VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/39191
headed toward permanent depression. According to O’Keefe, that’s because Uncork’d appeals to the more affluent tourist, exactly the market all the properties seek to attract—and one that’s decidedly more recession-proof than Mr. and Mrs. Kansas City. “People will pay to travel to pursue their culinary passions,” O’Keefe says. “Research has shown that people will do many things while on a Vegas vacation. In the case of food, the question ‘will people travel long distances for exceptional dining?’ was answered in the affirmative by Vegas Uncork’d. But it’s not just dining, it’s the fine dining experience. The event brings together an unsurpassed combination of high-access epicurean experiences with the most renowned chefs in the world, in intimate settings against a culinary wonderland and backdrop, Las Vegas. A combination not available anywhere else on Earth.” Speaking of research, food appears to be the low- hanging fruit that rarely gets picked by the bean counters. The LVCVA shows a single statistic about food in its yearly report that seeks to break down, in minute detail, every other aspect of what visitors do right down to the number of slot machines they play. According to its 2010 visitor survey, the average visitor spent $256 on food during their visit, as opposed to $122 on shopping. If you want to know how many hours someone spent gambling on how many different games or how many casinos they visited, those figures are at your fingertips. On where those tourist dollars go when it comes to food, the report is silent. Equally amazing, in a town awash with booze and the profits it brings, it keeps no statistics on liquor consumption. Comfortingly though, the same report solemnly declares between 99.8 and 100 percent of visitors eat when they come to Las Vegas. Good to know. Yes, everybody eats. And everyone knows Vegas is a world culinary capital, containing, according to James Beard Award-winning Chef Bradley Ogden, “The top 100 restaurants in the country within a two-mile radius,” right? Wrong. Gary Ozaki a retired financial executive from Portland, and one of those über-foodies O’Keefe referred to, comes to Las Vegas multiple times a year. When asked if we do a good job in the Pacific Northwest of advertising ourselves as a culinary capital, his response is: “Not at all. When I tell friends I’m coming to Las Vegas to eat, they assume I mean at the buffets or steakhouses.” Ouch. “When it comes to marketing ourselves as a dining destination, we’re still finding our way,” says Aria Food and Beverage Vice President Christina Clifton. “Food has evolved from being a primary amenity to being a great one,” she says. She agrees when I suggest perhaps we’ve come too far too fast, and the marketers haven’t been able to keep up. Quoting Phil MacBeath, she says: “Las Vegas is the longest-running party in the world. There are so many choices here both to eat at and to advertise—almost too many options. We’re a relatively young property and we’re trying out a bunch of things to see what takes hold.” Aria has one of the strongest restaurant lineups in town, but when you consider Clifton’s words, the conundrums are obvious. What’s a property to do? Highlight a single, world renowned chef such as Julian Serrano or Shawn McClain, or hit customers with its blitzkrieg of choices? Clifton thinks it would be helpful if the LVCVA included | 15 AUGUST 2011 | BORDER GRILL’S ‘TOO HOT TAMALES’ Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken started their Border Grill brand in Los Angeles nearly three decades ago. They became “Too Hot Tamales” in 1995 and both recently starred on Top Chef Masters—and they’re, without a doubt, two of the most popular and memorable chefs on the Las Vegas Strip. Aſter opening their Border Grill location at Mandalay Bay in 1999, Feniger and Milliken have made a name for themselves in Las Vegas with their signature weekend brunch and genuinely delicious food. The chefs sat down with VEGAS INC to discuss the business side of Border Grill and what’s next on the horizon for this impressive culinary dream team. Tell us, what’s the fundamental difference about Border Grill Las Vegas and Los Angeles? SF: When we first came here many people said staffing would be challenging. We’ve had the opposite experience. It’s way easier for us to hire here than in LA. There are more talented restaurant people in Vegas. We love being in Vegas. We’ve been dying to find another Border Grill location here. MSM: Also a lot of people said: ‘Oh, you’ll never draw anybody local. You’ll only get tourists.’ That’s changed, especially during the past couple of years. We’ve got people coming in for weekend brunch—which is really popular with the locals—and tequila dinners. It took us a while to get up to speed. Having an outdoor area differentiates us from other restaurants. Do you alter your marketing for locals? MSM: Not really. Everybody, to us, is a repeat customer. I feel like we’ve really had a slam-dunk when Las Vegas customers say: ‘We come to Border Grill before we go to our hotel.’ They’ve had some sort of transformative experience here. We have to do that with every table. How often are you two in the kitchen these days? SF: A lot in terms of tasting, quality control and talking about recipes. One of the great things about this business is that we’re constantly learning. If you had one meal left, what would you eat? SF: It would definitely have artichokes and avocados and extra virgin olive oil. I’d probably have a marinated rib-eye with mustard. I would either have delicious red wine or vodka. Oh, and a hot fudge sundae. MSM: I would go for a Japanese banquet. I’m obsessed with Japanese food. Has Top Chef Masters impacted business? MSM: It’s not like we’d never been on TV before. We had Cooking with Too Hot Tamales. We did more than 400 shows. Every time you’re on television, it adds a layer to your guests’ experience. I can’t tell you how many people just come up to me and hug me. (laughing) It’s a little weird. SF: People feel like they know you from TV. They feel like they have a connection, and that’s a good thing. Would you ever consider bringing the Border Grill trucks from Los Angeles to Las Vegas? MSM: We haven’t figured out yet how to translate into the Vegas market. We’d want it to be busy every day. There aren’t many chefs of our caliber who’ve done a truck. I think, eventually, we will do it here. SF: If we felt we could figure out the catering market here, we’d do it in a second. Have you thought about doing any product lines? MSM: For ten years with Whole Foods we did a grab- n-go line—burritos, tamales, salsas and salads. SF: Of course. We think there’s a great opportunity for products in our business. But, as always, you’ve got to find the right partner. What are the challenges of being female chefs? SF: It has never been an issue for either one of us. We feel like we’re part of the boys club because we’ve been around them for so long. Do you consider yourselves businesswomen? MSM: You have to be in this industry. SF: It’s such a great industry because it has so many different parts to it. There’s communicating with customers and being a teacher. We have 400 employees and we manage them. That’s why I think 30-plus years later, we still love what we do. 23 CHRISTOPHER DeVARGAS