The South Point Hotel and Casino is a special place and a favorite of Las Vegas locals and visitors for a multitude of reasons. It has some things you won’t find at any other casino, like an arena earmarked for rodeo and equestrian events, a TV studio for sports betting shows and $1.50 hot dogs served from a cart at the sportsbook.

But what truly endears the South Point to its many loyal guests is its classic Vegas casino portfolio: It has all the things casinos in this town once had before changing trends and different demands drove certain amenities away. It has a movie theater and bowling lanes. Its sprawling gaming floor has every slot machine and table game imaginable. The restaurant offerings include a steakhouse and a prime rib joint and a “gourmet room” from a bygone era—the iconic Michael’s, named for owner Michael Gaughan. He pioneered a trend of the past by offering a full Chinese food menu for dinner and late-night guests at the 24-hour coffee shop at his other casinos, and you can still find that today at South Point’s Coronado Café.

And then there’s the buffet, which unbelievably has become an endangered species in casinos. In past decades, you could drive down the Strip or stroll down Fremont Street and find only a few casinos that didn’t have an all-you-can-eat buffet; today, there are less than 15 valley-wide. But the South Point’s Garden Buffet is thriving, open every day, dishing up breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner … and Friday seafood night, and prime rib every night for dinner plus on Saturdays and Sundays for brunch.

“It’s such an important piece of our hotel. Our slot customers especially love the buffet and Mr. Gaughan has always made it a focal point at his hotels,” says Michael Kennedy, director of food operations. “The year before COVID, we did a full remodel of the entire line and made the kitchen bigger, expanded the salad bar and added more action stations to the buffet, and guests are just thrilled with the different options.”

There are chefs cooking food in front of guests’ eyes at those stations, which are active at every meal period. There are seafood, Chinese, Mexican, Italian and barbecue stations in addition to the carving board and Mongolian grill, and brunch and breakfast omelet station. “There’s always something fresh and made-to-order, something coming out of the rotisserie or smoker or pizza oven,” Kennedy says. “We’re highlighting the things we can do, not just putting pans of food out and letting you go at it.”

It’s such a familiar, accessible and crowd-pleasing experience that it makes one wonder how buffets could have become less popular in casinos. But the same factors that appeal to diners—variety and value—always made buffets a tricky proposition for casinos.

It’s been described as the original loss leader for Vegas operators, a cheap (or sometimes free) meal that would satisfy gamblers and get them back to the tables. Buffets evolved to become more family-friendly, offering even more variety and meal times, during the boom years when themed resorts were attracting different demographics to Las Vegas. Casino food and beverage trends have come a long way, riding waves of fine dining, celebrity chefs, nightlife-adjacent restaurants and more casual “foodie” fare. Despite their high operating costs, buffets seemed to persevere, likely because of that natural correlation between gamblers and diners. As Kennedy says, “if the machines are humming, life is good around here.”

The pandemic changed that. Everything closed and not everything reopened, and on the Strip and in the neighborhoods, buffets became one of those casualties.

“If you go back in time, the concept of the buffet was to draw people into the casinos. They were not meant to make any money, but if you’re just bringing herds and herds of people in, the casino will make money,” says Ramon Triay, general manager of Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace. “But with the pandemic, [casinos] saw it in another way because they were losing money in a lot of different places, and food and beverage had additional restrictions, so some places decided they could no longer do that.

“On our end, we always had profit. Bacchanal has always made a profit, so there was never any thought of it going away.”

Opened in 2012 and renovated six years later, Bacchanal always aimed to be the biggest and best, with nine of those chef-manned action stations, 250 menu items available every day and a focus on food quality in a 25,000-square-foot facility. “That focus has not changed, but what we have been doing lately is ensuring each one of the chefs is staying creative and bringing something to the table,” Triay says.

Executive chef Julio Castillo notes Bacchanal has vast vegan options, and unexpected items like frog legs, bone marrow and more. “We keep it fun and innovative, and always work on something new and different so people will keep coming back,” he says.

Other Strip casinos that brought their prominent buffets back to life include Wynn and Bellagio—two luxury resorts also known for elevating each dish and the atmosphere at this unique style of restaurant—and more value-oriented properties like Luxor and Excalibur. Wicked Spoon at the Cosmopolitan, which pioneered the concept of individually plated dishes on the buffet line instead of “hotel pans” full of food to serve yourself, also stays active, as does the one at MGM Grand.

Locals’ casinos are doing well with their buffets, including the A.Y.C.E. Buffet at the Palms, the last major casino resort to reopen after the pandemic shutdowns. If you’ve spent any time there lately, you’ve probably seen the long lines. A.Y.C.E. is going through thousands of pounds of snow crab and sirloin steak every month, and recently added Tuesday and Wednesday lobster nights to the mix.

“We noticed a lot of the other casinos were not reopening [buffets] and found an opportunity to be different, and I think it makes us shine a little bit more,” says Marcus O’Brien, executive director of food and beverage and property executive chef at the Palms. “We also put in a reservation system so you don’t have to wait in line. Hopefully you’re coming early and enjoying other amenities within the casino, and doing the same after. And if you’re a player, you’re getting taken care of within the buffet.”

A.Y.C.E. has been an important tool in reintroducing the Palms, which changed ownership during the pandemic, to Las Vegas locals, who remain in love with the buffet experience and are accustomed to finding it at their nearest neighborhood casino.

