David Robins, who spent 33 years as Executive Vice President of Operations and Corporate Chef for Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, has joined GMA Consulting as a Senior Advisor alongside casino-marketing strategist Alisa Mirabal — a pairing that gives the Las Vegas-based gaming and hospitality consultancy bench depth in two of the highest-margin disciplines for integrated resort operators: culinary concept development and data-driven guest loyalty.
The Operators Behind the Hire
Robins directed culinary and operational functions across Spago, CUT, and Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill in markets spanning Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, New York, London, and Singapore. During his tenure he led more than 30 domestic and international restaurant openings, managed more than 1,500 employees, and carried $400 million in annual revenue responsibility — partnering with luxury hospitality brands including Four Seasons, MGM Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, Caesars Entertainment, and The Venetian. His accolades include a James Beard Award nomination, Las Vegas Chef of the Year recognition, and coverage in Forbes, Bon Appétit, and The Wall Street Journal. In 2021, Robins co-opened 1228 Main, an artisan bakery and restaurant in downtown Las Vegas's Arts District, in partnership with Puck. He launched his own full-service consultancy, Robins Hospitality, in 2025 before joining GMA.
Mirabal brings a complementary operator-side résumé with more than 20 years spanning casino marketing, CRM modernization, and digital transformation. She held the VP and Assistant General Manager role at Red Rock Casino Resort, leading a property with 2,600 employees and $450 million in annualized revenue, and delivered a $10 million EBITDA swing in 18 months as VP of Marketing, Sales & Entertainment at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe. Her most recent corporate post was VP of Advanced Products & Global CXS Products at Aristocrat Technologies, where she directed a $25 million development budget across 40 legacy product lines for regulated omni-channel and payment systems.
Why It Matters for Foodservice Operators
For the integrated resort segment, where food-and-beverage revenue increasingly anchors the non-gaming mix, the Robins appointment is particularly relevant. Major resort operators — from the Las Vegas Strip's flagship properties to regional tribal casino developments — have accelerated investment in celebrity-chef partnerships and proprietary culinary concepts as differentiated amenities. Advisors who have actually managed multi-unit fine-dining P&Ls at the scale of Wolfgang Puck's portfolio, including outlet-level staffing and cross-property menu consistency, are scarce commodities in the consulting market.
Mirabal's loyalty and CRM expertise addresses a parallel pressure point. As integrated resorts compete to consolidate guest spend across gaming, dining, and entertainment dayparts, operators need marketing infrastructure that connects patron data across all revenue centers — not just the casino floor. Her work supporting 17 major sports franchises through Lava.ai on digital fan-engagement platforms reflects the same omni-channel challenge facing large resort F&B programs.
"Alisa's track record modernizing marketing, loyalty, and customer experience for some of the largest names in gaming, paired with David's three decades leading world-class hospitality and culinary operations for the Wolfgang Puck organization, gives our clients partners who have done the work from the inside — not just advised on it," said Josh Swissman, Founding Partner and Managing Director of GMA Consulting.
GMA's client roster spans the majority of public gaming companies, 85 Native American tribes, and commercial and investment banks — a footprint that puts both advisors in front of greenfield resort developments and existing operators seeking to upgrade their restaurant and hospitality programming or culinary concept strategy.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
