Wynn Magazine - Las Vegas
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/63192
A caviar service in a Wynn suite. SERVICE THAT DELIVERS team, sometimes the perfect place to go is no place at all. BY CATHERINE DE ORIO With the Wynn In-Room Dining " W 128 WYNN e will have that to you by 8:40." The sales agent hangs up the call, which starts a race against the clock to deliver the order. To accomplish this, a strategy of military precision is required. "Everybody here has a function," explains Steve Norris, executive director of In-Room Dining, as he surveys one of two prep kitchens. A sales agent enters an order into the ticketing system. It is then fired out to printers at multiple stations; a staffer at each performs a specific func- tion to fill the order. "We have someone whose sole focus is to make toast for the breakfast orders," Norris says. Once prepared, servers take the food to the guest's room. But it is the team of assistant servers, pantry workers, cooks, run- ners, bus persons, and the executive chef checking every order that makes it happen. A simple American breakfast for two is attended to by no fewer than 10 team members before reaching the guest. Of course, what goes up must come down, so a dispatcher tracks every cart that leaves the kitchen. "We have a matrix that tells us what time the order went up and when it should be retrieved," Norris explains. Once back in the kitchen, the cart needs to be broken down, dishes washed and put back into rotation so they don't run short on supplies. This can be tricky, especially during busy events like New Year's Eve, or January's Consumer Electronics Show, when more than 15,000 guests are served. "It's a continuous cycle. We don't close, so it is non-stop," Norris says. Norris credits the tightness of the team for "what sets us apart from any hotel anywhere." To ensure that the team stays focused on providing the best possible service to the guests, the 230 front-of-house members pool their gratuities. "They strive to exceed guest expectations with every delivery," he says. "I am blessed with the greatest team. The camaraderie is unbelievable." That level of teamwork is reflected in the exceptional ser- vice provided to each guest on every order. What's the biggest challenge? "Timing," Norris says. "You just don't know when the guests are going to order." He compares the challenge to that of a restaurant with 4,700-plus tables. To account for the slightest changes in traffic patterns, Norris schedules staff assignments by the half-hour on a complex, color-coordinated spreadsheet that would make an actuary's head spin. "Deliveries must be made within five minutes of the promised time quote, not earlier, not later," says Norris, who uses a large digital clock that ticks off seconds to constantly remind the workers that "time is moving and you have to get these orders out." The In-Room Dining menu at Wynn is extensive, yet it will accommodate any special instructions. "I think the menu is really just a suggestion," Norris says jokingly. "Our guests want what they want and we make it happen." The teams also handle all of the cabana and VIP amenities, which can include having the bar stocked with a specific bottled water, flowers, milk and cookies before bed, a chocolate sculpture of the Wynn tower, or a bathroom strewn with rose petals. "Every day there are these one-offs, and that keeps our jobs fresh," Norris says. Is there anything they can't do? "Nope, so long as it's legal," he says with a laugh. n Dining carts are set up in the In-Room Dining kitchen and prepped to be sent up to guests' rooms. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEFF GREEN