Archive for the Casino Management Category

I’m George Clark: The Waving Guy

Posted in Casino Management, Community, General Barona Info with tags , , , , , , , , , , on June 22, 2010 by thebaronacasino

by George Clark, The Waving Guy

I’m sure you are asking yourself, “What is a waving guy?” I asked myself the same question when I was offered my job at Barona. I asked, “A what?”  Well, I thought it was a crazy title but it has turned out to be the greatest job in town!

You’ve probably seen me standing at the entrance of Barona Resort & Casino waving to every guest as they turn onto Founder’s Way before testing their luck at San Diego’s loosest casino. That’s me, George Clark.  Some of you may know me as the Waving Guy.

George Clark: The Waving GuyAfter five years of working at Barona, I feel like family to both visitors and employees. So many people tell me that they feel at home each and every time they visit Barona and that my wave signifies Barona’s commitment to excellent customer service.

Before I started working as the Waving Guy, I had a long career working in various industries including contracting, public relations, security and real estate, but have finally found where I belong. My job at Barona has turned into an amazing career. Through the years Barona has proven to be an outstanding employer. Everyone that works here, including the highest authority, is friendly and approachable and makes me feel at home.

The best part about my job is meeting new people. On average, I greet about 3,000 to 4,000 guests each day. There are many visitors that stop to chat on their way in and have become some of my favorite acquaintances. Not only do I greet guests, I also answer questions about the history of Barona and often help visitors find their way when they are lost. Sometimes people even say that I am good luck and they won big at the casino because I waved to them.

I think my job is one of the most important at Barona because I create a personal experience for each visitor. I like to make eye contact with the guests to welcome them in and make them feel special. Sometimes I will reciprocate a guest’s wave or point to them to let them know that we are excited to have them here.

My position as the Waving Guy has become so significant to Barona because we are the only casino resort in the area that has a greeter at the front gate. No matter which entrance people come through, they are always acknowledged. We have six greeters that alternate around four different posts at Barona including the front and back entrances, the bus stop, garage and VIP entrance.

I believe that the idea of the Waving Guy has contributed to the casino’s reputation for warm hospitality and customer service and has made each guest’s visit unique and memorable. Rain or shine, you can count on us to be there waving to you. We’re even there during Christmas dressed in Santa suits.

I am happy that I have this opportunity to work with the people that I do. I believe that everyone should enjoy their job, and I know that I enjoy mine.

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The Legend of Barona’s Loose Troop

Posted in Casino Management, General Barona Info, Slots with tags , , , , , on April 5, 2010 by thebaronacasino

by Chuck Hickey, Vice President of Slots

If you watch TV at all or read a newspaper or print of any kind, then you know about Barona’s Loose Troop. If you don’t know about them – then let me fill you in on why, what and who they are.

Why the Loose Troop? Every casino talks about their loose slots so all the talk gets lost in the clutter. What is loose? Is one casino’s loose another casino’s tight? Who says the slots are loose and what does it all mean, anyway? Barona has always been pretty proud of our reputation for being a loose casino. After all we offer the loosest table games rules anywhere, so why wouldn’t our slots be the same? Our goal at Barona was to expose some of the mystery of how slot machines are set. So we created the Barona Loose Troop to clear up some of the mystery. We also wanted to do something totally different than our competitors during these difficult economic times. Something totally OUTRAGEOUS. So, while some casino companies are asking manufacturers to create even tighter slot machines – Barona decided to zig while those guys were zagging and loosen up our already loose games. “Prove it!”, you might say. So the Barona Loose Troop was born.

Who are the members of the Barona Loose Troop? Well – they are the people you see in the ads and on TV, really! They are a group of our expert slot technicians and auditing staff that don’t sneak around the casino – they actually advertise themselves on the casino floor by wearing the snazzy Barona Loose Troop vests, push the Barona Loose Troop cart around and even ring a bell when they head out to the casino floor to loosen the hold percentage of our slot machines. You can even watch if you have an interest. Afterward, they put up a sign on the loosened slot, date it and sign their initials indicating who did the task. The TV commercial with the cute little old lady stealing a sticker off the slot machines actually comes from a real life incident when we first started this program. We actually witnessed a guest who literally ripped off a sticker so no one would know that her favorite machine had been loosened so she would be the only one to know about it (we put one back on the game so you can still find it). But even if her game is taken it isn’t hard to find the loosened games on the casino floor because they are clearly marked and frankly, they are EVERYWHERE.


What started out as a fun way to give something back to our guests has taken on a life of its own and while we started just adjusting nickel slot machines, we have continued to include a variety of denominations and games. We already had the certified loosest poker machines around, so we didn’t need to look there for candidates, but we did move through every denomination, including our already famously loose Dollar machines. You can read all about it in Casino Enterprise Management Magazine.

