CCR SO.19 Cover Story

One-stop fits all By Michael J. Pallerino

Why the newly renovated Grand Casino Hinckley is more than just a place for gamers

They hunted. Fished. Gathered. In the land of deep lakes that help define the Minnesota landscape, wild rice fields, majestic maple trees, and wild and bountiful berries, the Ojibwe tribe thrived in the mid- 1700s. Following the cycle of the seasons, they treated the land as it was family. The profound respect and admiration they had for nature was instilled in every child.

As with many Indian tribes, pressures from the outside world led to hardship and poverty. The Ojibwe preserved, diligently working to build a better future for future generations.

The task was not easy, but in 1988, the Federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act stepped in, eventually paving the way for the Mille Lacs Band to open two casinos— Grand Casino Mille Lacs in 1991 in Onamia, and the Grand Casino Hinckley in 1992 in Hinckley. The casinos created thousands of jobs and generated revenue that continue to benefit the Band, its nearly 4,600 members and its non-Indian neighbors.

Along the way, revenue from the casino has helped the Mille Lacs Band build and improve schools, health care facilities, community centers, a water treatment facility, roads, ceremonial buildings, and much more. Today, the revenue has made possible donations to food shelves, schools, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, and other organizations that serve the entire community, boosting tourism and creating dozens of new businesses across the region.

To give you a peek into the newly renovated Grand Casino Hinckley, Commercial Construction & Renovation sat down with Dave Garvey, VP of Food and Beverage at Grand Casino Hinckley.

Give us a snapshot of Grand Hinckley Casinos brand?

Our brand promise is, “Come to Grand Casino, where you can escape to find authentic, surprising adventures.”

What new upgrades and/or additions have you had? What was the motivation behind them?

As we looked at the remodel and rebranding project for Grand Casino Hinckley, we wanted to accomplish many objectives. We wanted to ensure we were taking care of our current guests and providing them

We continue to figure out how to do more and be more by looking for opportunities to streamline processes and ensure efficiency.

with the options they know and love. We built a full service, casual diner closer to our hotel towers to give our guests an easy option, which provides many of the favorites they want.

We also looked to our current guest preferences with the remodel of our snack bar, “Provisions To-Go,” by keeping their favorite choices including burgers, sandwiches and pizza.

With The Winds Steakhouse, one of our award-winning restaurants, we kept the renovations minimal and focused on lightening the venue up with new tile, bar tops and carpet.

With the Grand Buffet, we started to push toward newer concepts and restaurant types. Many traditional casino buffets have cafeteria style set ups where guest get in line and walk the line to get their food. We

wanted to get away from that by providing an experience more like a food hall, where we are cooking through the entire restaurant. At each station, guest receive different experiences—from comfort food at Grand Traditions to fresh made pasta and pizza at Creare, to ramen and curry noodles at Twisted Noodle, and hand-scooped ice cream at Sweet Spot.

The Grille House is our craft cocktail and beer restaurant, which offers a smokehouse inspired menu. Guests can have a large variety of experiences in just one venue, with everything from a traditional dining room, a modern bar, our indoor patio with garage doors to open during the great Minnesota summers, to our Speakeasy where guest can sneak away and enjoy a signature cocktail and appetizer.

The Rival House was the last venue in the project and serves as our entertainment destination. Live music in the evenings, a variety of games like pool, shuffle board and skee ball. Guests can play each other on one of our four bowling lanes, which offer traditional bowling, as well as HyperBowling, which provides interactive bowling experiences unlike anything else. The restaurant features more than 16 screens to watch your favorite game, including a sports ticker around the full bar to get updated scores and stats. The Rivals menu is highlighted by signature sausages and artisanal pizza.

We see plenty of opportunity in the hospitality area. We are proud of who we are and what we offer.

Take us through your overall construction and design strategy.

