MGM Resorts is pulling the plug on its remaining Las Vegas buffets. Three major properties are set to close by Q2 2027: the Excalibur and Bellagio buffets, plus the Wicked Spoon at Cosmopolitan. The company’s exit from the all-you-can-eat model that once defined casino dining is now complete.

The MGM Grand Buffet shuts down on 31 May 2026, following a meeting between Casino.org writer Scott Roeben and Mike Neubecker, COO of MGM Grand, Excalibur, New York-New York, Mandalay Bay, and Luxor. That’s the intel he shared first.

The Economics of Change

What’s really driving this? Guest preferences have shifted decisively towards premium dining. They want quality, not quantity. And operators are following the money, frankly. Buffets may draw people in, but they’ve always been loss-leaders for casinos: cheap food priced well below cost just to keep players in the property and gambling.

For MGM, closing these buffets makes pure business sense. Investing table space and kitchen resources into higher-margin dining experiences hits differently when guests increasingly want quality over volume.

What Replaces the Buffet?

MGM’s new dining strategy pivots to upscale all-you-can-eat experiences priced around $175 per person. Think premium seafood, carved meats, unlimited beverages. That’s fine-dining territory, a world away from the casual mass-market space buffets once occupied.

The Workforce Question

Roughly 500 employees across these properties face an uncertain future. MGM hasn’t clarified whether staff will be reassigned to other roles within the resorts or if positions disappear altogether. That’s a real gap in the conversation, and it matters over the next 18 months.

The buffet’s decline in Las Vegas tells a bigger story about how casino operators view their role in hospitality. It’s not about volume and retention through cheap meals anymore. It’s about premium experiences that justify higher spending across the board.