Nevadan at Work: Mirage’s director of operations focuses on guests

From an early age, Chris Singer knew what he wanted to do with his life.

At 13, he was cleaning spinach and frozen chickens for minimum wage at a Greek restaurant in New Jersey, when other kids his age were at the beach or playing baseball. By age 16, he was making sauces and desserts, before working his senior year in high school as a short-order cook at a dive bar.

Today, a tiny kitchen at Buddy’s Place has been replaced by a plush office off the lobby at The Mirage on the Strip.

“I would create lunch for the bar,” Singer said. “I couldn’t sit at the bar or really do anything, so I would stay in the kitchen and cook meatloaf, hamburgers and other (bar) food.”

Singer, 31, hotel operations director at The Mirage, said those jobs taught him discipline. But they also taught him there was more to the business than being a chef.

“I wanted to understand every aspect of owning a restaurant,” he said. “After I got my degree, I realized I wanted more, so I looked into hotel management.”

Just like in the restaurant business, Singer had to work his way up.

“I started as a front desk clerk at a Sheraton Hotel in northern New Jersey, and worked my way up to front desk agent at a Hilton Homewood Suites,” he said. “I eventually transferred to be a front desk agent at Hilton Times Square.”

Singer called working at 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth avenues in New York a “great experience.”

While working in Times Square in 2004, Singer was exploring a move to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, until a serious car accident sent him to Las Vegas instead.

“Unfortunately, I lost my left arm,” Singer said. “I had planned to go to Dubai … but after my accident and because of my own medical needs, I realized I probably shouldn’t go. But I wanted to go and experience that elevated hospitality experience.”

In early 2005, while still recovering from the accident, Singer moved to Las Vegas. He lived at the Frontier, walking the Strip until he found a job at Harrah’s as an assistant VIP manager.

“I was lucky,” Singer said. “But Las Vegas is my home.”

Question: Why work every job at The Mirage?

Answer: It was to engage with employees. I could become a member of any team in the hotel at any time to find out what we could do to improve the employee experience that translates into a better guest experience. I have a closet at home with a uniform from every job classification on property … I literally put them on and went and did their job with them. And no, they did not know who I was. I went in as part of a team to learn what they were doing. I wanted to figure out what was happening, not just on paper through reports, but firsthand find out what’s happening.

Question: What did you learn from that experience?

Answer: It taught me that many guests are very loyal to The Mirage. To be honest, there are a lot of beautiful buildings in the city; every one of these beautiful buildings has slot machines. They come back for the people … the experience the employees provide them.

Question: The Mirage opened in 1989, how do you keep it fresh in an ultracompetitive environment?

Answer: It’s a constant evolution to keep your brand fresh. We constantly change and update our offering to remain relevant. (The property recently completed renovating its sportsbook.) We are so focused on our culinary program and bringing in chefs that complement our property. Tom Colicchio’s Heritage Steak, which opens in the summer, is very exciting. It’s our first partnership with a celebrity chef at The Mirage.

Question: Why is a celebrity chef crucial in Las Vegas?

Answer: It brings recognition as well as relevance. Granted, we could put the biggest name out there, and if you come and it’s a complete dud, it’s just a complete dud. But Tom (Colicchio) has a track record of really focusing on providing great experiences. This venue is going to be focused on quality meats cooked over an open flame. We are changing the whole food program within The Mirage. We are enhancing the entire experience of The Mirage.

Question: Are you still living in Steve Wynn’s shadow or has The Mirage created its own identity?

Answer: We have absolutely created our own identity. There is no question Steve Wynn designs beautiful properties. Quite frankly, look around this city and he has designed some of the best. We have taken this beautiful establishment that he has created and we have elevated it. If we just kept it as it was in 1989 and didn’t change anything, then it would be the exact same shell of a building. We’ve had to evolve and change. When you think of The Mirage (today) it’s MGM Resorts International, not Steve Wynn.

Question: What makes The Mirage unique?

Answer: We are the only MGM property except Circus Circus that is truly surrounded by competitors. The Mirage is also the entertainment epicenter of the Strip. Whether it’s Boyz II Men, Aces of Comedy or The Beatles LOVE and Terry Fator, millions of people walk through those doors and come for more than the rooms. They come for the experience.

Question: What role does gambling play at The Mirage’s mix of offerings?

Answer: I think it’s the same for all MGM Resorts properties. We are no longer just considered a gaming company. We are a gaming, entertainment and hospitality company. It is a piece of it; it will always be a part of it, as it should. But gaming is just a piece of our business.

Question: How did you become interested in a career in hospitality?

Answer: When I was 13, I shared a goal with my seventh-grade teacher that I wanted to get into cooking. I had always wanted to learn how to cook. Her cousin owed a Greek restaurant in New Jersey and initially set me up with, let’s say, a minimum-wage job over the summer. All I did was clean frozen spinach and chickens. I did that for a few summers, before I worked my way up to the banquet line and then banquet server. By the time I was 16, I was doing sauces and desserts at a Greek restaurant. At 17, I was a senior in high school working at a restaurant called Buddy’s Place. I would go there during my lunch break and I was a short-order cook.

Question: What did your early experiences teach you?

Answer: They taught me discipline. To get into the culinary field you have to be disciplined and have a passion for what you do.

Question: What brought you to Las Vegas?

Answer: On May 1, 2004, I was driving home from work and I was involved in a very serious auto accident on the Westside Highway in New York. Unfortunately, I lost my left arm. But knowing that losing my left arm was the extent of my injuries and nothing else was wrong, I wanted to leverage that to push myself to move forward. I didn’t want to be a victim.

Question: The accident motivated you?

Answer: Absolutely, 100 percent it motivated me. I had planned to go to Dubai, but after my accident and with my medical needs, I realized at that point I shouldn’t travel internationally. But I wanted to go and experience an elevated hospitality experience. I wanted to experience what Las Vegas had to offer.

Question: How has Las Vegas changed since 2005?

Answer: In 2005, you could do no wrong. That’s when people would flood into this city because everyone wanted to come to Las Vegas.There was nothing you could do wrong. ... After the downturn in the economy, when everyone was looking to offset costs … the people who thrived were the people who focused on their guests. I’ve seen service elevate as a result of the downturn in the economy.

Contact reporter Chris Sieroty at csieroty@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @sierotyfeatures on Twitter.