When food cost climbs, the first instinct is to buy cheaper product or shrink the portion. In a luxury operation, both moves are risky. Guests notice, reviews follow, and the savings disappear in lost covers. The better approach is to find the money that leaks out between the receiving dock and the plate, and to protect the things your guests actually pay for.
Chef Bryan Dillon has done this at scale. As Director of Food and Beverage and Executive Chef at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California, from 2015 to 2018, he supported an operation generating $30 million a year in food and beverage revenue and saved $1.2 million annually by putting cost containment tools in place. Here is the thinking behind that kind of result.
Start with what the guest values
Not every cost carries the same weight with a guest. The quality of the steak in a steakhouse matters enormously. The brand of the fryer oil does not, as long as it performs. Before cutting anything, decide which products and details create the guest’s sense of value and which ones the guest will never see.
At Morongo, Bryan worked with the property’s executive management to select products that met each operation’s needs and gave guests high perceived value. That conversation has to happen first. Without it, cost cutting becomes a series of small compromises that slowly erode the experience.
Buy better, not just cheaper
The lowest price on an invoice is not always the lowest cost. A cheaper cut with more trim, a produce supplier with inconsistent quality, or a vendor who delivers late can all cost more than they save.
Strong vendor relationships are one of the most reliable sources of savings. Bryan has built relationships with vendors and suppliers since the 1980s, and at Morongo he kept high-level engagement with vendors to buy quality goods at a low price. A vendor who knows your volume, your standards and your schedule can suggest alternatives, hold pricing and solve problems before they reach the kitchen.
Practical steps:
- Review your top 20 purchased items by spend. They usually account for most of your food cost.
- Compare price per usable portion, not price per pound or per case.
- Consolidate the same product across outlets so you buy it once, in one specification, at a better volume price.
- Meet key vendors in person and share what is coming: menu changes, events, seasonal swings.
Control what happens after the product arrives
Much of the money lost in food and beverage is lost in storage and prep. Product that is not rotated spoils. Product that is not labeled and dated gets thrown out when no one is sure how old it is. Overproduction on a slow night ends up in the waste bin.
At Red Rock Resort, Bryan started every day by walking every food and beverage space and opening every refrigerator, oven and hot box. He checked that product was clean, organized, labeled and dated, and he took a visual count of inventory as he went. A daily walk like that catches waste while it is still small.
The routines that matter most:
- Receiving checks against the order, for weight, count and quality.
- First in, first out rotation in every walk-in and reach-in.
- Labels and dates on every container.
- Prep pars based on forecast covers, not on habit.
- A waste log that the team actually fills in, reviewed every week.
Standardize the plate
Portion drift is one of the quietest costs in a kitchen. A few extra grams of protein or a heavier hand with garnish on every plate adds up quickly across thousands of covers.
At Morton’s Restaurant Group, Bryan managed food cost and profitability across the Bertolini’s division with standardized recipes, ingredient sourcing standards and regular quality audits. The same tools work in any high-volume kitchen: a written recipe for every item, a portion standard, a plating guide and a current plate cost. When cooks know exactly what a plate should look like, quality becomes more consistent and cost becomes predictable at the same time.
Manage like an owner
Bryan was at Station Casinos through the downturns after 2001 and in 2008. Those years taught him fiscal responsibility and how to manage to the business from an owner-operator point of view. Every dollar spent has to earn its place.
That mindset is the real cost containment tool. Managers who see weekly numbers, understand what drives them and are expected to act on them will find savings that no outside report can. Make food cost, beverage cost and labor visible to the people who control them, every week, before the month closes.
Bring the team with you
Cost programs fail when they feel like punishment. The cooks and stewards who handle product every day know where the waste is. Give them the tools to do the job right, explain why each standard exists, and ask what gets in their way. Savings that the team helps build tend to stay in place.
Where to start
Pick one outlet and one week. Count inventory at the start and end, record every delivery and log every item thrown away. Compare actual food cost to what your recipes say it should be. The gap between those two numbers is your opportunity.
Bryan helps casino resorts, hotels and restaurant groups find and keep those savings. See how he approaches food and beverage financial performance and vendor relations and procurement, or schedule a consultation.