End of an Era: MGM Grand to Permanently Close Its Buffet, Leaving Just 7 on the Strip
Posted on: April 18, 2026, 07:19h.
Last updated on: April 20, 2026, 07:27h.
- The MGM Grand Buffet, a staple since the resort’s 1993 opening, will permanently close on May 31, 2026
- The closure leaves only seven traditional buffets remaining on the Las Vegas Strip, a sharp decline from the approximately 35 that once were in operation in the 80’s
- Casinos are increasingly replacing low-margin buffets with high-end food halls and additional gaming space to maximize square-footage revenues
The MGM Grand Buffet, which opened in 1993 along with the Las Vegas casino resort, will close after service on May 31, MGM Resorts International announced on Friday.
Buffets are being replaced in Las Vegas because casinos have been losing millions on them, for decades, on purpose.
Up until the 1980s, when gaming still represented 75% of the average Vegas casino’s revenue and everything else accounted for only 25%, approximately 35 Strip casinos 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).
But by 2000, the Vegas revenue model had flipped. Casinos made 75% of their revenue from high-end dining and entertainment, and only 25% from gambling — a ratio that persists today.
This was due in no small part to Steve Wynn’s Mirage, which began the transformation of the Strip into a fine dining and entertainment capital.
At the same time, the cost of maintaining a buffet — not only the food but the labor required to deliver, prep and serve it — increased dramatically.
According to Vital Vegas, Caesars Entertainment was losing $3 million a year on its casino buffets before the pandemic, which served as a convenient excuse to end a practice that no longer made economic sense.
By then, casino companies stood to earn millions per year, instead of losing it, by either converting buffet spaces into food halls — high-end food courts that restaurant groups were willing to pay premium rents to occupy — or more slot-machine space.
Once the MGM Grand Buffet goes, that will leave seven on the Strip, down from roughly 35 in 2000:
1. The Buffet at Bellagio
2. Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace
3. Circus Buffet at Circus Circus
4. The Wicked Spoon at Cosmopolitan
5. The Buffet at Excalibur
6. Signature Seafood Buffet, Resorts World
7. Wynn Buffet
According to MGM Resorts, there are currently no plans for the space.
Last Comments ( 3 )
Las Vegas has lost its charm for most people. The casino industry is thriving as a result of online gaming. With the exception of fine dining, most restaurants in the casinos pay steep lease payments and it is no longer profitable to stay in business. The casino floors,slot machines sit idle with the exception of retirees who look aimlessly at machines and feed money into the algorithm pretermined by the industry. I understand why they needed to close the buffets. A crummy hotdog and soft drink costs over $20. Cut food costs, labor and charge $200 for a show ticket is the norm in Las Vegas. The casino buildings are becoming old and tired. I am happy I never moved to box city.
That’s ridiculous, losing $3M compared to the est $3 BILLION in profit for MGM’s casinos on the strip, that’s called a loss leader. It’s like the $1.50 hotdog at Costco that loses an estimated $30-50 million per year, because it’s designed to. It brings people into the Costco. Rotisserie chickens are loss leaders at your grocery store. This is bad business and another blow for the player visitor who wants to maximize their dollar and Las Vegas experience. Not everyone is a trust fund nepo baby or a millionaire.
"Losing" $3million a year is nothing compared to the free alcohol and other comps they give out and NOTHING compared to the money they rake in on the floor. Casinos cheaping on the perks like buffets is why Vegas is suffering. Sort term gains, long term losses