Up to $2 million per month: South Point hotel and casino owner Michael Gaughan told the Wall Street Journal that is the loss the property absorbs to keep its budget buffet running. Annualized, that runs between $18 million and $24 million. The buffet draws roughly 3,000 people daily, and Gaughan's case is that those people stay and play.
South Point's price ladder
The breakfast buffet, which includes two Bloody Marys, is $16.95 for members. Lunch runs $22.95 for members and $26.95 for nonmembers. The prime rib and champagne brunch, including two mimosas, starts at $32.95. Prime rib dinner steps to $37.95, or $32.95 for members. Friday Seafood Night, priced at $57.95 ($52.95 with club discount), draws lines before noon for a 3 p.m. open.
Budget survivors: Circus Circus and Excalibur
Circus Circus runs its buffet from $19.95, generally Friday through Sunday, and turned a monthly profit of $50,000 to $80,000 in the summer season. The Wall Street Journal reported the property routes unordered prime rib from its hotel steakhouse into buffet stew to hold food cost down. Excalibur's weekday brunch runs $32.99 for adults and $18.99 for children; the Saturday and Sunday mimosa brunch rises to $43.99 per adult.
Strip consolidation and the income floor
The traditional Vegas buffet largely collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Social-distancing requirements made self-serve formats unworkable, and wealthier visitors accelerated their shift to high-end restaurants. More than a dozen traditional Strip buffets operated in 2020. Four remain today. Caesars' Bacchanal runs $87 and up; the Wynn buffet starts at $80 per person for dinner. Both often carry long wait lines, per the Journal.
The visitor income floor has moved up sharply. In 2024, 64% of Las Vegas visitors earned $100,000 or more, per the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). By 2025, 44% earned $150,000 or more, according to News 3 Las Vegas. Total visitation fell to 38.5 million in 2025, down 7.5% year-over-year, while 2024 direct spending hit a record $55.1 billion, per the LVCVA. Luxury travel expert Whytney Rawls told Fox News Digital that gaming has ceded its position as the city's dominant revenue driver to premium room rates, luxury dining, nightlife, entertainment, retail and large-scale events.