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It’s just before 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4, and Toucan Charlie’s Buffet & Grille in the Atlantis casino is preparing to reopen the show after going dark for 139 days under coronavirus safety directives.

Stanchions forming customers into socially distanced lines are being checked. A meeting for servers and busers is underway. And marquee players like carved roast ham, a heaping tangle of lo mein fresh from the wok, and enchiladas draped in a cheesy coverlet are being primped for their lunch debuts.

Toucan Charlie’s is the first casino buffet in Northern Nevada to resume service, and its reopening offers a local test case of how all-you-can-eat dining, a signature Nevada experience, might adapt to the pandemic.

For the Atlantis, the main challenge, as seen at lunch Tuesday, is acclimating diners to an organized, socially distant buffet line where they cannot help themselves willy-nilly.

“They were used to how the buffet was; we’ve got to help them get used to the new way, patiently,” said Aspi Warden, assistant food and beverage director of the Atlantis.

In othe words, the fried shrimp free-for-all is over.

Missing the cheese enchiladas

By 11:30 a.m., the buffet had already filled to about half of its socially distanced seating capacity of 260. Warden managed the line as it entered the buffet — gently enforcing social distancing, confirming the size of parties, indicating when folks could approach the cashier.

Gregorio Inman of Reno was among the first 50 people to enter the buffet. He said he’d been eating at Toucan Charlie’s for years. With masks, social distancing and cooks now serving food from behind plastic barriers, he said he wasn’t worried about safety. What dish did he particularly miss while he was away?

“Those cheese enchiladas.”

Alicia Gomez, a longtime customer from Hanford, in central California, was also among the first cohort of customers.

“I never leave town without having my meal here,” she said of the buffet, “even if I’m not staying here.”

Past coverage: Atlantis to reopen its buffet with big COVID-19 changes

A few minutes later, Gomez, like some other customers, became confused about the buffet line: where she could enter, where she should wait to be served at a specific station, how many different dishes she could have on her plate.

Warden, the assistant food and beverage director, saw her confusion and explained the process.

How the new buffet line works

Sets of stanchions marks the limits of each buffet station and divide the buffet line into inside and outside lanes. The outside lane proceeds north to south. From this lane, customers move through openings in the stanchions to access food stations on the inside lane. Floor decals in both lanes indicate 6-foot distances.

On the inside lane running south to north, cooks at each station plate dishes customers choose. If customers want food from another station, they can return later to the station or receive a new second plate of food. Plates cannot be passed from station to station.

The systems sounds more complicated in writing than it is on the ground. That said, “this is something brand new, and we are going to make changes and improvements based on feedback from the guests,” said Chira Pagidi, food and beverage director of the Atlantis.

Teamwork in the buffet dining room

At Tuesday lunch service, it was all hands to the buffet.

A full complement of kitchen and dining room staff, about 50 in all, took their places, with some being called back from furlough, said Pagidi, who praised the work of the food and beverage team in the lead-up to reopening day.

Aldo Corona, a buffet server, said he looked forward to seeing many of his regulars.

“I’m excited to be back. I’m ready for them.”

Jurgita Samardokiene, the new buffet manager, had arrived at 4:30 a.m. She traffic directed, among other things.

“I tell customers it’s just like driving a car,” she said of navigating the buffet line. “They’ll get it down.”

Jennifer Franklin, the popular former manager of the buffet who is now the Atlantis’ banquet manager, returned for the day to help, waving to customers who recognized her.

Nevada's casinos and COVID-19: Should they be open? It's complicated, experts say

Pitching in to serve dishes

Dennis Houge, executive chef of the Atlantis, worked various food stations. So did David Holman, assistant executive chef, who took a turn carving ham or spooning up gloriously gooey golden macaroni and cheese.

“Do you want some more?” he asked a guest after plating a generous portion of mac. The guest did.

Ravyn Rodriguez, the buffet room chef, was the kitchen point person for reopening day.

To help food service proceed more smoothly for guests and cooks, certain changes had been made from the old buffet, she said.

Like self-serve charcuterie refashioned as individually plated selections; or paella, previously dished from hotel pans, presented anew in stylish mini cast-iron skillets; or salad toppings reduced by half because cooks now must toss each salad for customers.

Another change: Current safety regulations prevent customers from bringing heaps of shrimp from the salad bar to the Mongolian grill for charring, as they used to, so those shrimp have been placed among the grill ingredients behind the line.

“We all need to be super-patient,” Rodriguez said of the buffet crew as they interact with customers experiencing these significant changes.

For the time being, Toucan Charlie's will serve lunch and dinner daily and weekend brunch. Prices, which have increased $3 to account for rising ingredient and shipping costs, Atlantis officials said, can be found here.

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Johnathan L. Wright is the food and drink editor of RGJ Media, part of the USA Today Network. Join @RGJTaste on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Atlantis becomes first Reno casino to remake all-you-can-eat dining

Job Description

Overview

Passionate About Steak? So Are We. Are you a team-player who thrives on providing Guests with the ultimate dining experience? Atlantis Casino Resort Spa is currently accepting for Fine Dining Food Servers with at least 2 years of fine dining experience, preferably with table side service.

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa is a wholly owned subsidiary of Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCRI), a publicly traded corporation recognized by Forbes on their 'Most Trustworthy Companies' list and rated as America’s Best and Mid-Size Employers.

Atlantis invests in our people by not only offering tuition reimbursement, comprehensive benefit plan but also offer a higher tier tipped wage regardless of enrollment status.

Hourly Rate: $9.00 + tips

Responsibilities

The Food Server is responsible for creating the overall guest experience, taking food/beverage orders, carrying out wine/beverage service, performing table maintenance, completing side work, maintaining health code standards, and providing excellent customer service for our guests according to Atlantis' standards.

• Must have previous Fine Dining experience.
• Must have a positive attitude.
• Ability to carry at least three plates at one time.
• Greet guests immediately and thank guests upon departure.
• Knowledge of food/alcohol/safety regulations.
• Seafood and wine/alcohol knowledge.
• Experience with POS systems.
• Must be able obtain a Alcohol Card

Qualifications

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa fosters a team working environment, family/work life balance and an environment that is focused on team member recognition and appreciation.

Some of the ways in which we accomplish this is by offering the following:

• Referral Programs - Team Members who refer friends & family may earn up to $1600
• Education Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Benefits (Medical /Dental/Vision/Disability & more)
• Paid Vacation
• Holiday Pay
• 401K with Company Match
• Relocation Assistance
• Recreation /Fitness Discounts
• Weekly Resort Prizes
• Career Development and Training Workshops
• FREE daily meal
• Internal Advancement

Application Instructions

Please click on the link below to apply for this position. A new window will open and direct you to apply at our corporate careers page. We look forward to hearing from you!

Posted: 11/23/2020

Atlantis Resort Reno Restaurants

Job Reference #: 12378