The all-you-can-eat buffet is a staple of casinos in the U.S., but the fallout from Covid-19 may put an end to the food-fest at Nevada’s Station Casinos.
According to KTNV, in a recent earnings call Frank Fertitta, CEO of Station’s parent company, Red Rock Resorts Inc., said, “We’re going to put the dollars into the place where we make money. It’s going to be a focus on slot machines and table games, our primary business. We’ll have several restaurant options.
“We will not have a buffet.”
According to the news station, locals aren’t happy. “We like the Station Casinos ones because of the price, it’s a good price,” said a Station regular identified as Justin from Las Vegas. “I like the food. I liked to take the family there. It used to be one of our weekly things or biweekly things that we used to do.”
Workers also are upset, but for a different reason. “I worry because we used to be full-time,” said Cristina Lopez, a former buffet worker at Texas Station. “Right now, it’s not full-time positions. It’s gonna take us years to get the full-time.”
“Traditionally, this was a way to keep players at the casinos so they didn’t have to go eat somewhere else. It was also a great way of giving players freebies,” said Scott Roeben, founder of VitalVegas.com. But now, he added, casinos “are watching their margins more closely than ever.
“If locals were willing to pay $45, $50 for a buffet, then they’d bring them back, but they aren’t. They know their customer and they know they’re just not going to go for that kind of price point,” said Roeben.
Meanwhile, some buffets are returning, such as the MGM Grand Buffet, which reopened May 26. It’s priced at $25.99 on weekdays and $29.99 on Saturday and Sunday.
