In 2019, Sherie Evans Earl and her cocktail server colleagues were excited about the Smartender, a mixed drink dispenser machine coming to the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino to help speed up bar service for casino patrons.
But the current reality is “totally the opposite,” the 50-year-old said.
“I think the old-fashioned, pouring the drink with a gun is a lot quicker and faster than the several steps the Smartender takes,” said Evans Earl, adding that she has to input the order into the system and then into the machine and wait for the drinks to be dispensed.
It sometimes takes up to 10 minutes for large orders or the machine loses the order, she said.
“By the time I get out to the casino floor to serve the guests, most of them are gone or sometimes they are angry,” she said. “So we’re not getting a tip from it. It’s frustrating.”
