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| - While claiming to "love locals" from every local television outlet, we were bemused by staff comments on service at Guadalajara, the Mexican bar & grill off the casino. With a little less than an hour to show time, we considered a quick drink and snack at the bar, followed by a casual stroll to the show room. 20 minutes after sitting at a bar table, making repeated eye contact with the wait staff, we remained ignored. Polite initiative resulted in chips & salsa, over-sweetened lemonade and a margarita made from an off-the-shelf mix. Table-side guacamole 'served with warm tortillas' was served with the same chips provided with the salsa. We heard lame excuses about a power outage, being "very busy" and no through-put in the kitchen. No back-up generators in a casino? Really? The surly waitress might have had a bad night, but that's no excuse for being rude. The manager was apologetic and made compensatory overtures which were appreciated. How difficult is it to get service right from the onset when a guest enters the dining or drinking area? After all, it's Las Vegas!
But what about "We Love Locals!"? Why is management so blind to the quality level of service in such a competitive environment? Is the economy so dreadful that staff is hired without appropriate training in "hope" that "things will work out"? While Guadalajara at Boulder Station stands as an example, it's not the only venue suffering from arrogant service staff, ill equipped from a lack of training or the business values imbued from a successful and attractive destination. Re-directing investments from TV advertising to staff training and business execution will result in more demand from word of mouth and repeat customers happy with their experience.
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