,000-square-foot pool area contains a main pool with four wading areas, six Jacuzzis, 12 cabanas, a pool bar with "water-tainment," foodservice, indoor and outdoor decks, a 90- foot-high glass dome, and $1 million worth of horticulture. In the back-of-the-house kitchen, combi ovens, ranges and kettles allow staff to support the servery throughout the day. |
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