- The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will reopen their Wicked Spoon buffet on Thursday, March 25.
- Wicked Spoon reopened in June 2020 but closed on January 10, 2021 due to the drop in tourism in Southern Nevada.
- On March 15, Nevada eased COVID-19 restrictions to allow restaurants to serve at 50% capacity.
There’s still a long way to go before Las Vegas’ gaming and tourism based economy gets ‘back to normal’ in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic but there are some hopeful signs appearing all around town. In early March, three MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM) returned three properties to 24/7 operation due to increased demand–The Mirage, Mandalay Bay and Park MGM in Las Vegas had been closed midweek since January. Two new properties are set to come online as Virgin Hotels Las Vegas opens on March 25 and DiSimone Gaming will open The Pass Casino in Henderson on April 1. A remodeled sportsbook now operated by Circa Sports (who will also operate the book at The Pass) has launched at the Tuscany Suites & Casino. There’s also been a welcome influx of business brought about by ‘March Madness’ lifting revenues not only in the sportsbooks but filling rooms in hotels.
There’s even been a buffet reopening announced. This is significant as it was one component of the Las Vegas casino product mix that looked doomed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it’s still not ‘business as usual’ at the buffet and they’re still going with the ‘assisted serve’ concept one of the best in Las Vegas has announced that they’ll be returning to business. The Wicked Spoon Buffet at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas will reopen on Thursday, March 25 initially serving Thursday through Sunday 8 AM to 3 PM Pacific.
Wicked Spoon was the only buffet at a Strip property to reopen in June with the rest of the Nevada gaming industry. It continued for seven months until it went dark on January 10, 2021 due to the dismal condition of the Las Vegas tourism and gaming economy. That it survived that long was impressive–the Wynn Las Vegas launched their ‘re-imagined buffet’ in June but ‘closed indefinitely’ at the end of service on Monday, September 6.
Many of the trappings of dining out in the COVID-19 era will be in effect when Wicked Spoon reopens. They’ll operate at 50% capacity with ‘reservations encouraged’. Tables will be limited to fewer than 10 people and will be spaced six feet apart. It will operate under the ‘assisted serve’ concept where servers will dole out the food at each dining station and there will be a two hour limit on all meals. Breakfast will be served from 8 AM to 11 AM ($38 per person) with lunch from 11 AM to 3 PM ($45 per person). Unlimited drinks (more appropriately, all you can drink in two hours) can be had for $21 a person. The food at Wicked Spoon is a bit more ‘high concept’ than other Las Vegas buffets with a downright amazing gelato selection. In my experience, all the desserts at Wicked Spoon are pretty damn good but the gelato is off the charts. You can check out some visual evidence below.
The only other buffet currently operational in Las Vegas is a bit south of The Strip–the South Point has been operating the Garden Buffet more or less regular hours since they reopened in June. They’re also ‘staff served’ but available 7 days a week for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and weekend brunch. They’re currently limited to six per dining party with capacity limited to 50%. In another positive sign for the Southern Nevada casino ecosystem the South Point announced last week that all eleven of the property’s dining locations were now operational.
