Are Boston bartenders' jobs on the rocks? Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett has announced it's trimming its wait staff, and replacing some of their jobs with automated machines at the bar.
Boston Globe Business Columnist Shirley Leung told Boston Public Radio on Friday she's not convinced this is a warning sign for the casino's failure just yet.
"MGM Springfield already has automated bartending or drink machines ... it seems like a function of just trying to be more efficient," said Leung.
The move comes as recent revenues for all the Massachusetts casinos came in lower than projected.
"When you open a casino, you need to staff up pretty aggressively, now that things are settling down they're reducing their staff," said Leung, while acknowledging they are off their revenue projections. "At the same time, they have to do what they need to do to make sure they're financially viable, if things are slow now they need to deal with their budget, and when things get better they can perhaps staff up again."
