You’ve seen the handwriting on the restaurant wall. The independent hotel restaurant is fading away; soon to be nothing but a quaint oddity amidst a sea of nationally branded celebrity chef concepts. After all, Wolfgang Puck, Charlie Trotter, and their ilk run sleek income statements and boast enviable consumer recognition. Game, set, match. Right? The only problem: no one told the F&B team at the MGM Grand.

If they stubbornly held on to outdated concepts, it would be all too predictable. And who would be surprised if they tried to buck the trend with a signature concept of their own—a sort of charming loss-leader. But the reality is far bolder. Since 2001, VP of F&B Stephen Judge has engineered an aggressive portfolio of signature restaurants, in many cases replacing steady gourmet brands. With one eye on prestige and the other on profitability, MGM has launched a startling 17 new concepts in five years—startling mostly because they all seem to be thriving.

“People lined up at our taxi stand to dine around the city,” winces Judge. “We were always known for outsourced restaurants. Whenever they’re in a taxi stand, they’re not spending money in your facility. Our goal became to maximize the multiplier effect and import the business: keep our guests and capture guests from other hotels.”

Five years and four four-diamond restaurants later, Judge reflects on the transformation. “It used to be everybody wanted restaurants like Bellagio. Then we did our restaurant revolution. We did it under the radar. They didn’t take it seriously. We rolled them out one by one. They really picked up, and now it’s quite a portfolio. It’s an arsenal, a battalion of restaurants. We’ve always taken a portfolio approach. You have your buffet and coffee shop, but beyond that the Grand Wok is a lunch and dinner operation with a $32 average check; Fiamma at $50–60; Shibuya $60–$75. Italian and Japanese at each price level. Seafood, Chinese, etc. We were only missing French.”

L’atelier
Enter French wonder chef Joël Robuchon and genuine sparkle with the development of The Mansion and a boutique concept called L’Atelier. L’Atelier has 40 seats: counter service for 24, and 16 on the floor. Despite the ultrapremium reputation of the chef, the uniform is casual. “We call it reciprocated theater,” explains Judge. “The guests are the audience; the kitchen is the stage; the chef and the service staff are the performers. When you see Joël around the restaurant, he’s so fun loving and carefree. He’s had the three-star Michelin pressure for so many years, he’s freed up now.” You can have tapas and drinks and get out for $50. Or, you can just get a glass of wine. Most of the business is coming from the tasting menu—a fusion of influences.

Playing against the caricature of the stuffy French restaurant, service is prompt, not aloof; there is an Asian inspiration in the uniform, in place of the de rigueur tux and bow tie. You have the bread cart, etc., but it’s intimate. It’s residential, only 60 covers. “Most try to do 300 covers and that’s where they fail—it’s quality, not quantity.” The lines outside L’Atelier tell the story. Judge muses, “it was the best dinner of my life.”

Success by Design
The attention to detail in designing L’Atelier has been exacting. And the combination of culinary influences has been cleverly communicated through the physical design of the restaurant. “The color scheme is black and red. Now, black is black, but the red is Bordeaux red.” Robuchon loves Japan and Asia and has a Spanish home. Is it tapas? Or perhaps it’s more Asian inspired—or French. Robuchon simply calls it ‘small portion.’ The teppan grill was brought in from Japan; French products and produce underscore his native strengths; the counter might remind you of a sushi counter with the tapas element from Spain. “If you look at it, he wanted the entire process to take place in front of the customer. He wanted chef and servers to be a part of the service.”

Everything is about service here—every aspect from height of tables to height of chairs. “We measured the distance between the top of a table based on the different length of ladies’ and men’s legs.” Every sensory detail has been considered. Acoustical treatments are incorporated into the ceiling and walls. “What we want to highlight and bring attention to is extremely well thought-out. We brought in the best lighting designer in the world.”

“It’s always been about creativity and differentiation.” Accent and proprietary pieces are unique goodies from Japan: one-of-a-kind products like amuse buche dishes made of slate, dishes of all shapes and sizes. “We have a bowl for amuse buche with a magnet—the plate sits at an angle and the bowl holds it in place; there are custom dishes to store nine eggs at a time.” Add in the open chef kitchen; the visible marche refrigerated room with glass door shows off fresh prosciutto and ham, like a market in Europe.

How did MGM land Robuchon, perhaps the biggest French fish in the culinary sea? “He never found the right partner. We were passionate about being the best and willing to make the commitment to service. He’s all about perfection and the pursuit of excellence.”

Ultimately, all of this effort is going into the building of a company brand. And the marketplace weighs in heavily on whether it’s a success or not. “From a strategic standpoint, we used to be a net exporter of dining guests.” The length of that demoralizing taxi line has been reduced about 80 percent. “The average spending per occupied room has significantly increased; overal covers have increased. We track business from properties like Wynn, Bellagio, and Venetian by recording the guest name with the property they are staying at in our restaurant log. We can also do cross-property billing with others we own, like Bellagio. So we know we've come a long way in capturing business from around town."

The most rewarding part for Judge? "Taking a piece of real estate that has been underperforming and turning it into a revenue- and profit-creating facility. Also, doing things no one else has done. You take something and make it happen. When you see it come to fruition, it's like a baby. It takes a lot of work, but it’s your legacy: Shibuya, Diego, The Mansion, L’Atelier—that’s the legacy, you’ve built something. And when people experience it, for that moment, that one or two hours, you’ve affected their life.”

John Paul Boukis is Banquet & Catering editor for HOTEL F&B EXECUTIVE.