las vegas — Eighty years ago, the first buffet opened in Las Vegas with a $1 Western-themed Buckaroo buffet serving cold cuts and cheese. Today, visitors can spend $175 on lavish buffets with lobster tail, prime rib, and unlimited drinks.
The old Las Vegas buffets didn’t make a lot of money, but they allowed people to eat cheaply and quickly, giving them more time to spend their money on the casino floor.
But the number of buffets has dwindled to about a dozen on the Las Vegas Strip. Many were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic and chose not to reopen as prices rose.
Before Carnival World Buffet in Rio closed in 2020 and was replaced by the Canteen Food Hall, it was billed as the largest buffet in Las Vegas with more than 300 international dishes to choose from. It was all-you-can-eat for about $30, said Jim Higgins, a Las Vegas food tour guide.
ARIA Buffet, which distinguished itself for serving Indian dishes and fresh naan bread, also closed permanently in 2020 and reopened as a Proper Eats food hall. The food court offers many options, including ramen, sushi, and burgers. Last March, the pyramid-shaped Luxor buffet bearing the theme of ancient Egypt closed. It cost about $32, but many people ate for free with the casino companies.
Many of the city’s old-school buffets have been replaced by trendy food halls and expensive restaurants run by celebrity chefs – and so-called luxury buffets, which now make them an attraction in their own right. Al Mancini, a veteran Las Vegas food journalist and founder of a food guide called Neonfest, said Las Vegas’ rise as a foodie city has increased demand for high-quality dining.
Longtime visitors to Las Vegas liken the decline of buffets to the disappearance of the 99-cent shrimp cocktail, another premium offering that contributed to the city’s reputation as an affordable vacation spot.
“You walk around, you eat, you stuff your face, and then you stumble out in front of a slot machine,” said Ryan Bohak, an Arizona resident and frequent visitor to Las Vegas. “It’s just part of the culture, and it’s sad to see that change.”
Michael Green, a history professor and Las Vegas native, remembers the days of the $1.99 buffet, where he would pile his plate with fried chicken, corn, and desserts. An advertisement for the Old West-themed Silver Slipper casino buffet painted that exuberant image with the phrase, “Tomorrow is diet, today is buffet.”
Mancini said Las Vegas is a city where visitors like to pretend they have more money than they do, and buffets allow people to live like royalty, giving them a “profound thrill” when a plate is loaded with crab legs.
Jeff Gordon, a frequent visitor to Las Vegas from California, loves the “big spectacle” of upscale buffets like the Wynn au Bacchanal buffet at Caesars Palace, which showcases mountains of crab legs and elaborate carving stations with prime rib and smoked brisket.
However, Gordon still misses the affordable buffets that were once plentiful.
“It’s like going to Costco and buying a $1.50 hot dog,” Gordon said. “Not only may you buy that hot dog for $1.50, but you may spend close to $150 at Costco and other things that you may or may not need.”
It is believed that the decline in prices for affordable buffets has contributed to the city’s growing reputation as being expensive. Gordon believes this hurts tourism as a whole, and discourages middle-class Americans from visiting.
Locals say the buffets have adapted to meet the needs of the ever-changing city.
“It was a great choice in its day,” said Jim Higgins, a Las Vegas food tour guide. “I think the city has just moved on.”
“The Las Vegas buffet is an attraction at this point, and you’re going to pay for that attraction,” he said. “You’re not going there to get deals.”
At the AYCE Buffet at the Palms, visitors can pay $80 for bottomless lobster, shrimp cocktail, sushi, crab legs and fresh pasta like lobster cheese. They offer themed nights where hula or mariachi dancers perform. Sometimes a lobster mascot wanders around.
It’s almost like a circus, said Marcus O’Brien, executive chef at Palms Casino Resort.
Buffets will always be a part of some visitors’ experience in Las Vegas, Mancini said, and will evolve along with the restaurant scene around them to succeed.
“The Las Vegas buffet will never die,” he said.