Shuttered Main Street Station reopens Wednesday morning
Updated September 8, 2021 - 6:02 am
Main Street Station is back.
The downtown Las Vegas hotel-casino will open 6 a.m. Wednesday, marking the first time the Victorian-theme property has welcomed guests since the pandemic prompted casino closures in March 2020.
Main Street Station was one of two Boyd Gaming Corp. properties that remained closed from the shutdown. Eastside Cannery is the other.
Boyd has no special events planned for what it considers a soft opening, spokesman David Strow said Tuesday. Main Street Station’s reopening will mean all three of Boyd’s downtown hotel-casinos — Fremont and California Hotel are the other two — are up and running.
Main Street will reopen as a 24/7 property, but its two restaurants will open with limited hours, Boyd announced last month. Triple 7 Restaurant and Microbrewery will be open 5 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Monday, and Garden Court buffet will open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily for brunch and from 4 to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday for dinner.
Boyd executives had said demand would dictate the timeline for both of its yet-to-reopen properties, Main Street and Eastside Cannery. The time has arrived for Main Street, as Boyd has been “running very busy” at the neighboring California and Fremont hotels, Strow said last month.
Still shuttered
Eastside Cannery doesn’t have an opening date. Strow said last month that Boyd has “seen good business trends” at its other Boulder Highway property, Sam’s Town, “but we’re not yet at a point where we need to open up a second property on the Boulder Strip.”
Several other casinos in Southern Nevada remain closed.
Station Casinos has no plans to open any of its three closed properties this year. Company executives will consider reopening Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho or Texas Station “if and when we think they can add to the absolute profitability of the company going forward,” CEO Frank Fertitta III told investors on a July 28 earnings call.
In June, Texas Station and Fiesta Rancho extended their nonoperational status for the second consecutive year through June 4, 2022. Fiesta Henderson received Henderson City Council approval in May to remain nonoperational through the end of the year.
Also, Station Casinos parent company Red Rock Resorts is selling the Palms to the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. The deal prohibits Red Rock Resorts from reopening Palms.
Cal-Nev-Ari Casino and Bar remained open during the day but only because it also operates as a post office. Cal-Nev-Ari reopened its bar April 1, but the gaming machines may not be playable until spring at the earliest.
Mining firm Heart of Nature, whose parent company Universal Green Technology recently bought most of the small town with its bar, is searching for a gaming company to supply and maintain slot machines, Heart of Nature President Jerry Tyler said via text Tuesday. He estimated the process of acquiring a gaming license and finding a gaming company to rent the space would take six to eight months.
“But we will bring in pool tables and electric dart board games into the bar to help fill the void and give our residents some enjoyment while waiting,” he said, adding a thumbs-up emoji.
Two Northern Nevada casinos closed for good last year: Harrah’s Reno and Lakeside Inn and Casino in Stateline.
Contact Mike Shoro at mshoro@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter.