Luxury and profit are not opposites. The best operations deliver an exceptional guest experience and a healthy margin at the same time. Chef Bryan Dillon helps owners find the money that leaks out of food and beverage every day and put it back to work.
The problem
Food and beverage margins are thin and move fast. Product prices change weekly, portions drift, waste goes unrecorded and labor schedules follow habit instead of covers. In casino resorts, food and beverage was long treated as an amenity that was expected to lose money. The most successful operators learned that it can generate real revenue when it is managed like a business.
What Bryan does
- Cost containment. Tools and routines that control food, beverage and supply cost: ordering pars, receiving checks, inventory counts and waste logs.
- Plate costing and portion control. Accurate costs for every item and portion standards the line actually follows.
- Labor planning. Schedules built on forecast covers, not on last year’s schedule.
- Revenue strategy. Pricing, item placement and outlet concepts that raise the average check and capture more guests.
- Reporting. Simple weekly numbers that tell managers where they stand before the month closes.
- Budgeting. Realistic budgets for openings, renovations and new outlets.
Experience behind the work
As Director of Food and Beverage and Executive Chef at Morongo Casino Resort & Spa from 2015 to 2018, Bryan supported a food and beverage operation generating $30 million a year and saved $1.2 million annually by putting cost containment tools in place.
At Morton’s Restaurant Group he managed food cost and profitability across the Bertolini’s division while keeping Morton’s standards for quality and consistency. At Station Casinos he worked on Texas Station’s $74 million expansion and, after 2001 and again in 2008, helped lead food and beverage through the downturns that followed. Those years taught him to manage from an owner-operator point of view: every dollar spent has to earn its place.
How it fits the Dillon Luxury Process
- Discovery and market analysis. A review of profit and loss statements, invoices, inventory and labor reports.
- Brand identity and positioning. Confirm which costs protect the guest experience and which do not.
- Strategic planning. Clear targets for food cost, beverage cost and labor, with a timeline.
- Implementation. Controls and routines put in place with your managers and chefs.
- Staff excellence and certification. Managers trained to read the numbers and act on them.
- Optimization and growth. Monthly reviews to hold the gains and find new ones.
Who this is for
- Casino resorts where food and beverage is underperforming
- Hotels and restaurant groups with rising food or labor cost
- Owners preparing a budget for a new outlet or renovation
Next step
Share your recent food and beverage results, and Bryan will point to the areas most likely to return savings. Schedule a consultation, or see all consulting services.