In Memoriam: Buffet Day Passes in Las Vegas

Key Points:

• While buffet day passes were once common in Las Vegas, they haven’t been offered since 2020.

• Day passes disappeared suddenly at the onset of the pandemic, and while buffets returned, day passes didn’t.

Buffets and the Las Vegas experience have gone hand in hand since the beginning of time, and the biggest eaters have embraced day passes like a boa constrictor does a cow.

While most buffets charge by the meal, many used to offer day passes that allowed repeat visits to a buffet or to multiple buffets over a 24-hour period.

The most popular option, “The Buffet of Buffets” offered by Caesars Entertainment, gave visitors access to the buffets at Paris, Planet Hollywood, Harrah’s, Flamingo, and Rio for around $80 per 24-hour period. Depressingly, none of the aforementioned buffets exist at this point.

What Happened!?

COVID-19 was the death blow (or the scapegoat).

Buffets were the first to be shut down in March of 2020 and the last to reopen, with many remaining shuttered for good.

Even the reopened buffets are only open for certain meals, such as brunch, and on specific days of the week.

Unfortunately, the buffet business model has declined in popularity among resort operators, who are now pivoting to the “food hall” concept instead.

The metamorphosis boils down to simple economics – Buffets lose money. Food halls don’t.

While I held out hope until now, it’s time to face facts and realize that day passes are gone for good.

Buffet Options Going Forward

Fortunately, select buffets on the Strip, Fremont Street, and just off the Strip have reopened and are ready to welcome you.

While “ultra cheap” buffets are now also extinct, there are a few options that are easier on the wallet at resorts like Circus Circus, Main Street Station, South Point, Excalibur, and MGM Grand.

If cost isn’t a huge consideration, I recommend spending up to experience a top option like Bacchanal at Caesars Palace, Wicked Spoon at Cosmopolitan, or The Buffet at Wynn.

Another spectacular option, Palms’ AYCE Buffet, is located a short drive from the Strip and is worth the trip.