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Cosmopolitan to shutter Wicked Spoon buffet

It’s been a difficult year for buffets, and the start of 2021 isn’t looking much better. Effective Jan. 10, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas’ Wicked Spoon buffet will “temporarily cease operations.”

A statement from the resort confirming the closure appears to blame low business at the venue for the decision. It reads, in part, “We are hopeful that business levels will improve into the new year, from which operations will continue to be reevaluated.”

Buffets were among the first restaurants to close in response to COVID-19 at many Strip resorts, and are among the last to reopen. Wynn Las Vegas briefly experimented with a full-service, all-you-can-eat experience in its buffet space, but shuttered it in September after guest feedback showed “that many guests prefer a more traditional buffet experience over the served all-you-can-eat format.”

With the closure of Wicked Spoon, the only buffet still operating in a Las Vegas Boulevard casino will be the Garden Buffet in South Point. It continues to operate seven days a week using a “staff served” format.

Contact Al Mancini at amancini@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlManciniVegas on Twitter and Instagram.

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