When we were designing and rebranding our concepts, we wanted to accomplish a few things. First and foremost, we wanted to take care of our current guests by offering them things that were familiar and easy for them. Second, we wanted to engage new guests by offering experiences that they may be familiar with, but then again they may not be. Overall, we wanted to be able to offer engaging experiences to a wider demographic of guests, which would allow them to get to know and love us.

Guests visiting The Grille House may not necessarily be a casino gamer, but the experience at this venue is beyond just gaming. We wanted to give them a place where they feel good and welcomed, because at

some point in their lives, they may become gamers. The experience they once had at The Grille House could be what drives them back and generates loyalty. We want our guests—gamers or not—to know we offer a whole experience beyond gaming that includes dining, hospitality, entertainment, and more.

What’s the biggest issue today related to the construction side of the business?

One of the keys we looked at with design was the ability to minimize the amount of venues and seats open when business volume is low and ramp up accordingly with volumes are high. Another area we concentrated on was using technology to help minimize labor challenges. Finding places where we can be fast, efficient and provide great service, with less people working.

Talk about sustainability. What are you doing?

We are part of a food recycling program on a couple different levels. For years, much

You must have a product that offers an experience that your guests are looking for, and then consistently deliver to that standard of our food waste has gone to local farmers to use for feed. Recently, we began a program where we are tracking food waste using technology to be even more impactful in this space.

What type of sustainability efforts do your guests expect?

After talking with our guests, it was clear that local and fresh was important. We continuously receive positive feedback from partnering with local businesses and fresh produce farms. The fish being served in The Winds Steakhouse is from a sustainable fish farm 90 miles away. That’s the kind of information that resonates well with our guests and ensures loyalty. Community is important to us.

What do you see as some of your biggest opportunities moving ahead?

We continue to figure out how to do more and be more by looking for opportunities to streamline processes and ensure efficiency.

Are you optimistic about what you see in the hotel/resort sector?

Yes, we see plenty of opportunity in the hospitality area. We are proud of who we are and what we offer, which is why we are continuously looking for opportunities to create not only a thrilling entertainment experience, but also a relaxing escape at the end of the day. We want our guests entire experience to be memorable from start to finish.

What trends are you seeing out there today?

Technology and its use to impact a guest visit and increase the efficiency of the operation.

What is the secret to creating a “must visit” hotel/resort in today’s competitive landscape?

You must have a product that offers an experience that your guests are looking for, and then consistently deliver to that standard.

Tell us what makes the Grand Hinckley Casinos brand so unique?

It all circles back to our brand promise, “Come to Grand Casino, where you can escape to find authentic, surprising adventures.” We are not trying to be something we are not, but we are trying to be what our guests want. We are focused on consistently delivering an experience that goes beyond what they see outside our property. CCR

Dave Garvey

VP of Food and Beverage, Grand Casino Hinckley

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? Seeing “them” smile, whether it is a bride and groom having their wedding reception at our Events Center or the associate you are mentoring. That smile and acknowledgement of success is what it’s all about.

What was the best advice you ever received? You have two ears and one mouth, listen twice as much as you speak.

Name the three strongest traits any leader should have and why. Engagement — Leaders who are able to engage with their team(s) will be able empower the team, thus challenging them to be creative, responsible; get their buy in, their ideas and contributions. Then, recognize them for their contributions, which will build their confidence, knowledge and ability to be a leader.

Passion — This is the trait that will engage your creative side and allow you to think outside of

the box. It is the one that can get you through the toughest of times.

Communication — We see more generations in the workforce today than any time I can remember, from the baby boomers to millennials, and everybody in between. A good leader will understand, or learn quickly, how to communicate effectively to all of them.

What’s the best thing a guest ever said to you? “We will tell all of our friends and family how you exceeded our expectations.”

What is the true key to success for any manager? Passion. Once you love your role as a manager, you get it. You look for challenges and ways to be better for tomorrow.

How do you like to spend your down time? Fishing, either on a boat, or in a fish house on 3 feet of ice.