Have you seen the Loose Troop on the casino floor? Tell us about it!

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Barona’s Billboard Contest

Posted in Casino Management, Community, General Barona Info with tags , , , , on March 17, 2010 by thebaronacasino

By Linda Devine, Senior V.P. Marketing

Barona Billboard When we launched our Vanity Plate Contest a few weeks ago, we never anticipated the amazing response we would have from our guests, staff and fellow San Diegans who had seen our Barona Casino billboards on Interstate 8. It seems there are thousands of aspiring copywriters driving the freeways of San Diego. Who knew?

Literally within 24 hours of launching the contest we had more than 2,500 creative entries. As of this blog post, we have more than 15,000! And, there are still two weeks until the contest deadline.

The contest was actually born out of a cool concept developed by Barona’s marketing team.  We knew that thousands of our guests drive the I-8 every day to and from work and on their way to Barona to play slots, poker or blackjack… So, we wanted a fun way to capture their attention with billboards that stand out from the pack.

We began with a series of billboards my team brainstormed internally with a number of other staff members here at Barona Casino. We found that the more we talked about the billboards the more input we received. Everyone was really getting into it:  BARONA. MORWNNRS. CHA CHING.  Barona Billboard Contest

It turns out you can say a lot about a business and convey a strong message with words on a license plate…and in only 8 letters!  These simple letters, abbreviations and plays on words were more powerful and engaging for our guest than we could have imagined.

This first series of billboards generated such an enthusiastic response from guests and passersby we thought we’d put it out there and see what was on the minds of other locals.

Last year about this time, we launched another creative contest – The Barona Video Contest. That contest also generated hundreds of submissions and shed a lot of light on how our customers feel about Barona. Who needs focus groups when you can go straight to the people? The insight, creativity and enthusiasm have been invaluable and inspiring. I think it’s safe to say that guests have become an important part of Barona’s creative process.  Barona Billboard Contest

We love that you are telling us what you want to see and expect from Barona. And, we are really listening. Soon you’ll see what your friends and neighbors want to see on our future billboards.

If you have ideas for our billboard, go to www.barona.com/billboard and submit your idea. Winners receive up to $1000 and their own billboard! You have until March 31st.

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Welcome to the Barona Resort & Casino Blog!

Posted in Blackjack, Casino Management, Community, General Barona Info, Poker, Restaurants, Slots with tags , , , , on March 5, 2010 by thebaronacasino

By Rick Salinas, General Manager

As one of California’s leading resort casinos, we are very excited to offer our guests an opportunity to explore beyond the casino floor.  Find out how we create the Barona Moments that we have become known for and that have helped us build a strong bond with our loyal guests and the greater San Diego community.

Barona Casino - San DiegoWhy are we blogging? Based on feedback from our guests, we’ve discovered that there are many people interested in knowing what goes into operating an entire casino, resort and golf course.  So, here we’ll take you beyond what you see in our advertising, in the headlines and on our web site.

Here you’ll get to know some of the key staff that develop our exciting games, create the food in our restaurants, manage our environmental programs, deliver our renowned customer service and help us raise awareness for the charities we contribute to.

What’s the story behind the wave you get when you drive up to Barona Casino?  What goes into the development of our slot machines and table games?  How does our culinary team create the mouthwatering dishes served in our restaurants?  Who are some of the key staff members that deliver amazing customer service? What are some of the innovative programs Barona has implemented to protect and preserve our environment?  Most importantly, what actually goes in to operating one of the most successful casinos in the United States?

That last question is really the first chapter in our story.

The reality is these Barona  Moments don’t just happen.  They are the result of the vision and strategy of our owners, the Barona Band of Mission Indians, and hundreds of creative and talented staff members.  At Barona, we are always generating ideas from far above the 30,000 foot level.

Barona Casino iTable Chipless GamingOur plan to deliver the ultimate gaming experience is comprehensive, detailed and continually evolving.  That’s why we believe that everything you see, touch, smell, hear and taste at Barona is superior to any other casino out there.  And, our customers think so too as demonstrated in our hundreds of awards, including our second   J.D. Power & Associates award.  For two consecutive years, the prestigious organization has ranked us “Highest in Satisfaction in the Southern California Indian Casino Gaming Experience” based on feedback from casino customers from across Southern California.  We are humbled by this honor and encouraged to raise the bar even higher.

And, most of the strategy and operations are happening behind the scenes. The reality is there are many more behind the scenes stories at Barona that are never told but our guests want to know more about.  This blog provides a forum for us to share them!

This is just a starting point.  If there’s something you really want to know more about at Barona, please let us know.  We invite your comments and ideas.

We appreciate your feedback as it makes us a better business and a better partner.

For everyone at Barona, our blog is an exciting new way for us to get to know each other better.

Let’s get started!

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