BUFFALO N.Y. Contract foodservice and hospitality specialist Delaware North Cos. is debuting a new business that will assist gaming and casino operations in developing or revamping their foodservice and lodging offerings.
ADelaware North spokesman said the group would in certain instances operate as a consultancy and in others act as a “sub-contractor” for those facilities.
“Depending on what the client is looking for, it can be a consulting agreement, a development agreement where we would go in and create a restaurant or nightclub for them, or a management agreement where we would come in and operate those aspects of hospitality,” spokesman Glen White said. “It’s more than giving advice, it’s going in and doing, being a sub-contractor almost.”
Dennis Szefel, president of DNC’s hospitality business, said the group would incorporate the resources and expertise of its key operating companies: Gaming and Entertainment, Sportservice, Travel Hospitality Services and Parks & Resorts.
“We can really help an organization focus on its core gaming product by ensuring that world-class hospitality becomes a credible brand attribute of the facility,” he said. “Most casino patrons are now looking for fine dining to be a part of their experience, and we can work with a facility to provide that.”
Spokesman White said the idea for the group was born “from the idea that the company has accumulated a great level of expertise in hospitality and can offer that [knowledge] to clients who may not be able to do it as well.
“The gaming segment is increasing nationally and internationally, and this is a core competency we can bring to the table for organizations either developing new facilities or reinvesting in existing ones,” he said.
He added the group would also operate internationally.
The group, which is expected to make its formal debut later this month at the Global Gaming Expo in Las Vegas, is the first new branch that Delaware North has created since it developed its Parks & Resorts division in the mid-1990s.
In 2006, Delaware North reported annual revenues of approximately $2 billion. U.S. food and beverage sales accounted for $733 million of that figure.
