Nicholas Ilvento Jr.: GM mans tables at casino's fine-dining restaurant so customers in the front-of-the-house always win

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan 26, 2004 by Lori Lohmeyer

When foodservice executives at Foxwoods Resort & Casino decided to take a gamble on a new fine-dining venture, they placed their bets on Nicholas Ilvento Jr. to spearhead the operation as its general manager.

Foodservice at the sprawling Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Conn., includes 25 outlets offering everything from fine dining to quick-service pizza. At least 40,000 guests each day visit Foxwoods' more than 320,000 square feet of gaming space as well as its 19 retail stores and 1,416-room resort. The resort and casino are owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, which opened the casino in 1992.

Paragon, a white-tablecloth restaurant featuring a continental menu with French and Asian influences, opened its doors three years ago. But despite an innovative menu and unique design, the restaurant's performance was not meeting the casino's expectations, officials say.

Ilvento's eight-year career at Foxwoods spans the casino's foodservice spectrum. Most recently, he spent about five years as general manager of its Al Dente, a fine-dining Italian restaurant. During his tenure at Al Dente, Ilvento's employee management skills and his commitment to building solid relationships with customers made him shine, according to Michael Barlow, Foxwoods' vice president of food and beverage. As a result, in June 2003 officials named Ilvento general manager of Paragon in an effort to help boost sales and increase customer traffic there.

"Nick's high level of professionalism, commitment to excellence and strong leadership skills help make Paragon Foxwoods' premier dining destination," Barlow says.

As the casino's newest foodservice operation, Paragon had to overcome the hurdle of convincing customers to venture away from the casino's main concourse for dinner. While most of Foxwoods' restaurants are situated near the gaming area, Paragon is located on the twenty-fourth floor of the casino's Grand Pequot Tower, making it a destination restaurant, Barlow says.

"[Paragon] was plagued at the beginning," Ilvento adds. "[Officials] weren't happy with how many covers were up there."

Today Paragon generates about $150,000 per month in sales, Ilvento says. The fine-dining restaurant serves about 80 covers per night on average, attracting more than 130 on peak nights. With an average per-person check of about $85, the restaurant offers such menu items as herb-crusted rack of lamb, $53; medallions of pork paprikash, $28; and Cantonese steak, $39.

Ilvesto, who was born and raised in Connecticut, decided to pursue foodservice as a full-time career while attending Connecticut University. He recognized the potential career opportunity at the booming Foxwoods and joined the casino in 1995 as a cook.

After holding numerous foodservice posts at the casino, including working in the resort's room service department, Ilvento in 1998 was appointed general manager of Al Dente, Foxwoods' Italian fine-dining restaurant. During his tenure at Al Dente, he built a dedicated customer base, many of whom followed him upstairs to Paragon when he changed positions.

At Paragon Ilvento manages a staff of 10 servers, four bussers, one full-time host and one part-time host. The restaurant is open Wednesday through Sunday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Ilvento says he begins his 12-hour day at 2:30 p.m. when he comes in to make sure the restaurant is prepared for its dinner rush.

While paperwork is an inevitable part of any general manager's duties, Ilvento says he prefers to dedicate the majority of his workday to interacting with customers. He spends about eight hours each day interacting with customers and staff members on the floor of the restaurant and in meetings. At any given time, observers can see Ilvento tackling a reservation dilemma, recommending wine to an inquiring guest and peeking in the kitchen to make sure his chef de cuisine, Scott Mickleson, has things under control.

Ilvento attributes his attention to front-of-the-house operations to his years as a member of the casino's culinary team. Working in the culinary department helped teach Ilvento the importance of guest satisfaction.

Children are not Paragon's main customer demographic. However, Ilvento likes to pay special attention to young diners when they eat at the restaurant. Each adult customer at Paragon receives a champagne toast when he or she is seated, while each youngster receives an apple juice toast in a champagne glass, Ilvento often gives repeat customers an occasional free meal and sends thank-you notes to every customer that dines at the restaurant.

"He treats [customers] as though they're in his home," says Harut Matkasyan, director of gourmet restaurants. "He doesn't get frazzled; he just takes care of business."

Ilvento's winning personality is not the only factor helping to ramp up Paragon's business. Keeping his finger on the pulse of consumer trends and honing a strong relationship with back-of-the-house employees is the key to improving Paragon's numbers, Ilvento says. Ilvento and Mickleson confer on a daily basis to develop new ideas for various events and dinner specials. For example, Ilvento partners with select suppliers to host theme nights in the restaurant, such as a recent scotch and cigar dinner.