Report: All Remaining MGM Resorts Casino Buffets to Close in 2027

  • According to Vital Vegas, MGM Resorts plans to close its remaining three Las Vegas buffets by the second quarter of 2027
  • A reliable source said the news was broken during a staff meeting by an MGM regional executive 
  • If true, the closures will leave the Las Vegas Strip with only four remaining buffets

The last three buffets standing at MGM Resorts casinos in Las Vegas are expected to fall by Q2 2027, according to Vital Vegas. First will come the buffets at Excalibur and Bellagio, with the Wicked Spoon at Cosmopolitan the last scheduled to fall.

The Wicked Spoon buffet opened along with The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas in 2010. (Image: MGM Resorts)

This news comes on the heels of MGM Resorts’ announcement last month that the MGM Grand Buffet will stack its final trays on May 31, 2026, leaving the Strip with only seven smorgasbords. Remove MGM’s share and the list shrinks to just four:

1. Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace
2. Circus Buffet at Circus Circus
3. Signature Seafood Buffet at Resorts World
4. Wynn Buffet

Although Vital Vegas blogger Scott Roeben is employed by Casino.org, he is known for withholding his scoops from the company’s newsroom and keeping his sources confidential.

However, Roeben has revealed the origin of his latest information. He states the intel came from a trusted source who alleged it was leaked during a meeting hosted by Mike Neubecker, the president and COO of MGM Grand, Excalibur, New York-New York, Mandalay Bay, and Luxor.

“As with many companies, there are ongoing town halls and closed-door meetings where executives lighten up and sometimes share news that hasn’t been vetted by anyone,” Roeben said. “Those in attendance often share those tidbits with me. Plans can change, but they often provide a sneak preview of projects and closures on the horizon.”

If true, an estimated 350 to 470 employees will lose their livelihoods, and it is with no joy that we jump the gun with such bad news. But Roeben says his source is reliable.

MGM Resorts has not responded to Casino.org’s request for comment at the time of publication of this article.

The Last Supper

AI renders a Las Vegas buffet closed sign. (Image: Google Gemini)

Buffets in Las Vegas are disappearing because casinos have been losing millions on them for decades — by design.

Up until the 1980s, when gaming still represented 75% of the average Vegas casino’s revenue and everything else accounted for only 25%, roughly 35 Strip properties had their own buffets.

Food and alcohol were loss leaders — items priced way below cost to support a main revenue stream.

It made sense to spend money keeping guests gambling onsite instead of venturing to nearby casinos to dine (and probably gambling there afterward).

By 2000, the model flipped. 75% of casino revenue came from high-end dining and entertainment, and only 25% from gambling. Steve Wynn’s Mirage helped kick-start that ratio, which persists today.

At the same time, buffet costs — food, labor, logistics – soared. Caesars Entertainment was losing $3 million a year on its buffets pre-pandemic, according to Vital Vegas. COVID simply gave operators cover to kill a money-bleeding tradition.

Swapping buffets for food halls or more slots turn a money‑losing operation into a multi-million‑dollar revenue source.

Corey Levitan joined Casino.org in 2022 after a long career covering Las Vegas. He currently covers entertainment, dining and gaming news in Las Vegas.

Corey spent six years covering the Vegas Strip for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where he also wrote the most popular humor column in the city’s history. (For “Fear and Loafing,” he tried out 176 Vegas jobs, including poker player, blackjack dealer and Follie Bergere dancer.)

Corey has won more than 100 local, state and national awards for his journalism, which has also appeared in Rolling Stone, New York Magazine and the New York Post.

Corey is a New York native whose hobbies include playing guitar, trying to be a better husband, and arguing with strangers on Facebook.

Contact Corey at corey@casino.org.

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Conversation (13 comments)

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  • JD
    Jimmi Day June 16, 2026
    The real reason buffets are closing: See those WW2 pics of all the men @ 185lbs? Ladies @ 115lbs? Fast forward to 2026: … The real reason buffets are closing: See those WW2 pics of all the men @ 185lbs? Ladies @ 115lbs? Fast forward to 2026: Average weight of guys: 445lbs Average weight of Ladies 296lbs WHOPPERS that is the issue.
    Reply
  • B
    BillingsOH May 30, 2026
    Has nothing to do with Trump— it’s 100% on the leadership of casinos driving unaffordability across all aspects of product offerings as well as the… Has nothing to do with Trump— it’s 100% on the leadership of casinos driving unaffordability across all aspects of product offerings as well as the county itself for not maintaining a clean and safe environment outside the casino grounds.
    Reply
  • J
    JustHere4daTea May 28, 2026
    I was recently in Vegas during the weekend of 5/15-5/18, for it being a weekend and also EDC event, Vegas was surely not how it… I was recently in Vegas during the weekend of 5/15-5/18, for it being a weekend and also EDC event, Vegas was surely not how it used to be. Less crowded for sure. Vegas is hurting, looking for the tourists.
    Reply
  • JD
    jimmi day May 24, 2026
    How about offering spam for $89 p/p ?
    Reply
  • JD
    jimmi day May 24, 2026
    How about offering cherries
    Reply
  • T
    Tim May 22, 2026
    It is not looking good for Vegas. Buffets were a reason to go to Vegas. With no buffets, in Vegas there is one less reason… It is not looking good for Vegas. Buffets were a reason to go to Vegas. With no buffets, in Vegas there is one less reason to go there. Every city has food halls, so this makes Vegas less special. It does not help that Trump has chased off foreign tourists. It also does not help that the Casino Operators: MGM, Caesars, Wynn, Resorts World, Fontainebleu have high prices for food, hotel rooms, resort fees, parking fees and have priced out the middle class. I guess there is going to be wide spread layoffs in Las Vegas later this year. Everybody can see that Las Vegas is going to take a serious decrease in business, but nobody running Casinos in Vegas care. It is sad to see Las Vegas crash like this but so be it, if nobody in Las Vegas running casinos cares then why should anybody else care.
    Reply
  • P
    Peter May 20, 2026
    MGM has no checkin people,no ice cream parlor or pretzel shop and closed there cigar booth a while back.They must be hurting real bad?… MGM has no checkin people,no ice cream parlor or pretzel shop and closed there cigar booth a while back.They must be hurting real bad?
    Reply
  • G
    Gary May 19, 2026
    Culinary Union killed off the buffet
    Reply
  • AM
    Anon Y. Mouse May 19, 2026
    Of the three remaining, the wife and I have eaten at Bellagio and Wicked Spoon. We will miss the Spoon the most.
    Reply
  • D
    Douglas May 19, 2026
    Doing a Ben Franklin pros and cons list for myself after 18 years of living in Vegas! The cons have it by far!! … Doing a Ben Franklin pros and cons list for myself after 18 years of living in Vegas! The cons have it by far!! Used to fun to live here, people used to think it was special.
    Reply
  • B
    bretware May 19, 2026
    Trump policies finished them off, no one needed the foreign tourist more.
    Reply
  • BM
    Barry Mastrantonio May 18, 2026
    Old Vegas is dying a slow agonizing death. The Casino's are pricing themselves out of existence. When it cost you money just to park, you… Old Vegas is dying a slow agonizing death. The Casino's are pricing themselves out of existence. When it cost you money just to park, you have lost and can put your money to better use at a nice non-casino restaurant. Say what want, but in old time Vegas, if you told the old time Strip operators with all that land for parking to charge for parking they would tell you how stupid you were.
    Reply
  • AS
    AI Sucks May 18, 2026
    What’s up with the absolute garbage AI generated image?
    Reply

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