Kristina and I visited Atlantic City last year. We stayed at Caesars on the Boardwalk. My previous Atlantic City visit was at Harrah’s. Both casinos offer the same type of automated drink ordering system. I have not seen it outside Atlantic City, though I have read discussions about it in other Caesars markets where complimentary drinks are offered to players.
Automated drink ordering has several advantages for players
Drink service on a typical casino floor can be hit or miss. You may sit down right after the waitress just walked by asking for drink orders. The casino may be short on staff. It can sometimes take 30 minutes or more to get your first drink. You may be reluctant to get up and move to a different section because you may encounter the same problem.
Automated drink ordering is the solution to this issue. I found that it greatly decreases the wait time at slots. You do not need to worry about when the waitress last visited your section. The order goes right to the service bar.
How automated drink ordering works at Caesars and Harrah’s in Atlantic City
When a player sits down at a machine, and money is inserted, the automated drink program kicks into action. A players card is not needed. However, it can be beneficial.
I was a Diamond member in Caesars Rewards during both of my Atlantic City visits. It appeared to me that I was able to order drinks immediately after sitting. I noticed there is a short delay in qualifying for a drink without my players card in the machine, but it was within a minute or two.
The drink ordering system is operated on the Caesars Rewards touch screen on every machine in the casino. It asks the player what type of drink that they want. It then narrows the search as you choose your items. You can pick from water, soft drinks, fruit juice, wine, beer and liquor. The available alcoholic beverages seemed to vary a bit based on play or players card tier.
I order the same drink every time. It is a Tito’s and soda. After the second time I ordered one, there was a shortcut placed on my drink ordering screen for it. That saved some time as sifting through the entire comped drink menu on a small screen is a long process.
The drink order is sent to a service bar. I don’t know if it has a bartender, robot, or if the waitress makes the drink, but it usually arrives in a few minutes. The waitress always had extra bottles of water to give players. The system does not permit ordering multiple drinks at one time.
Table drink service is done the traditional way
I played some blackjack at Caesars during this same visit. There was not any way to order a drink from the table without the waitress coming around to ask players. This worked fine and did not seem to hurt the service.
Why automated drink ordering is great for players
Players should enjoy everything about automated drink ordering. It removes the need for a waitress to come around and take orders. Your drink hits the service bar as soon as you confirm it. This cuts down on the delivery time. It also eliminates mistakes made while taking orders. If the drink is ordered incorrectly, that is on the customer, not the waitress.
Why automated drink ordering is great for the casino
A casino with drink monitoring like this can cut the amount of staff needed on the floor. This saves on labor costs. It also helps a casino get to know its customer’s preferences. This may allow for more customized promotions related to alcohol. The casino also has a better idea of the value of a player based on how many drinks they consume in a visit and the costs involved.
It’s a mixed bag for cocktail servers
I spoke with several cocktail servers during my visit about this system. All liked it. They made more tip money during their shift and walked fewer steps doing it as it reduces the time covering the floor looking for drink orders.
There is a flip side of this. Since it reduces the need for beverage staffing, it creates fewer jobs in that department. It is a positive for the servers with seniority, while hurting the ones that lost hours or employment when it was introduced.