Alumni Voices

 

Alumni Interview: Justine Probert,

Manager of Beverage Operations, Caesars Atlantic City

 

Sarah Grady (SG): Hello, and welcome to the Lights On Alumni Interview for Winter 2026. My name is Sarah Grady, and I'm joined today by Justine Probert.

Justine is the Manager of Beverage Operations at Caesars in Atlantic City.

We're very happy to have Justine with us today, and Justine, my first question for you, of course, is to ask you to tell us a little bit about yourself.

Justine Probert (JP): Well, thank you so much for having me today. It was really exciting as a Stockton alumnus to be able to do this, so thank you again for reaching out.

A little bit about myself… I've been in the industry since I was 17. My first job was as a hostess at my local Outback Steakhouse in New Jersey.

I worked about a year there as a hostess and then moved up and became a server. Then I was a bartender, and then they had a special position called a keyholder. It was a hybrid role, some days I would bartend, some days I would be acting manager in the front of house.

That's where I fell in love with restaurants and hospitality and… just being able to make people happy, as simple as that is. It was such a giving job.

I worked there for about six years and at that time, I was going to Ocean County College. I didn't really know what I wanted to do.

 

Then I had this one really awesome Valentine's Day, hosting at Outback.

Where it was just…flawless. It was crazy, two tops everywhere, it was a two-hour wait. It was a very high traffic Outback, so… very busy, and we… just had the best shift ever at that host podium.

I realized I could probably do this. I could probably do this. Let me see where this will take me.

I expressed that interest to my manager at the time who also took note, like, hey, you might have a career in this. And I said, OK, well, I don't want to just be a hostess, I love hosting, but what else can I do?

I sat down and had conversations with multiple managers there, and decided, let me see what schools have a hospitality program. And there aren't too, too many in New Jersey, so I selected Stockton, because they had the best program that fit what I wanted to do.

I had the best time there. And I still worked at Outback throughout my whole career at Stockton.  

After that, I thought let me try something a little different. Let me try… talent acquisition. So, then I still worked at Outback a little bit, while I tried a human resources style job.

Couldn't do it. Couldn't do it. Couldn't sit in front of a computer all day. I needed that guest interaction, that personal interaction. Couldn't do it.

While I was at Stockton, I also did an internship at a Holiday Inn Express in Neptune (New Jersey).

I did that for about 11 months, and I was going to pursue a career there, but… I decided against it because, again, I like to move around. I like to make those connections, I like to be with people for more than just a few moments of interaction at a front desk.

So, I said, you know what, I don't think this is for me either.

I went back to Outback, did that for a little bit, and just started rapid-firing applications everywhere. And finally, somewhere bit, and it was Bally's, which is part of the Caesars umbrella.

I got a temporary seasonal job there at Bally's Beach Bar. My first ever big girl manager job, and it was… difficult. It was difficult. There were definitely a lot of challenges, especially being a young, new manager. I was probably about 23 when I took that job.

And it was in an area that… I'm from Central Jersey, if you believe in Central Jersey.

SG: I am too.

JP: So, you know, it's an area that I wasn't too familiar with, aside from going to Stockton. I didn't really engage in the casinos too much until I started working in Atlantic City.

All these bartenders, porters and servers, everyone is unionized.

It's… it's just an entirely different system than what I was used to. Different than working in a restaurant. Different than being in just… four walls. The casino is huge, and the casino never stops.

There were a lot of challenges, and I'm happy that I ran into every single one of those challenges, because they made me a stronger manager. It opened up so many doors.

After the season was over at Bally's Beach Bar, they did offer me full-time employment over in the Wild West, which was part of Bally's still at that point in time.

I worked there. I did the late nights. I was going to work at 8pm and getting out of work at 6 AM. Again, a much different lifestyle than most of us are used to.

And after that, you know, I continued to pursue [different opportunities].

It’s such a blessing being in a casino, because if I wanted to dabble in a restaurant, there's so many restaurants, I could get the restaurant experience. If I wanted to do casino beverage, I could stay in casino beverage. If I wanted to stick with nightlife… if I wanted to work in the sportsbook…

Every day was a little bit different, which is what I loved. There's always a new challenge and I'm still getting surprises every day. Which is a lot of fun, and it keeps me engaged.

After I dabbled in the Wild West, COVID-19 hit, and we were out of work for three months.

It was crazy, walking through the casinos, no slot machines on… I closed up that one day and then my boss called me and said, we're going to be out of work for a little bit.

I was the first person that she called to bring back in June when we were prepping Bally's Beach Bar.

I worked that whole very unique season, and then after that, she put me over in casino beverage, because that's where there was more opportunity to grow.

So now I'm dealing with the cocktail servers on the casino floor directly, and, you know, the guest interaction is a lot different than the nightlife interaction, than the restaurant interaction that I had.

There were a lot of learning points there, and a lot of learning on the union contract, which, again, is entirely different than any other place that I've ever worked, ever.

Then there was an opportunity. My boss at the time left the company, and there definitely was movement. When that position got filled, another position opened up.

So, I told my boss I was interested, and I wanted to interview. And that's when I got the manager of beverage services position.

I’d learned a lot, and that's where I felt like all my growth was, and working with the same people was great. I have bartenders that have watched me grow over the past seven years. They've literally seen me grow up and learn and become a better manager.

That's a fun experience for me. All these team members are very supportive. All these team members want to see us grow, and they know the union contract better than I know it, so most of the time they are a resource for me.

