Many good things begin with conversation.
A thriving partnership has developed between Century Casino Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri State University, which started with people talking.
Background
Lyle Randolph, casino general manager, recalls the pre-pandemic closing of the establishment's Farmer's Pick Buffet, leaving a large space sitting idle not far from the gaming floor.
Today, the space has become what Southeast Missouri State University president Carlos Vargas calls a "laboratory," where SEMO students work in the former buffet's commercial kitchen and take on-site classes in subjects such as nutrition, dietetics and hospitality management.
Randolph said the casino charges SEMO what he called a "nominal" rent to use the space to cover expenses.
Randolph, who has been the casino's general manager for 10 years, described the journey.
"Our buffet closed in January 2019. A lot of casinos over the last few years have shuttered their buffets, and here in Cape, we were on the front edge of that," recalled Randolph, a native of Gideon, Missouri, who spoke of the sometimes "wasteful" nature of such operations.
"We had 120 different food items on the buffet menu. At 2 p.m. or at 10 p.m., the expectation of patrons is that the food be fresh, and we saw we were throwing away a fair amount of food. We just felt there's a better way to serve our customers. Most casino food served today is made-to-order. What we were really looking for since 2019 was the right opportunity to utilize the space."
Southeast Missouri State University students inside the former Farmer's Pick Buffet inside Century Casino Cape Girardeau. The buffet has been repurposed into instructional space since its closing in 2019. In the Spring 2023 semester, classes in introduction to food science, foundations of culinary practices and advanced culinary practices were held there.
