Vol. 4, No. 6, June 2008
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HONORING THE EXCEPTIONAL
Elias Sarkis Bartender, Palms
Elias Sarkis knows a good thing when he finds it. He’s been working as a bartender for the Maloof family going all the way back to the Fiesta days—13 years in all. There is a family atmosphere among the workers, and people like George Maloof are not only supportive and understanding bosses, but they are excited about what they do and take an active, hands-on role in their business. That attitude then infuses the property, Sarkis said. Everyone working at the Palms builds on that in their jobs, and they treat the customers much like Maloof treats them: as kings, Sarkis said. At the center bar at the Palms, Sarkis is the liaison for anything his guests need. He will make reservations for them, get them a room if they need it, and the drinks come before the glasses are empty. “People at the bar don’t have to do anything,” he says. The Palms is a unique property in that it has two different sets of customers: locals and the young, out-of-town party crowd. Sarkis knows them all, and his regulars he knows by name. And, he points out an interesting paradox in the service industry that’s a good lesson for everyone else. “It’s my job to serve people. They don’t have to tip me, but I still have to give them the best service that I can.”
