This is in today’s Vegas Seven. Again, since it’s a short piece, there’s no online link, but here’s the text:
Last spring, Harrah’s Entertainment (now Caesars Entertainment) rolled out an offer that, for those who like to stretch their waistband without stretching their dollars, sounded almost too good to be true: the Buffet of Buffets, an offer that let any Total Rewards member eat their fill for 24 hours at any or all of the company’s seven buffets for a mere $29.99.
Turns out, it was just slightly too good to be true: the company quickly raised the cost to $39.99. And, since last April, that’s where the price has stayed. Until now. Very quietly, Caesars has changed billboards and its website to reflect a new $44.99 price for the all-you-can-eat…and eat..and eat extravaganza.
The cost bump didn’t get quite the same media coverage as Celine Dion’s impending return to the Colosseum as Caesars Palace—in fact, there hasn’t been any buzz about this in print or online. In a town where the bargain hawks usually don’t miss a thing and even a two dollar increase in resort fees is met with public wailing and donning of sackcloth, this is as rare as a keno player catching 20 out of 20 spots. Or maybe the city’s first ultra-buffet is still such a good deal that a 12.5% increase isn’t news.
Vegas Seven–Inflation Hits Buffet Buffs
I don’t know exactly when the price went up. A few weeks ago, I noticed that the billboard near the airport connector reflected the $44.99 price. I didn’t find anything online when I looked around, not even from the usual bargain-hunting suspects.
What can I say–when something’s plastered all over a billboard, I’m a great investigative reporter.
If you want to see it in its true print context, you can check out the digital edition.