LAS VEGAS BUFFETS AND FOOD WASTE
Something shocked me at one of the local casino buffets. I’m still bothered by it. Honestly I’m also a bit embarrassed to admit this is all new information to me. Perhaps many of you never thought about this either. So, I’m writing about it.
At the new and re-branded *Resort at Summerlin* (previously known as the Rampart Casino), we visited their lunch buffet for the first time. The casino sent out some coupons and we decided to take advantage of the generous offer.
Buffets used to be a popular in Las Vegas, with both tourists and locals alike. When we moved here 20 years ago, well-stocked buffets costing practically nothing (players frequently got comped) were part of our weekly ritual. Almost all the casinos offered low-cost or comped buffets, and most of the food was a terrific bargain–especially for someone like me who loves to sample a variety of choices and eats a lot.
Then in 2020, COVID hit. Las Vegas was hit hard. But it really killed buffets. It was a death sentence. They all shut down. Even after the pandemic and things returned to so-called “normal,” most casinos decided big buffets just weren’t worth the cost, floor space, or labor anymore. So, the number of decent buffets here in Las Vegas plunged to a mere fraction of the previous count — and most of those left were so damned expensive and inaccessible given heavy traffic, parking fees, walking, etc. that it wasn’t/isn’t worth the effort. Between 2020 and 2025, I don’t recall visiting a single buffet here in town.
The Resort at Summerlin is an upscale casino here on the far west side of Las Vegas, which is attached to the JW Marriott, a luxury resort with a Mediterranean theme. They did a super job on the re-boot. We’ve tried most of the restaurants already, and they rank from good to excellent.
So, we were at the lunch buffet earlier this week. We arrived at roughly 1 pm on a weekday. The lunch buffet closes as 2 pm and then they open up a few hours later for dinner.
Nearing closing time, a large trash can was wheeled out behind the serving line. Several trash cans, in fact. Then, the staff person took large trays with every single dish along the serving line and dumped them all into the trash can. This wasn’t a small amount of food. I’m talking about several dozen perfectly good food items–perhaps a hundred in all. Mashed potatoes. Macaroni. Meat loaf. Fried catfish. Salads. Beans. Breads. Almost everything aside from the seafood and carving stations was tossed into the trash can. It amounted to a humongous amount of food–and waste.
I never thought about this before, but the sight of this was shocking. So, I approached the staff person and he told me all the dumped food in the trash cans is sent to local pig farms. I had no idea there were pig farms in Las Vegas, which shows how little I know. It’s good the food isn’t “wasted” per se, but this still strikes me as disturbing. I have no figures on this, but it seems that far more food on these buffets is dumped than is consumed by customers.
READ MORE: Las Vegas Pig Farms
Naturally, we all want fresh food. No one wants stale leftovers that have been sitting out over days at a time. Still, this strikes me as terrible food management and unnecessary squandering. And, it’s also bothersome when so many people here in Las Vegas struggle with balanced nutrition and thousands are homeless (here’s a shout out to Linda Johnson and Jan Fisher who do lots of volunteer work to feed and clothe people here in town). Perhaps it’s just not practical to transport massive amounts to food to shelters and other places. So, it’s just simple economics.
Have all the buffets always been like this? It’s painful to think at every single day of the week so much good food goes to waste.
Comments welcome.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION HERE ON FACEBOOK:
