It’s a fact that buffet dining is not like your regular lunches and dinners out. This is particularly true for Las Vegas, especially since this is not just a way to grab a meal in the Sin City – it’s a part of the Vegas experience. No matter where you go, whether it be an upscale AYCE hotel restaurant or a highly rated budget-friendly one, you will want to make the most of your money and eat as much as you possibly can.
If you’re planning a trip to Vegas for the first time and one of their buffet restaurants are on your itinerary, here are a few important things that you should know:
1. Buffet lines can get long.
Keep in mind that Las Vegas is a very popular tourist and business destination. In 2019, the Sin City welcomed 49.5 million visitors and is among the top cities visited by foreigners. And as mentioned above, since buffets are considered part of the Vegas experience, you can be sure that many will head for their food stations.
Because of this, you have to go at the right time to avoid the queues. For breakfasts, most folks recommend going late, sometime towards the last hours of the breakfast buffet. The crowds should have thinned out by around this time and if you timed it right it, the lunch menu might already be rolling out by then. The same goes for lunch but it’s ideal to go early for dinner, especially since Vegas has a late night crowd.
If you want to stay long, however, splurging for line passes will be a better idea. This is true for the pricier buffets like the Bacchanal or the Wicked Spoon.
2. Tip!
Servers may not bring food to your table in AYCE restaurants but it doesn’t mean that they don’t work hard to ensure that you enjoy your meal. They’re always hard at work clearing your table of empty plates and glasses, so it would be good to tip them a nice amount after the meal.
3. Observe proper buffet etiquette.
Double-dipping is gross and it’s even worse with strangers, so make sure to avoid anything similar to it when in a buffet restaurant. Always use a fresh plate when getting new servings of food and never touch the food with your bare hands, even if you’re taking it for yourself.
4. Pay first before queueing.
Do not make the rookie mistake of queueing up right away for food before paying up. The staff will look for your receipt when you enter the dining area and you can hold up the line if you haven’t paid before you queued. Always make sure to check the procedures the restaurant implements so everything can run smoothly.
If you want to make sure that you’ll have a good time in an AYCE diner, you can also ask to see the spread first before paying. Most restaurants will let you do this before you pay.
We hope this quick list gives you some idea of what you should do before heading off to stuff yourself to the brim and experience the opulent dining scene of Las Vegas.