Getting into that Manager of Beverage Services position was definitely a… catalyst in my career. I was put in positions that I would have never been put in as a shift manager, so being a manager of managers helped me grow.

About two years after that, my boss took a career change, and she dabbled in something different in the casino, which opened up that next position. So again, I went to my director and my boss, and I said, hey, I want to interview for this, can I… I'm going to apply, can I interview? They said, yes, of course.

I sat down with my boss, And I interviewed, and… I was so very grateful to get the position that I'm in now.

Again, every day is a little bit different. I dabble in room service now, I'm still working over at the sportsbook. The umbrella is just huge, and the ceiling is limitless.

I am just so happy and grateful to be where I'm at. Caesars has given me so many opportunities to grow as a person and to grow as a manager.

They also have an awesome program where I was able to get my master's degree through Caesars Entertainment. They paid for it and I did it online. It took roughly two years, maybe a little bit longer.

And my managers, my boss are all very supportive.

That was definitely a perk, working with this company. In addition to all the growth and knowledge and just all the opportunities that… while they weren't just given, they were presented. And I am very grateful to be where I'm at now with that.

SG: Justine, as you've talked through all of your narrative, your career experience, you've touched on a number of challenges that you persevered through and ways that you've adapted, and that's excellent, excellent, to share with our audience.

That's why my next question is, how did your experience at Stockton really prepare you to face those challenges?

JP: With Stockton specifically, I recall this one class that I took. I believe it was my very last semester, when I was doing that internship. It was a four-hour class on a Wednesday. It was the most valuable class that I could have ever taken. I remember we would read scenarios from this textbook - I don't remember if they were real-life scenarios or just scenarios that were in this book - where we would have to pod off into groups and come up with solutions. And… I kid you not, a lot of those scenarios absolutely come up in my career right now. And I always think back to that.

My professor shared his knowledge on what he did in these situations, and I find myself over here thinking back and being like, what did he say? And I wish I could find that textbook.

Just being with professors that were in this industry, or still currently are in this industry, and hearing about how they handled, employees, guests… tough situations, how to balance emotional intelligence with following the rules. Is everything written out for you, or can you read between the lines on some things? Where can you give, and where can you not give? That was very, very helpful for me, that class in particular.

And then there were also classes… just before, my boss and I were talking about macro and micro-economic factors that would impact what we do day-to-day as managers, and I was like, I took those classes when I was in Stockton. Those factors do come up, and whether you realize it or not, things that I'm doing day-to-day are things that I did learn in school. Specifically at Stockton.

Those last two years that I did at Stockton, a lot of my classes were, hospitality and tourism-based. I got a lot of my electives out of the way already, so it was very concentrated on hospitality and tourism.

A lot of the stuff that I learned in those two years, I directly apply. A lot of it was listening to my professors and really paying attention to what they did for resolution. Or things that they did that didn't give, like, the employee, or the guest, or the company a resolution. And me thinking, how can I use that knowledge? OK, if maybe they did it this way, maybe I have to think outside the box? A lot of that real-life, experience that I got during that class that I did for the internship really, really actually does help me in my career here.

SG: That's excellent to hear. I wanted to ask if you have any advice for people seeking a career in the industry. Specifically in food and beverage operations like you are.

JP: Absolutely. Some advice that I would give…

If you work in a restaurant, and you want to dabble in the casino, just be mindful, like I said before, it is not four walls. It is so all-encompassing, it runs 24-7. Casinos are a little bit different. Which is great, because you can start anywhere, but learn everything.

You want to be an absolute sponge, you want to be multi-outletted, you want to be cross-trained everywhere. Don't ever say no to an opportunity to learn something different just because maybe it's going to make you a little bit uncomfortable from your day-to-day.

You want to be a little uncomfortable to grow. You want to be able to maybe not know all the answers because it's something outside of your regular routine. You want to be able to learn stuff.

Don't say no to those opportunities. Don't say, no, I don't want to go work in this restaurant, because I heard this, that, and the other.

Go take the leap, go take the chance. Nothing bad is going to happen, aside from you learning, even if you make a mistake, its literally the only way to learn here in the casinos.

You can read anything off a textbook, you can read anything off a document in an email. Until you are actually doing it, and have to try and think and problem solve, it's not going to stick. You have to make the mistake, and you have to take the chance. So don't ever say no to a chance. And always be… open to change, be fluid, and be adaptable.

The trends are always changing, the different career opportunities are always changing, your bosses are always changing. So, you have to go with the flow, because you don't ever want to be stagnant, you just want to keep moving forward.

SG: Excellent, excellent advice. Is there… and you've shared so much with us today, Justine, is there anything else you'd like to add before we bring this interview to a close?

JP: I just want to say thank you so much again for this opportunity to be here with you guys.

I love sharing my experiences, and the casino really has and continues to be a really great experience. So, I would encourage anyone to take that risk. If you don't know if casinos are for you or not, and you currently work in a restaurant, or you're a barista, and you think you kind of like hospitality, just go for it. Just go for it. The experience here is so worth it. The amount of things that you learn is just… countless. I would encourage anyone to just, take the dive, take the opportunity, because even if it's just a learning experience in life, it's worth it.

SG: Thank you so much, Justine, for sharing your time and your journey with us today. And again, this is the LIGHTs On Alumni interview for Winter 2026. We were with Justine Probert, Manager of Beverage Operations at Caesars Atlantic City, and I am Sarah Grady, Assistant Director of LIGHT.

Thank you again for joining us today and hope to see you again in the next episode.

JP: Thank you.

SG: Thank you.

 

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