{"id":41235,"date":"2024-08-19T02:28:39","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T09:28:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/?p=41235"},"modified":"2024-08-19T15:25:30","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T22:25:30","slug":"rumor-the-buffet-at-bellagio-to-close-for-food-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/vitalvegas\/rumor-the-buffet-at-bellagio-to-close-for-food-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Rumor: The Buffet at Bellagio to Close for Food Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A longtime fixture on the Las Vegas Strip, The Buffet at Bellagio, is rumored to be closing.<\/p>\n

The buffet will be replaced by a (wait for it) food hall, as has been the law in Las Vegas since the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Casino buffets are famous for being money-losers, so it’s no surprise The Buffet at Bellagio will close. No official announcement about the closure has been made yet, but give it a minute. (Note: MGM says the buffet will NOT close, see below for an update.)<\/p>\n

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The word “buffet” comes from the Old French “bufet,” meaning “stool.” 1) We are not making this up. 2) There’s a chance this is the funniest thing in the world.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to our friend Corey Levitan, who also writes for Casino.org<\/a>, at least 10 of the Strip’s 18 buffets have closed permanently. We are not a math person, but we can confirm it’s a metric hell-ton.<\/p>\n

Closed buffets include the ones at Aria, Mirage (the entire resort closed), Paris, Treasure Island, Harrah’s, Horseshoe (previously Bally’s, remember the Sterling Brunch?), M Resort, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay Bay, The Strat and Flamingo, among others.<\/p>\n

Which is a shame, because about three of those were actually good.<\/p>\n

Casinos were looking for an excuse to get rid of buffets, beloved but expensive loss leaders (Caesars Entertainment famously said its buffets in Las Vegas lost an average of $3 million a year each), for years before COVID, then the pandemic provided the perfect cover.<\/p>\n

Food courts, sometimes called “food halls,” are the new Las Vegas buffets. Oh, Miracle Mile Shops calls its under-construction food court, Miracle Eats, a “food collective.” No, really. We can’t convince them to stop.<\/p>\n

We’re sure Bellagio, operated by MGM Resorts, will curate a fine collection of “accessible” food concepts for its new food court.<\/p>\n

We also trust the hours of operation at the food court will be normal, as opposed to the half-assed hours for the buffet. On Saturday and Sunday, the buffet is open 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., but Monday through Friday, hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. No dinner at a buffet? That was a pretty big red flag Bellagio’s buffet’s days were numbered.<\/p>\n

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If you could just not ask how we got a photo inside the Bellagio buffet after midnight when it closes at 8:00 p.m., that’d be great.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you’re a buffet person, there are still some reasonably good buffets in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace is the undisputed champ, but it’s not cheap (you get what you pay for). Also very good is the A.Y.C.E. (all you can eat) Buffet at Palms. It’s prices just jumped up recently.<\/p>\n

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Prices going up a smidge at the Palms buffet. Loss leaders aren’t a thing in Vegas anymore. (h\/t @Pennys4Vegas<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/DF9WsYEKgv<\/a><\/p>\n

— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) August 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n