America's First All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Only Cost $1
Las Vegas is perhaps best known for gambling, but the colossal amounts of money involved in that also fuel a range of other nightlife, entertainment, and dining options. And one of Vegas' most famous meal presentations is the all-you-can-eat buffet, an icon of casual American dining that was actually born in Vegas itself — even if its $1.00 price point ($17.87 in today's money) is a thing of the past.
El Rancho Vegas was the first casino resort on what's now known as the Las Vegas Strip, and in 1946 it opened the Chuck Wagon as a late-night dining option from 1 to 4 AM. The casino was Western-themed, and so too was the Chuck Wagon, which featured a mural of men on horseback behind the buffet.
Details on the menu are scant, but it was relatively limited compared to today's buffets. The Chuck Wagon, renamed the Buckaroo Buffet in the 1950s, offered only a bottomless selection of salads, cold cuts, and seafood. There may not have been buffet staples like ribs, burgers, and pot stickers, but it was a bargain that modern buffets on the Strip just can't match.
Las Vegas casino buffets, then and now
Casino buffets have come a long way since El Rancho Vegas. The Strip is now dotted with numerous high-end competitors, but among the best buffets in Las Vegas, Bacchanal at Caesars Palace is arguably the head of the pack. With 10 kitchens and over 250 menu items, it's Vegas' biggest buffet and costs way more than Buckaroo ever did: $64.99 per adult for lunch and $79.99-$84.99 for dinner.
Higher-end buffets are often near the Bacchanal price point, but there are cheaper options. The Grand Lux Cafe at The Venetian offers a fairly standard breakfast buffet for $29.99 per diner. Although Guy Fieri was once accused of being impossible to work with, the bottomless brunch at his restaurant in The Linq is very agreeable: nine endless dishes for $24.95 on weekdays. It's not $17.87 though.
El Rancho Vegas conceived of the Chuck Wagon/Buckaroo Buffet as late-night eats for workers closing their shifts but more crucially as a means to keep customers gambling for longer. That's likely still a significant business factor, but casino buffets have become a force unto themselves since 1946. And the story of how buffets became a staple of the Las Vegas Strip cannot be told without the OG.