Caesars Windsor, one of four casinos in Windsor area, announced on Wednesday that it is shutting its The Artist Cafe as part of a “property enhancement plan”, which includes a multi-million renovation project of all hotel rooms in the Forum Tower. The closure became effective immediately after the company made its decision public. According to the Manager of PR and Communications for Caesars Windsor, Jhoan Baluyot, nearly 30 people are expected to lose their jobs, but job cuts are the last option. He added that the casino is to work on employee transfer provisions under the collective agreement.
This Wednesday, Caesars Windsor announced its decision to close The Artist Cafe permanently and expand the hours of operation for Legends Sports Bar. Consequently, more staff will be needed for Legends Sports Bar, which will enable the company to transfer some of the workers to Legends Sports Bar. Even though the company promised to do its best to reduce the number of layoffs as much as possible, it seems that around 30 people might lose their job. The casino officials promised to compensate them with early retirement packages.
The Artist Cafe opened for the first time in 2008. It offered traditional food, working from 7 am to 10 pm from Sunday to Thursday. On Friday and Saturday, the restaurant offered around-the-clock services. The restaurant was initially meant to provide a scene for local actors and their performances. In 2013, The Artist Cafe underwent a major renovation to change its décor and conception.
Reasons for Caesars Windsor’s Decision
Mr. Baluyot commented that the company carefully explored all of its options and the decision to close The Artist Cafe was the most sensible as the casino wants to develop and modernize areas that provoke better interest than others. The “property enhancement plan” includes complete renovation and modernization of all 389 rooms in the Forum tower hotel. The project is set to start sometime next year. The casino official explained that the project aims at enhancing Caesars Windsor’s positions on the market and set it apart from the competition. In that way, the casino is to ensure that 2,500 people will have a job in the future.
The closure of the restaurant is not expected to negatively affect the profitability of Caesars Windsor. The casino aims at cutting the costs from areas, which are not that attractive to the customers and invest the money in modernizing more profitable areas. Here it is interesting to mention that many gambling operators with exposure in Canada announced their plans to renovate and uplift their properties as the casino industry is currently reviving and the competition is expected to become fierce.
