Kyle Laris: There’s Nothing He Can’t Carry

Kyle Laris is used to carrying heavy loads.

As a beverage porter for YBR Casino & Sports Book, he opens and closes three bars, stocking wells and making sure bartenders have all the bottles they need to pour guests what they want. Kyle also stocks and cleans drink stations on the casino floor, meaning he’s responsible for some of the most heavily trafficked areas in the entire facility.

Though he’s only 27, Kyle handles the demands of his job with dignity and grace, making him a popular figure among guests.

“People see me coming and they get really happy,” he said. “That’s one of the things I love about working here: The people I work with and the guests we serve every day are all really nice and supportive, all the time. They always ask me how my day is going. I get the sense they really care.”

Kyle’s daily routine certainly is elaborate.

He opens the bars as soon as he arrives in the morning and makes sure each bar is stocked for the day. Next he puts ice in the ice machines. From there he heads out to the drink stations and stocks cups, lids, napkins and more. Over the course of the day he estimates he services drink stations anywhere from 10 to 20 times, depending on how busy the casino is. He restocks bars only when bartenders request.

At the end of his day, he cleans the bars—scrubbing bar mats, beer taps and every other surface where bartenders pour liquor. He also restocks all the bottled beer.

“I’m constantly on the go,” Kyle joked. “I’ve never tracked my steps in a given shift, but I totally should.”

Kyle grew up in Liverpool, and before joining YBR Casino & Sports Book, he worked at a Dollar Store in East Syracuse. He said this job is the first “real job” he’s had, and said he can’t see himself working anywhere else.

“When you work for the Oneida Indian Nation, between the guests and the other people who work here, you’re like family,” he said. “I’ve never worked at a place where that is the case, and it is a huge part of what keeps me motivated every day.”