PROFILES OF EXCELLENCE Atlas Steak + Fish
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This is truly a destination, a real gem. – Sylvain Cuerrier
Conference Centre in rooms and public space, and the addition of several new dining options on top of the current establishments. The newcomers include within the hotel include Atlas, currently just serving dinner, Villa Bistro (opening early December), serving breakfast and lunch, as well as Chow Lucky Noodle Bar within the casino, long with expanded buffet seating (due in mid-2018). It’s a redevelopment that makes for a hectic schedule for Cuerrier and his team, but a welcome one. “It’s been very busy, but so rewarding,” he
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he clink of glasses. Low lights and laughter. Old friends. New friends. Simple flavours from a classic menu. And all in the heart of a bustling entertainment centre. The new Atlas Steak + Fish at the Delta Hotels Burnaby, part of the Grand Villa Casino complex, has put a modern twist on old-school charm with its updated take on the iconic North American steakhouse. For executive food and beverage manager Sylvain Cuerrier, the new restaurant is certainly a jewel in the crown of the Gateway Casino organization but the guiding principles behind it are the same as those applied to every type of restaurant, regardless of size, style or menu. “This is truly a destination, a real gem,” he said. “But you can have all the pieces in place, a beautiful location, great food, but if you don’t focus on your customers, and take care of them, it will never work. That is always the core of it.” For Cuerrier this means being aware of the unique nature of the location. “We often talk about the fact that we are serving hotel guests and casino guests – and also guests who come in just to have a meal – but at the end of the day these are all people who choose to visit us here and they may have different needs but we tend to those needs in the same way – we put them at the centre of everything, the focus Executive Food and Beverage point of our Manager Sylvain Cuerrier decisions making process, and then you deliver the best.” Making that happen means building a dynamic team of staff who are supported and encouraged to grow and learn. “You take care of your people, you invest in them, and awaken them to a knowledge and possibilities they maybe did not know existed,” he said. “You take care of your staff, and they take care of your customer, and your customer takes care of you because they come back again, and they love what you gave them. That’s the trilogy. If you can do that, then you win on every front.” The opening of Atlas Steak + Fish is one step in an ongoing process of revitalization at the popular Burnaby destination. Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, which is marking their 25th anniversary, announced in September it was rolling out a $15 million dollar package of upgrades at Grand Villa: renovations to the gaming floor, a refresh of the Delta Hotels Burnaby
said. “Everything we do here must stand on its own, must be the best you can make it. You cannot assume that guests who come here for the hotel or the casino will be a captive audience for what you offer. I always bear in mind: could I take this physical space, this menu, this staff, and transplant it to a street corner anywhere in Vancouver or Burnaby or somewhere else, and make it work. You never take a customer for granted. If you know they would come in your door anywhere, and you can be proud of what you have built, then you have a winner.” sponsored content
4331 Dominion Street, Burnaby, BC I 604.453.0776 I www.atlassteakandfish.com