Most Americans live within a half-hour drive of a casino. However, the increased competition is now eating away at tribal gaming. Shift gears with your food-and-beverage program and you’ll prime that gaming pump. The goal is to drive optimal performance in your venue and create craveability to keep guests coming back. Here are five strategies to transform suboptimal assets, create landmarks, and achieve world-class results:

1) Partner with Passion
The right partnership makes all the difference when selecting brands for your venue. Seek brands that relish the opportunity to positively connect with your guests. Attract up-and-coming top regional brands and properly motivate them for outstanding performance. They’ll have a vested interest in creating an outstanding guest experience while bringing a great culture, sense of authenticity, and integrity that guests love.

Every customer impression is very important, and your interests will be aligned. Likewise, you may also seek those established brands that highly value their guest relationships. Whether emerging or established, you want partners that are hands-on and realize that a win-win relationship just starts when the lease begins. A committed and passionate partner can lead to elevated performance and an improved bottom line.

2) Engage Superstars
Cultivating a team of “A” players is critical to setting your venue apart. Build a strong team and take care of them. We all want happy guests. But it’s our employees that take care of those guests. And happy employees equal happy guests. Focus on attracting, hiring, inspiring and retaining the best employees. They’ll attract others just like them. And the feedback and insights of a committed, hands-on team can help lead to double-digit annual sales increases.

If you want superstars, you’ll have to attract and motivate them. Are they on an exciting bonus program that brings out their very best? How can you make your team’s lives better? How can you keep them motivated and excited? Do it right and you will build a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.

3) Drive Optimal Performance
Now is an important time to look at your food-and-beverage program with a fresh set of eyes. Are your restaurants currently presented in the best light? Seriously, how’s the lighting? Is the menu signage clear, descriptive and attractive? What are the bottlenecks getting in the way of peak performance? What can be done to remove the grind from current operations?

Could adding additional equipment move the line faster? And is it all in good working order? Are hours of operation optimal? Are your menu offerings so good that they’re addictive? You may set aside funds for refreshing the restaurant, making sure each space is attractive and in great shape for customers and employees alike, who feel a heightened sense of pride coming to an appealing and well-kept place of work every day.

4) Generate Pop-Up Excitement
Surveying your venue might reveal non-generating space that could be converted into exciting restaurant space. It’s amazing what can be accomplished in just 200 square feet. Many exciting concepts have flexible layouts and can utilize very basic equipment. Test out new and exciting pop-up concepts in the space and rotate to drive excitement. With minimal investment you can satisfy guests and generate revenue in new and unique ways. Perhaps that pop-up may become a permanent fixture and guest attraction. Most likely, the smaller footprint may also mean a lower cost conversion and quicker return on investment. And you’re giving guests more reasons to come back to your venue.

5) Create World-Class Attraction
Partnering with nonprofits is a stand-up way to drive traffic and create amazing events. We’re working with Three Square, Southern Nevada’s food bank, to help elevate Las Vegas Restaurant Week to a national draw. Top chefs, restaurants, casinos and executives are all enrolled to create an exciting and inclusive event for the whole country to enjoy. Best of all, proceeds from Restaurant Week go to the food bank, which helps provide wholesome food to hungry people. The same formula can work on regional and local levels. Create a vision and enroll others. Develop a unique and special event, support the community, and draw people to your venue.