Posted on 12/12/2024 6:09:44 PM PST by PJ-Comix
It wasn't all that long ago that casinos had fairly inexpensive buffets. For example, here in Broward County, Florida the old Hollywood Seminole Casino (still there) had $6.99 prime rib buffets. And most days had theme days so in addition to buffet prime rib on Asian theme day you got a variety of Asian food or there was Latin theme day with Spanish type food to go with your buffet. Oh, and when you swiped your Player's card a lot of times you got half price prime rib buffets or free prime rib buffets.
Then the prices started slowly rising and sometime after the prime rib buffet rose to $9.99 they eliminated that buffet altogether.
About 12 years ago I remember they had $2.19 breakfast buffets at the Coconut Creek Seminole Casino. And it was a YUUUUUGE spread, not simple bacon and eggs. Stuff like smoked salmon, bagels, and a lot of other stuff. Again, no more such buffets at that casino.
A friend of mine lived in Las Vegas for years and he told me the Casino buffets were such good deals that he never cooked food at home. He ate exclusively at the casino buffets.
So what happened to the casino buffets? Yes, they still have them but the prices SKYROCKETED. My guess is that casinos no longer use buffets to attract people into the casino, most of whom inevitably stick around to gamble. Instead they probably look at buffets as profit centers. Charge over a hundred bucks at the Bacchanal at Caesar's Palace and make a YUUUUUGE profit because nobody can eat more than about forty bucks worth of food.
Since the Indians started running their own Casino Skimming Operations profit margins have dropped considerably. The old fashion mobs have to complete directly with the Indian Mobs.
Economics...
Loss leader...
They, smartly, transformed them to “food courts”...
People who eat and don't gamble are the reason... like the guy mentioned above.
PJ, I agree that you can’t find them any more.
Publix......
I was in Vegas in the late 80’s. 1.99 Breakfast and 3.99 Prime Rib. All Buffet.
Those days left long ago. I lived there and later Tonopah at the Station House Casino. I would say it all was gone by 2000.
It was a great deal for about a year and then one day the manager told me they would no longer be taking electronic gift cards. Bummer but a few months later Golden Corral shut down due to Covid. It eventually reopened but only briefly and then most Golden Corrals in the country shut down including all the ones in South Florida.
I picked up 8 Newman's Own pizzas there today. BOGO.
The lunch buffets at a lot of Indian restaurants haven’t restarted either. I used to enjoy those.
“Tell me where to go for a reasonable lunch.”
Home? Sorry, couldn’t resist. There is no place really, to get cheap food, except at home, and even there, grocery prices have gone through the roof! Of course, here in Canaduh,we also have the cost of a LARGE ‘carbon tax’ that the transportation business has to pass on to the grocers, who pass it on to us, through higher prices.
I recall that likely not more than 5 years ago, McDonald’s would have a Big Mac/McChicken/Quarter Pounder combo on special for $6.99 CDN. Now, their special is $10.99 CDN, regularly $15-16 CDN.
If there is a Sikh ‘gurdwara’ (their place of worship) near you, they often provide free vegetarian lunches to any and all who show up. We have at least one ‘gurdwara’ in Calgary that does this every day, 7 days a week.
FWIW, there is one casino in Calgarythat apparently still offers a $15.88 ‘prime rib’ meal on Wednesdays ($20.88 without their loyalty card). Haven’t checked it out, since I work evenings Tuesday-Saturday.
Best of luck finding an inexpensive restaurant!
Was in Vegas in February 1999 and Bally’s was the nicest. I can’t recall how much I paid for the dinner buffet the night I was there, but do remember that for their Sunday brunch it was between 75 or 100 USD and they had even a bigger spread complete with limitless champagne fountain. Breakfast ones were for about five to seven dollars and the other places were between 10 to 15 USD.
BRING BACK SWEET TAMATOS!!
I staged out of Vegas in the early 90’s working the last underground nuke tests at NTS, and the buffet deals were still there. Last time there was late 90’s, big new hotel off strip doing Yucca Mountain. Good room prices, but the buffets were gone. Since I had to get up at 2 AM to reach the tunnel on time, breakfast was cheap, but dinner was “normal” prices.
No they're not... The trend of pricey buffet's is nation wide.
Winner, winner. Chicken dinner.
If You’re eating ‘Dave’s double’ all week you ain’t gonna’ live long, pal.
Just a couple years ago, I remember folks telling me they never went out to eat, would never pay those outrageous covid-induced prices if they did, and made _the most_ delicious, hot, plentiful, and healthy burgers and fries you ever tasted for mere pennies on the dollar!
Some of it is that they invested in making the strip a place to come, so that allowed them to profit off the meals.
Quit going to Vegas when they no longer had 99 cent breakfast buffets.
Food prices and labor costs are up, and gaming revenue is down.
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