Atlantis Casino Restaurants Reno

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.

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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.

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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.

Atlantis Casino Buffet Menu

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

Atlantis Casino Resort Spa (formerly Golden Road Motor Inn, Travelodge, Quality Inn and Clarion) is a hotel and casino located in Reno, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCRI). The three hotel towers have combined 824 guest rooms and Jacuzzi suites. The casino floor spans 64,814 sq ft and is one of Reno's most profitable and luxurious properties.^[1] Nearly $150 million has been spent on upgrading the facility. Atlantis competes directly with Peppermill Hotel Casino for customers.

History[edit]

Golden Road Motor Inn (1972–1979)[edit]

Prior to 1972, the present-day Atlantis was home to the Golden Road Motor Inn, a 142-room motel. In that year, the property was purchased by the Farahi family. The purchase included with it a restaurant on the site known as the Copper Kettle.

Travelodge (1979–1986)[edit]

Shortly after the purchase, a franchise agreement was signed with Travelodge.

Quality Inn (1986–1991)[edit]

In the late 1980s, a deal was struck with Choice Hotels. As a result, the hotel was renamed Quality Inn and the restaurant became the Purple Parrot.

Clarion (1991–1996)[edit]

In 1991, the hotel was renamed again; under the Choice Hotels lease agreement, they branded the hotel as a Clarion and through the Farahis, constructed a 12-story hotel tower that opened in 1991. The Farahis pledged it would be the first of many expansions to come. Clarion Reno had a tropical theme and when the first tower was built, along came with more casino and more restaurants.

In 1993, Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc, the Farahis' corporate firm, took over financial responsibility for the Clarion. With this came a public offering on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. With the additional capital from the public offering, Clarion began its second major expansion, which included a second 18-story hotel tower with an additional 400+ rooms and more gaming space and another restaurant, a buffet.

Atlantis (1996–present)[edit]

Desiring to have an independent identity, in 1996, the Monarch Casino & Resort, Inc. Board of Directors made the decision to rename the resort Atlantis. With the new name came plans for yet another expansion. The phase III expansion included a third 27-story hotel tower with close to 650 rooms, an expanded casino, three new restaurants, and the addition of a 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m²) entertainment facility. Additionally, the expansion plans called for a 'sky terrace' over Virginia Street that would be anchored by two Greco-Roman columns topped with flame shows that would be hourly. Ground was broken in June 1998, with completion just over a year later, in July 1999. The Sky Terrace opened first before the new hotel tower and casino expansion. The latest expansion cost $60 million to construct, the most expensive and largest to date in the resort's history, and it redefined the resort entirely.^[2]

Atlantis in 2002 remodeled its original tower built back in 1990 and renamed it the 'Royal Dolphin Tower', its rooms furnished with mahogany accents and warm color tones. They charged extra per night for those rooms. The next tower to be built in 1994, was too remodeled in 2004 with similar furnishings and in 2005 got its own pricing distinction and name, 'Atrium Tower', because of the lobby atrium behind its signature glass elevators. The 'Luxury' tower rooms became known as floors 3-20 of the third most and newest of the Atlantis towers. Atlantis has two floors of exclusive VIP suites, they sit on the 26th and 27th floors of Atlantis' third tower and are not available to regular guests unless booked through a party. Atlantis is home to the region's only Concierge Tower, with a concierge lounge on the 25th floor. Atlantis kept in operation their two-story Motor Lodge rooms that was part of the original Golden Road/Travelodge/Quality Inn but closed it down on October 16, 2010, and demolished in the weeks following.

In 2003, Atlantis built a spa consisting of 3,000 sq ft (280 m²) and as a result of the spa addition, 'spa' was added under 'Resort-Casino' below Atlantis' signature logo. That spa was expanded to 30,000 sq ft (2,800 m²) during the most recent expansion that was completed in January 2009. To match their new 'Spa Atlantis' the hotel sequestered a set of rooms on the 3rd floor to be designated as 'Spa Rooms' with yoga mats, soothing color tones, yoga channel and specialized bath products.

To date, all rooms in Atlantis' Concierge and Luxury Towers have been completely remodeled; rooms in the Atrium and Dolphin towers are being updated with modern technology to match the newly remodeled Luxury/Concierge Towers.^{[citation needed]}

Expansion and improvements[edit]

Since 2006, the Atlantis has been on a constant improvement program, starting with a $50 million expansion project that was completed in the summer of 2008; that project saw the expansion of the casino floor to include a new Race and Sports Book, high end poker room, and a new bar-lounge. The property also added onto its convention space and constructed an enclosed walkway link to the Reno/Sparks Convention Center, which is next door to the resort.

Following that project, a series of renovation projects were embarked on, including the renovation of all the hotel's guest rooms in phases, a remodel and expansion of the hotel's spa, completed in January 2009, to the remodel of its signature restaurants. The main casino floor was renovated to match the hotel's new refined tropical motif.

New marble, furnishings and accent lighting now flow throughout the property. In 2010, the property demolished its two-story motor lodge buildings on which the resort was founded to add more parking and make room for intended future expansion later.

In the summer of 2012, the Atlantis announced it had earned the Triple AAA Four Diamond Award, a rating only 5.4% of hotels receive. The only other property in Reno to win it was the Atlantis' chief competitor, Peppermill Reno.

CEO John Farahi of resort owner Monarch Inc said the company has no plans to stop improving the facility. It is likely they will announce plans to build a parking structure to hold some 1700 cars in the near future, also, the company is preparing a nightlife/entertainment district as well to complement the resort.^{[citation needed]}

Monarch expands company[edit]

Seeking to diversify its holdings, Monarch successfully acquired the Riviera Black Hawk Casino 40 miles outside of Denver for $72 million. The sale closed in Spring of 2012, since then, Black Hawk has increased Monarch's overall profit margins by 6%. The company announced in the first quarter of 2013 that they are planning an expansion and major renovation of the property. The details are being finalized but a brief overview was given, the company will expand the casino floor and add a 300 ft hotel tower. The project is expected to be announced the 4th quarter of 2013.^{[citation needed]}

References[edit]

1. ^'Listing of Financial Statements Square Footage'. Nevada Gaming Control Board. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
2. ^'Atlantis Casino Resort History'. June 2, 2004. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2007.

Atlantis Casino Resort Buffet Menu

External links[edit]

• Official website
• Media related to Atlantis Casino Resort at Wikimedia Commons

Atlantis Casino Restaurants Reno Nevada