MGM Grand is the Latest Vegas Casino to Close Its Buffet

^{Once the MGM Grand Buffet closes, there will only be seven buffets left in casinos around the Strip and downtown Las Vegas. (Photo: courtesy of MGM Resorts)}

LAS VEGAS – Long gone are the days of buffets at every casino. The MGM Grand is the latest property on the Las Vegas Strip to say goodbye to the all-you-can-eat model. The buffet will permanently close on May 31.

The closure will leave only seven buffets remaining in casinos operating on and around the Strip. This also follows MGM’s closure of the Luxor buffet last year in March.

Was MGM Buffet Really That Grand?

The mourning of the MGM Grand buffet isn't necessarily about losing a beloved dining experience. For those who visited, it was a convenient, all-in-one option for guests who didn't want to think too hard about where to eat after a long day on the casino floor. 

Many visitors on social media discussed the decline of the buffet’s quality over the years. Many who used to visit said that they would not return, given the decline in the quality.

"It was a good buffet in the past," wrote Danny Tejas on Instagram. "I enjoyed the breakfast, at least."

In reality, the buffet had a reputation for lower quality that matched its lower-end price point. Some visitors reacting online were less sentimental about the closure.

“No one should shed a tear for this overpriced version of a Golden Corral buffet,” commented user windowbox9152 on a Reddit thread about the closure. “Before COVID-19, it was a convenient way for MGM Grand hotel guests to get an affordable breakfast, lunch, or dinner. For the last 4 years, there's never really been a long line to get in because the word got out online that it was a tourist trap.”

MGM has not made any public comment about what comes next for the space.

Decline of the Vegas Buffet

When the MGM Grand opened in 1993, the buffet was part of the property's original dining lineup and stood the test of time for years. The Strip's dining landscape in 2026 looks nothing like it did back then.

In the 1990s, Vegas was defined by steakhouses, coffee shops, and all-you-can-eat buffets to keep people near the casino floor without spending an exorbitant amount on dining.  At one point, buffets were a must-have for nearly every major Strip property. 

When Wolfgang Puck opened Spago at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in 1992, it inspired many other chefs, including Emeril, Nobu, José Andrés, and Gordon Ramsay, to open their own unique restaurants on the Strip. Celebrity chef restaurants now populate Strip casinos, making it difficult for a buffet serving steamed table food to survive in the competitive dining landscape. More than three decades later, that model is still disappearing across the city’s casinos.

When COVID-19 shut down restaurants and operations across the Strip, the buffet concept simply never came back the same. Many never even reopened despite the city returning to normal. The economics have always been difficult to justify, and operators used the closure period as an opportunity to make a permanent change.

Buffets require different considerations than those in a typical casino restaurant. They generate more food waste, carry high operating costs, and require a high volume of customers to break even. 

Michelle Gessner, senior vice president of administration for Ovation, explained the waste challenge for her buffet company directly in an interview with The Atlantic.

 "Every item will have anywhere from 5 to 25% waste, even with the small pans,” Gessner said. “Whenever you're doing more than one serving, you're going to have waste."

Casino operators have now opted for food halls that cater to a variety of budgets, along with even more celebrity chef restaurants for those willing to splurge.

After May 31, the remaining casinos with buffets on and around the Strip will be limited to Caesars Palace, Wynn, The Cosmopolitan, Excalibur, Circus Circus, Palms Casino Resort, and Main Street Station.