That became a bit of a challenge when Station Casinos announced in 2021 the company would not bring back buffets at its six properties spread out across the Valley. Officials also decided not to reopen its Texas Station and Fiesta Rancho casinos in North Las Vegas and Fiesta Henderson, most of which offered buffet dining.

And when the long-anticipated Durango Casino & Resort opened in the southwest last year, it did so not with a buffet, but with a trendy food hall called Eat Your Heart Out, which features new-to-market restaurant concepts and favorite local operators dishing up tasty burgers, pizza, pasta, deli sandwiches, sushi, noodles and much more.

Durango general manager David Horn says changing trends may have put Las Vegas on the course for fewer buffets even before COVID caused so many closures. “That change was already starting and I think it was born out of the generational side of things. When you get to Millennials and beyond, the younger generations’ tolerance for buffets seemed to be waning,” he says. “It was more commonplace for my generation and up, and maybe it’s about healthy eating among other factors. That laid the groundwork for more food hall-style venues. We weren’t the first, but I think we put a unique spin on it.”

The Carnival World Buffet at the Rio was pretty famous, as far as buffets go, and that off-Strip casino moved in the same direction with its new Canteen Food Hall. Aria at CityCenter did the same with its Proper Eats, and Boyd Gaming, which closed all its casino buffets except for the Garden Court Buffet at Main Street Station Downtown, recently converted the Fremont Hotel & Casino’s buffet into a food hall.

Durango’s twist on the food hall maintains the distinct identity of each outlet, Horn says, which enhances the diverse selection of quality cuisine. “Prince St. Pizza looks like their pizza place, Yu-Or-Mi Sushi looks like their venue. You create that identity and it’s less of a food court type of experience where the only thing different is the sign.”

Food halls don’t have the pay-one-price or all-you-can-eat features of traditional buffets, but they do offer a value-oriented option that attracts families and groups, Horn explains.

There will always be evolution in the way customers want to eat and the way operators adjust to that change, but for now, in Las Vegas, food halls are fun and edgy but likely won’t completely replace traditional buffets. After so many closures, there’s a growing nostalgia factor tied to the experience, and casinos like the Palms, South Point and the Rampart Casino at the JW Marriott Resort & Spa in Summerlin continue to listen to their guests and add new elements to their buffets.

Rampart Casino vice president of food and beverage Perry Wiley says the property’s Market Place Buffet completed a multimillion dollar renovation in 2019, which proved to be terrific timing after the pandemic subsided. The other nearby Summerlin casinos, Red Rock Resort and Suncoast, didn’t bring their buffets back.

“We stayed committed to it and we’re happy we did. With other casinos going offline, that makes us very unique in the market both for casino guests and local guests,” Wiley says. “We had been open five days a week until recently, and now it’s seven days a week and we’re happy to be able to offer that to our guests.”

Rampart’s Market Place Buffet was well-known for its themed nights, including Deli Night Dinner on Mondays and Aloha Night Dinner on Saturdays. After the renovation, it expanded that special programming while shifting its traditional style of operating into a more active, live-cooking presentation.

“What we’re really proud of is the Saturday and Sunday Champagne brunch. Guests just love it,” Wiley says. “Last month we added Fiesta Night Tuesday nights with all the favorite Mexican dishes. It’s been a lot of fun. We actually brought in a mariachi band, and I don’t know if we’ll continue with [entertainment], but it’s fun.”

Las Vegas buffets have always been fun, a communal way to enjoy a meal that may feel a little indulgent and over-the-top, but that’s the Vegas way.

“The buffet is still a Vegas staple,” says Bacchanal Buffet boss Triay. “People come to Vegas and they’re thinking about gaming, shows and dining, and buffets—everyone has that in their mind.”

Vegas buffets we really miss

I’m an indecisive eater. For someone who dines out as often as I do, I’m really bad at ordering. That’s why I’ve loved eating at buffets through the years. Don’t like that fried chicken or lasagna that looked so good on the line? No problem. Go get a new plate and start over. (I probably still ate the fried chicken.)

Many of my favorite casino buffets are long gone. My dad used to haul our huge family to the Strip, park in valet at Bally’s and head upstairs to gorge on crab legs, prime rib and tiny desserts. It wasn’t the best buffet in town, but it was ours, perhaps an odd spot for family gatherings but always a fun one. I’d have a plate of crab legs in between every other plate.

The Carnival World Buffet at the Rio was legendary, and then they went ahead and opened a separate all-seafood buffet, eventually combining both offerings in one space. The Rio may have started the trend of styling each station to diversify the experience, making it feel like there were several different restaurants crunched into one all-you-can-eat experience. I loved starting my meal with a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate milkshake from the station that looked like a drive-thru joint.

When I wrote about an all-day buffet super-pass from Caesars Entertainment that allowed me to eat at any of the company’s casinos for 24 hours, I discovered a bit of a hidden gem in the Spice House Buffet at Planet Hollywood. It had an entire station devoted to cupcakes—different sizes and flavors, all the colors. It was habit-forming.

But the buffet I might miss the most was at Green Valley Ranch Resort, where I’d duck in for a pretty cheap but wondrous breakfast once a week when I started working for the Weekly. Sitting for a bit and relaxing with hot coffee and a plate of French toast and bacon beats a drive-thru McMuffin any day of the week. Sometimes I’d linger until lunch dishes started coming out, always a treat. I’ll never forget you, bygone casino buffets. Thank you for your service. –Brock Radke

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