or years, all but the best buffets conjured up thoughts of a cafeteria atmosphere, the smell of Sterno wafting through the air, and long-ago-cooked food stiffening in stainless steel trays. While hotels have tried to revamp that sullied image at weekend brunches with elegant tableware, omelet and carving stations, and opulent sweets and seafood tables, some buffets continue to struggle as merely the easiest option for out-of-towners or the domain of frenzied all-you-can-eaters. As in many other aspects of the hospitality business, Las Vegas buffets have become the exception.

For many decades, Las Vegas buffets were offered purely as a convenience for casino guests to keep them on the premises— an amenity for gamblers to minimize their search-for-sustenance time and maximize their losing-to-the-house time. The legendary proto-buffet at the pioneering El Rancho Vegas Hotel-Casino in the 1940s soon became the standard up and down the Strip to keep casino clientele fed and at the gaming tables.

The evolution of the relationship between the gaming industry and the hospitality industry has brought hotel operators to the realization that the semi-captive audience provided by the casinos—as well as their thriving convention business—is receptive to and willing to pay for the convenience of buffets. The hotels have since turned their low-profit or operating-at-a-loss buffets into in-the-black enterprises with the adoption of three key qualities: variety, freshness, and affordability.

HOTELS SHOWCASE BUFFETS
The service credentials of the Wynn Las Vegas highlight the current status of the buffet: Mobil Five Star, AAA Five Diamond, and Michelin’s Five Red Pavilions awards. It’s easy to surmise that eating at their buffet won’t be a visit to Ponderosa Steakhouse. VP of F&B Steven Weitman demands a level of quality at the buffet to correspond to the reputation of this esteemed property.

“We provide very high quality in the 80 to 100 food items we offer,” says Weitman, who points to the fresh Caesar salads assembled to order, to their own smoked bacon, and to freshly baked bread. Sixteen live-action cooking stations prepare dishes ranging from simple pastas to sushi to buffalo, then compose them à la minute for waiting customers. Weitman insists that the dining experience be as “interactive” as possible to get guests involved and excited about their food and to actually see the freshness and attention to detail that goes into each dish. The Wynn Buffet has that opportunity with approximately 3,000 guests each day.

At the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, VP of F&B William Becker sees the large volume of guests flowing through his buffets as a chance to impress potential hotel customers. “Times have changed,” he says. “Buffets have become a showcase for properties.”

The Rio’s buffets are big showcases, with the Carnival World Buffet (CWB) and Village Seafood Buffet (VSB) combining for well over 30,000 square feet of dining space. VSB reopened in March after a $10 million renovation, invested to spruce up the front of the house. A “more modern look” at VSB and “an endless sea of food stations” at CWB welcome guests into the Rio showcases. Becker claims that CWB, VSB, and banquet services provide “the lion’s share” of revenue for his food and beverage operation. In addition to revenues, Becker asserts that “the buffets are a barometer for dining habits” that help inform the entire operation.

THE DOLLAR DECISION
A review of those dining habits shows that value is a prime consideration for guests. Weitman and Becker are keenly aware of diner perceptions and strive to give them the greatest value for their dollars. Currently, CWB charges $23.99, the Wynn $33.95, and VSB $38.00 for weeknight dinners— seemingly not an exorbitant sum by most standards, and especially reasonable when compared with other Las Vegas price points. With stations that feature all-you-can-eat prime rib, sushi, shrimp, or Alaskan king crab legs, one could easily call the price a bargain.

CWB has tried coupon campaigns in the past to boost covers but found no real increase in volume, despite the 20,000 monthly redemptions of their $5 coupons. A $5.99 breakfast buffet for locals was well received, however, and a coupon for a cooked-to-order steak—a real cost of $2 or so to the house—drew 5,000 redemptions per month, but with little effect on covers. The analysis of coupon effectiveness was that “most of the people who used coupons were probably already coming to the buffet.”

Additionally, Becker acknowledges that, while beverage programs are one means of upselling, beverage data show that more costly wine and spirit offerings are not high on buffet-goers’ list of desires. In a city where hundred-dollar steaks and thousand-dollar cocktails are easy to find, affordability might seem a warped principle, but it appears that Las Vegas casino buffet-goers are not looking for another game of chance at dinner. They just want a fair deal.

Affordability and variety both come into play for groups with a diversity of tastes and budgets. The food stations encircle the globe with international cuisines and far-flung sources of exotic foods, but they don’t forget to come back home with good old American comfort food. There really is something for everyone in these establishments, even for the anti-buffet clientele who soon discover they can have freshly cooked items. In addition, the adventurous can feel free to try new dishes without the worry of throwing away money on something they might not like. And with the entrance fee up-front and a pay-as-you-go bar, there are no surprises at the end.

TARGETING TOOL
Notwithstanding economical pricing and the wide range of choices, Weitman and Becker stress that buffets are not simply “cook it and they will come” ventures. Both employ very specific targeting tools to evaluate the numbers and types of guests that are in-house and in-city, ongoing events and attractions, and detailed historical data to forecast demand. “We can have a 1,000- cover fluctuation between one day and the next, so it is important to be aware of what to expect every day,” says Weitman.

Those daily business cycle expectations are critical for Becker as well, whose food costs at VSB—even with his targeting tools—rise toward the 45 percent level (an improvement over the 65 percent food cost he inherited six years ago). He leverages volume buying and synergies with other Harrah’s kitchens to lower the bottom line. The Rio procures bread from the Bally’s bakery and meat from Harrah’s central butcher shop, while VSB’s Japanese chef supplies sushi to all Harrah’s properties. Economies of scale and cost sharing are needed to balance high food costs and labor expenses for hundreds of union employees per venue to maintain profitability while sustaining a good reputation.

The proven success—both financial and critical—of these and so many other Las Vegas buffets is driving food and beverage departments far and wide to innovate. Buffets continue to reinvent facets of their operations—whisking VIPs past the waiting line to their own private room, concentrating on sales to large groups and conventions, adding flair bars, and initiating a concerted effort to make the décor distinctly unbuffet-like. The stigma of the smörgasbørd is lifting. Food and beverage managers everywhere witnessing its profits and possibilities will no doubt find new ways to transform the buffet. And it’s a sure bet it will happen first in Las Vegas.

Denny Lewis is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.