Published on: April 18, 2026, 07:19h.

Updated on: April 18, 2026, 07:19h.

• The MGM Grand Buffet, a long-standing feature since the resort’s inception in 1993, will cease operations on May 31, 2026.
• This closure reduces the number of traditional buffets on the Las Vegas Strip to just seven, a dramatic decrease from the roughly 35 thriving buffets that once existed.
• Casinos are shifting away from low-margin buffets in favor of upscale food halls and expanded gaming areas to optimize revenue potential.

The MGM Grand Buffet, which made its debut alongside the Las Vegas casino resort in 1993, is set to close after service on May 31, as announced by MGM Resorts International on Friday.

Las Vegas buffets are being phased out as casinos have deliberately incurred significant losses on them for many years.

In the 1980s, when gaming accounted for 75% of an average Vegas casino’s profits, around 35 buffets flourished on the Strip.

Food and beverages were strategically priced below cost to draw guests to gamble on-site instead of heading to nearby establishments, which might result in them continuing to gamble elsewhere.

However, by 2000, this financial model had reversed. Casinos began generating 75% of their income from fine dining and entertainment, with only 25% coming from gambling—this balance remains today. This shift was largely fueled by Steve Wynn’s Mirage, which transformed the Strip into a premier dining and entertainment destination.

Concurrently, the expenses associated with operating buffets—including food and labor—skyrocketed. According to Vital Vegas, Caesars Entertainment was losing $3 million annually on its casino buffets before the pandemic, providing a convenient rationale for discontinuing a practice that no longer made financial sense.

By that time, casino operators stood to gain millions yearly by converting buffet areas into food halls—high-end dining spaces that restaurant brands were eager to occupy for premium rents—or by expanding slot machine areas.

Once the MGM Grand Buffet shuts its doors, just seven buffets will remain on the Strip, down from around 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

MGM Resorts has indicated that there are currently no plans for the space previously occupied by the buffet.