Archive for Moments of Truth
And Then There’s the Sun Coast – They Have Our Vote!
Posted by: | CommentsSo this is the last of these posts about local’s casinos in Las Vegas:
On recommendation of a friend, we went to the Sun Coast for a Sunday brunch. We’d been to the Sun Coast before for a movie but never for anything more.
Sun Coast has our vote for places to go for locals - good food, friendly people, and easy to get to! Need I say more?
We joined their BConnected Club because it gave us a discount on the buffet. To get there we asked a housekeeper who was on the casino floor. She pointed us in the right direction (easy to find) but went above and beyond – she followed us, chatting the whole way, to be sure we made it. I wish we’d gotten her name. She certainly started our experience at the Sun Coast on a positive note.
The women at the club counter were great – friendly and helpful. They pointed us in the right direction for the buffet – again, easy to find. Add that positive experience to the one we’d had immediately before.
The line for the buffet was short but the cashiers and hostesses moved all customers quickly without making us feel rushed. In fact, we felt cared for because it felt like they wanted to minimize wait time to get us in, seated, and enjoying the food.
We were seated and (again, I wish we’d thought to get a name) were well cared for by our server. She made sure our drinks were always full without being obtrusive. She smiled. She even engaged in conversation with us.
We asked how business was since the Red Rock Casino had opened. She shared that they were concerned about losing business at first and, in fact, they did see a drop in their traffic. Ultimately their customers returned, disappointed by Red Rock.
Why would we go someplace for a meal, any meal, and be abused, or at the very least taken for granted, when there are so many choices? Even beyond the customer service – the food at the Sun Coast is much better – far fewer deep-fried selections. Much easier to eat healthy.
For us it’s a no-brainer. If we’re going to vote with our dollars for a business we have no problem supporting, we’re voting for the Sun Coast. Their staff managed every single moment of truth with ease.
On the plus side for the Sun Coast, as a result of our experience at their buffet, we’re going to go to their Mexican restaurant one evening for the all-you-can-eat tacos, enchilada, and marguerita special.
They’ve set the bar high and I don’t expect to be disappointed.
Now This One I Believe – South Point Does It!
Posted by: | CommentsWe loved this add from South Point Casino:
This one I believe - they walk their talk and locals love them back.
Funny because it’s easily believable – even if we knew nothing about Station Casinos.
We’ve been to the South Point a couple of times but don’t go often just because it’s farther away from us than we want to go on any regular basis.
The times that we’ve been there, however, we’ve be pleasantly surprised and impressed by the treatment we got from everybody there. Staff actually acts like they care whether we’re there or not.
More than that, in all my conversations with others, I’ve never met anyone who had a negative comment about the South Point.
This advertising I believe!
Good job, South Point!
Station Casinos Loves Locals? I Don’t Think So.
Posted by: | Comments
- Don’t believe everything you read!
When Station Casinos launched their “We Love Locals” campaign they ran full page ads in the local papers for a couple of months. Since then they’ve also launched a website.
My question is, “Why should we believe you?”
It’s interesting that in speaking to friends and colleagues, I have yet to run into someone who doesn’t roll their eyes and utter a, “Sure they do!” comment when I bring it up. And it doesn’t seem to matter if they have an experience of one of the properties as a gambler or when visiting a restaurant or other entertainment on site.
Our own experience was enough to launch us on a quest for a new place to go for our Sunday brunches:
We were in habit of visiting the buffet a couple of times a month. On the receipt was an request for us to complete their customer survey. In return they would give us a ‘buy one, get one free’ code for our next buffet visit.
We would complete the survey, get our code, and use it the next time we wen for our Sunday brunch.
On our final visit, the cashier gave us back our receipt and said management had stopped that offer and it was no longer valid.
Mind you, there was nothing on the receipt about an expiration date, not a note about management reserving the right to change it’s mind without notice.
The Buffet manager responded to us with shrugged shoulders and an, “Oh, well.”
Any complaints we made went unheeded. We stopped going AND we shared our experience with anyone who would listen. Plus we found another place to go for our brunches (More on that later).
That was a couple of years ago. More recently, a business colleague wanted to go to the buffet at Red Rock for lunch. I thought, “Okay. It’s been a while. Station Casinos has gone through some rough times. Maybe they’ve changed.” WRONG!
We arrived for lunch and went to the back of a short line. The dining area, clearly visible from where we stood, was fairly empty. We stood 30 minutes waiting to pay for our meal. This is how you show locals you love them.
Even the wait staff, all doing their best, had trouble with service and smiles. Likely a trickle down. (I saw what looked like the same manager walking the floor while we were there. )
There’s a massive disconnect here. If, in fact, loving locals was a truth for Station Casinos, we’d hear more raving fans actually raving, vs customers like us who will only be dragged back in under protest.
There are too many choices for people here in Las Vegas for businesses not to be paying attention the the messages they send and the experiences of their customers. I choose to vote with my dollars – someplace other than a Station Casino property.
Size Does Matter
Posted by: | CommentsMaybe not in all things, but certainly when it comes to public bathroom stalls.
Typically I use the stalls designed for the handicapped – assuming there is no one else in greater need than me. They are usually the only ones that allow a person to move in any kind of normal way and without feeling cramped.
Size Matters ... At Least When it Comes to Public Bathroom Stalls.
This morning I had breakfast with a friend at the Cracked Egg. A nice place to eat – reliable food and friendly staff. But beware the women’s bathroom! (Can’t speak for the men’s. Haven’t had occasion to visit it.)
The stall is sooooo narrow and short that to get in and shut the door you have to straddle the toilet.
Sit down and you’re off center because you are competing for space with the toilet paper dispenser.
Talk about awkward and uncomfortable.
Business done, you then have to straddle the toilet again to open the door and get out.
Who designs these things? Certainly not somebody who uses them.
And it’s not just the Cracked Egg – it is so many of the businesses that have public facilities. The amenity is nice, especially if I’m going to be in the place of business a long time, as with a restaurant.
How many more inches do they need to make a bathroom stall big enough to be easy to use? Course, I’m assuming that any business is interested in providing an experience to customers that will keep them happy and coming back.
A moment of truth for a business. (See ‘Moments of Truth”, by Jan Carlzon)
Maybe I’m wrong……