Harrah’s automated drink service at slot machines?

Went to Harrah’s Rincon in San Diego this week. Customers can order drinks from their slot machine, and the cocktail waitress brings it to your machine.

Put your Rewards card in the slot machine, and you can order coffee or alcoholic beverages by punching in your drink order on the machine. It even saves your drink preferences for next time. Maybe this is a test, someone is on the ball at Harrah’s, and this will definitely keep gamblers glued to their machine until drinks arrive.

Do they have this at Harrah’s in Las Vegas or other locations?

Originally Posted by FluffyPillows

Went to Harrah’s Rincon in San Diego this week. Customers can order drinks from their slot machine, and the cocktail waitress brings it to your machine.

Put your Rewards card in the slot machine, and you can order coffee or alcoholic beverages by punching in your drink order on the machine. It even saves your drink preferences for next time. Maybe this is a test, someone is on the ball at Harrah’s, and this will definitely keep gamblers glued to their machine until drinks arrive.

Do they have this at Harrah’s in Las Vegas or other locations?

As of two weeks ago, I did not see feature in any Harrahs properties in Vegas. Althought slots techs were in the process of upgrading software on all the slot machines in the Paris and Ballys two weeks ago.
As for ordering drinks at the slots, as long as they are comp!!

A few cocktail watress mentioned to me a , Harrahs was thinking to charge one dollar per drink, they hated the thought, as it would kill the tipping, that would include me.

They announced this a few months ago, that San Diego was going to the be the test trial market for this and that based upon how the trial goes would determine what they do in other markets.

CityCenter is supposed to offer this when the casino opens so I would suspect that Harrah's casinos will probably start rolling this out to Las Vegas around the same time, or maybe even try it a little earlier so they look more innovative than what would end up being those "copycats at MGM Mirage"

No, I haven't seen that service elsewhere but I think the slots at the new Horseshoe Hammond has the same players card display. I think they will be able to adopt it quickly if they go wide.

I wonder the turn-around time from when the drink is ordered and delivered and if its simply a way to get you to stay and keep playing. They probably figure people will order then keep playing while waiting for their drink when in reality the button doesn't really do anything. :-p

Originally Posted by LV_Bound

I wonder the turn-around time from when the drink is ordered and delivered and if its simply a way to get you to stay and keep playing. They probably figure people will order then keep playing while waiting for their drink when in reality the button doesn't really do anything. :-p

True, but for people like me, who always decline when the waitress offers a drink because I don't know how long I'll be there, at least it gives me the chance to try ordering as soon as I sit down and go from there.

Too many times I've stayed playing a slot because I was waiting for a drink and lost way more than the cost of the drink in the process...so I'm a bit skittish about ordering anything...at least if I can do it straight away it might work out better for me.

Or not.

Harrahs Grand in Tunica had this drink order feature on slots. It was only on the higher limit slots, 50 cent and up, and was available only to Diamond card holders. It was supposed to eventually incorporate other features such as accessing your comps and such.

The buzz was it was coming to all Harrahs casinos, your profile of preferred drinks etc would be at other Harrahs casinos when you inserted your card.

However when Harrahs Grand Tunica remodeled and rebranded as Harrahs Tunica (not Grand) I could not find this feature on any machines.

I don't like the idea of it at all. Harrahs will then know exactly how many drinks you have ordered compared to how much you have put in their machines. I can see them charging for the drinks if they feel you did not play enough.
If they start to charge $1./drink the CW's will be the ones to lose.

I agree with fere......but barhopper presents an interesting angle from the other side.........I hate straddling the fence, lol

hadn't considered barhopper's idea...I can see how that might impact some folks. It probably wouldn't be an issue for me as I don't drink too much and never play minimal credits in order to get a free drink...but I can see how it might impact some people.

As for charging $1/drink...I'd still tip the waitress...it's still far, far cheaper than ordering at the bar...that $6 (tiny) Diet Coke still haunts me to this day. ;)

Unlike Vegas, the drinks at Rincon are close to $5 , and unlike Vegas, there are a lot fewer drinkers because it's not free. The wait time has not really been a problem @ Rincon.
Not sure if the wait time in Vegas HET properties would be less or affected in any way, especially when the casinos are super busy during the holiday/weekend.
if it's offered to Diamond members only, it may provide some relief in the wait time.

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sorry

they also would be able to cut back on the number of waitresses on the floor, a lot of the job is taking orders, waiting for people to decide, etc. I would imagine you would need at most half the waitresses to just drop off drinks.

i know waitresses have a low salary, but with benefits and everything I'm sure its still a savings to have less.

also I think the benefits of them getting you more drinks vs. the costs work out in favor of the casino. I would be much more likely to play where I can get drinks more quickly and conveniently, dollar charge or not.

the only question i have is about overserving people. clearly the casino benefits from the drunken overserved person blowing the bankroll, but if they can be nailed for giving joe sixpack 15 drinks in 5 hours, they are opening themselves up to some potential proof of liability if he claims they over served him or if he drives off and kills someone.

Originally Posted by BeeeJay

they also would be able to cut back on the number of waitresses on the floor, a lot of the job is taking orders, waiting for people to decide, etc. I would imagine you would need at most half the waitresses to just drop off drinks.

i know waitresses have a low salary, but with benefits and everything I'm sure its still a savings to have less.

also I think the benefits of them getting you more drinks vs. the costs work out in favor of the casino. I would be much more likely to play where I can get drinks more quickly and conveniently, dollar charge or not.

the only question i have is about overserving people. clearly the casino benefits from the drunken overserved person blowing the bankroll, but if they can be nailed for giving joe sixpack 15 drinks in 5 hours, they are opening themselves up to some potential proof of liability if he claims they over served him or if he drives off and kills someone.

There has to be some cost associated to drinks or else a lot of people would be abusing the system. For example, a group of guys sits on a row of slot machines. Each inserts $1 and they all start ordering jack and cokes. They play the minimum 1 cent per line, finish their drinks and re-order another whole round.

I would imagine you need to eventually use your Total Rewards points to order drinks...

If this was a free service, I would really love to see this come to Vegas. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a casino, thirsty as hell, without a cocktail waitress in sight the whole time I was there. Even if it were a buck or two, I'd still tip the waitress. It's still cheaper than ordering at the bar.

Originally Posted by coldnorth

As of two weeks ago, I did not see feature in any Harrahs properties in Vegas. Althought slots techs were in the process of upgrading software on all the slot machines in the Paris and Ballys two weeks ago.
As for ordering drinks at the slots, as long as they are comp!!

A few cocktail watress mentioned to me a , Harrahs was thinking to charge one dollar per drink, they hated the thought, as it would kill the tipping, that would include me.

Leave it to Harrahs! Wouldn't play atheir properties if they did that.

Reminds me of the assembly line in old Warner Brother's cartoons. A robot delivers your drink, charges you for it, then hits you on the noggin when you don't tip enough. Security throws you out if you had more than x drinks if you weren't losing enough.

Big brother is alive and well.

Originally Posted by Kleenex101

There has to be some cost associated to drinks or else a lot of people would be abusing the system. For example, a group of guys sits on a row of slot machines. Each inserts $1 and they all start ordering jack and cokes. They play the minimum 1 cent per line, finish their drinks and re-order another whole round.

People do that now, I know when we were out there for my Bachelor party we did that a couple times.

Originally Posted by CZFORD

People do that now, I know when we were out there for my Bachelor party we did that a couple times.

and there's not a damn thing wrong with that! good job!!!!