Wynn Las Vegas first Strip resort to reopen buffet

Wynn Las Vegas became the first hotel along the Strip to reopen its buffet last Thursday, three months after it was forced to close it due to the coronavirus lockdown. Its all-you-can-eat service is now back open for business, with new safety adjustments.

While the new system takes away from the experience of selecting and serving your own food, diners still have the option to order as much as they want within a two-hour time period, as reported by Brinkwire. During its opening night last week, customers were required to book a reservation online and were told to pay at the end of their meal instead. The new system reduces wait times and prevents crowds from gathering outside the restaurant.

Inside, customers were sat at spaced out tables to comply with social distancing guidelines and were given the option of using a QR-code downloadable menu or a single-use paper one. The restaurant was at a much smaller capacity than normal to allow distance between diners and staff. 

At the dining table, servers even provided placemats for customers to set their masks down while they eat, and took orders through a mobile phone app, allowing for speedy service. Diners are recommended to order three to four items at a time, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.  

The hotel described the new buffet style in a statement as a ‘re-imagined all-you-can-eat concept that combines the abundance of the traditional buffet with the benefits of a full-service restaurant’.

Wynn Las Vegas was among the first hotel-casinos on the Las Vegas strip to reopen from June 4 as restrictions were lifted across the state of Nevada. Casino resorts that had been always open were shuttered in mid-March after Gov. Steve Sisolak’s emergency order closed nonessential businesses to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Property owners, state regulators and Gov. Steve Sisolak are balancing health concerns against the loss of billions of dollars a month in gambling revenue and unemployment that topped 28 percent during an idle April.

They’re betting that safety measures – disinfected dice; hand sanitizer and face masks; limited numbers of players at tables; temperature checks at entrances to some resorts; touchless cellphone check-ins – will lure tourists back. Before reopening, resorts were required to submit health and safety standards to be approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Among the casino resorts now reopened are Caesars Palace, the Flamingo, Harrah’s, the Linq Promenade and High Roller Observation Wheel – which all fall under the Caesar’s Entertainment brand – as well as Circus Circus, Treasure Island, MGM, and the Bellagio.

Some of the larger resort groups held off on reopening all their properties as they waited to see if visitors would return despite the ongoing pandemic.