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Flavors at Harrah’s features the combination of design, décor, and food
to create a fun self service dining experience. By offering this
redesigned buffet, according to Jim Laughlin, Director of Food and
Beverage at Harrah's Las Vegas in 2006, “When our customers come to
‘stay and play’ at Harrah's, they're looking for things that they just
don't have at home. And a beautiful, all you can eat buffet definitely
gets their attention.” Laughlin continued, “The Harrah's customer has
always been drawn to the ‘new and improved.’ I wouldn't say our buffet
is exactly ‘upscale.’ To me, ‘upscale’ means expensive and our buffet
definitely isn't that. Guests come to our buffet for great quality food
at a reasonable price.”
Designed by the Friedmutter Group Architectural and Design Studios,
the idea was
to create a more user friendly dining atmosphere with multiple stations
and guest interactive self service. Harrah’s Entertainment (HET) which
included members of HET departments Food and Beverage, Marketing, Design
and Construction and Gaming along with Friedmutter Group worked together
to create the buffet with clean, contemporary styling and natural
materials featured in contemporary setting.
HET, Friedmutter Group, and John Levy Lighting
Design created the lighting, which is an important component, created
with each dining area in mind. For example, soft lighting surrounds the
seated table areas while brighter, more directed lighting accents the
food line. Warm ambers colors are used in recessed ceiling lights to
create depth and interest.
To
entice customers, the wall is low and open to buffet dining room to
allow casino visitors to get a full visual view into the dining room.
The colors and
metals were selected to create a palette that is fresh, crisp and
appealing to the guest while dining. Along the food line, a different
signature color was selected, rather than signage. For example, the
salad bar is mainly chartreuse and leaf green and the dessert bar is
butter cream and cocoa brown. The flooring is a two tone, terrazzo floor
with entry walls featuring custom made resin vision panels, embedded
with natural wheat and grasses to give an illusion of the heartland.
The ceiling is highlighted with a custom chandelier that is a modern
interpretation of billowing clouds. Repeated motifs and colors recall
natural American ideas; clear sky, rich earth, denim blues, fresh woods,
tangy accents The central area features a custom ellipse shaped ceiling
cove and mural, with a motif that represents an impressionist view of
the sky from a wheat field. Cherry wood veneer pendant lamps punctuate
the space with a modern interpretation of a handmade basket. Backlit
wall panels illuminate the line, blended with strong horizontal striped
accents.
All of this attention to design is intended to create a fun atmosphere
while making the diner feel special in a self service restaurant.
Noted architect and designer Adam D. Tihany’s vision for a revolutionary
new buffet design concept was translated into Cravings, which opened at
The Mirage Hotel & Resort in June 2004. The 24,000-square-foot,
580-seat restaurant has 11 freestanding food stations—including several
with exhibition cooking—and a full-service bar.
Much like an
international bazaar or market, Tihany conceived Cravings as a process
of discovery, where diners can meander through a “street,” making their
selections. Each food station represents a different culinary region or
cooking style—Latin, sushi, Italian, rotisserie, Asian, and pastry—and
is housed in different “buildings” clad with alternating corrugated
polished steel, bronze and zebrawood. Clifton said, “Having
a variety of food styles in one venue appeals to many people of diverse
backgrounds. We have 12 stations that include Italian, Rotisserie,
Latin, BBQ, Fish, Noodles, Sushi, Chinese, Deli, Salad, Desserts and
Gelato. This kind of offering allows us to draw guests who are
“Craving” any style of cuisine.”
As
a salute to the changing nature of the menu offerings, Cravings’
entrance wall mural will switch seasonally. The interior space has an
organic feel, with five individually defined seating areas, backlit in
colors for visual appeal and easy identification. Curved banquettes,
upholstered in camel or burgundy leather, will provide a low-profile
barrier between food market stations and dining tables, approximating
the feel of a modern piazza. A custom-designed terrazzo floor and a
plush striped carpet in rich autumnal shades enliven the space.
Cravings’ fabrics and finishings are warm russet and amber tones, in
deliberate contrast with the perimeter space conceived in cool colors
and polished metals. Resin tables are sleek, and modern bentwood chairs
are finished in dark cherry.
The Buffet at Wynn, designed by Todd Avery-Lenehan, was created to brand
Wynn as quality and value. Executive Chef Grant MacPherson, who opened
both Bellagio and Wynn, also was instrumental in its design. MacPherson
explained, “I wanted all of the food showcased in porcelain. I love the
state-of-the-art design using stainless steel, fine marble, all
materials with a high finish and clean lines.” Pastel hues were
selected to enhance the color of the food rather than overpower it. The
décor also includes foliage to focus on the cuisine as the central point
of the buffet.
When it comes to the food offered, MacPherson continued, “I wanted food
stations to serve small portions, and prepare food cook as the guest
requests it. There are no chafing dishes. We wanted the fish to be
grilled, sushi freshly made, pizza out of the oven. Everything is
tossed or prepared to order. Other than the crab, nothing is frozen.”
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