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.

Hosting special events requires maximum communication between Ilvento and his back-of-the-house team, but provides good exposure and a positive buzz for the restaurant, he adds.

To help make Paragon stand out, Ilvento also works with Mickleson to develop menu items that provide something of a theatrical experience for customers. The restaurant regularly prepares flambeed dishes and salads tableside. On Thanksgiving the kitchen staff took its creativity a step further by carving turkeys tableside. As a result of positive Thanksgiving business, November sales hit a record $186,000, Ilvento says.

In addition to daily meetings with his executive chef and restaurant employees, the remainder of Ilvento's day is spent tackling paperwork and navigating Foxwoods' complicated corporate structure. Ilvento says he typically leaves the casino around 1:30 a.m.

Although unusual hours often can strain foodservice marriages, Ilvento and his wife's schedules complement each other. She is a dealer at Foxwoods' high-stakes Stargazer Casino. The casino's 24-hour schedule has enabled the pair to adjust their work schedules so that their new son does not have to attend daycare.

Running a restaurant in such a large resort casino provides Ilvento with numerous resources to help make his job easier. He is able to attract solid employees with the promise of numerous opportunities and a comprehensive benefits package. Ilvento's employees work about 35 hours a week. Paragon's various support departments also provide fresh perspectives and knowledgeable backgrounds to help the restaurant improve operations.

"You have a lot of different avenues for resources," Ilvento adds.

Despite the advantages of working in a large corporation, though, Ilvento says "red tape" sometimes can make his job challenging. With corporate departments for everything from laundry service to public relations, introducing new programs and keeping the lines of communication open can be cumbersome, Ilvento points out. "The red tape holds back a lot of progression that could be made. But persistence is one of my strengths."

Ensuring that interdepartment lines of communication remain open is one of the keys to Paragon's success and Ilvento's sanity, he says. Ilvento fosters communication with departments outside of his restaurant by contacting them on a regular basis, rather than only when he has a problem. "You don't have to always come to them with a problem," he says. "But next time something comes up, there's more of a bond there."

While Foxwoods' benefit structure attracts long-time employees, Ilvento emphasizes that he tries to foster a healthy environment in his restaurant to ensure worker retention and guest satisfaction. He says the key to happy employees is to "be fair," remaining consistent in everything from rotating covers around a room to taking disciplinary action. "There's a lot of egos [among the wait staff]," he says. "You just have to be as fair as possible in every situation. You can't be swayed or change midstream. People see it and take advantage."

For example, Ilvento says the quickest way to lose employee respect is to accept money from servers. Many servers will make attempts to bribe general managers for better hours or high-check tables, he says. "Once that word gets out that you take some money or get paid off for tables, then you're done," he says.

In a similar vein, rewarding outstanding performance helps foster employee pride and team spirit, he says. Ilvento publicly acknowledges the positive achievements of his staff immediately with free meals. He often awards staffers with visits to Long Island. N.Y., to visit wineries. The restaurant's wine suppliers pay for the trips.