[ft_chief]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

Make reservations immediately in that case. Otherwise, you're going to be stuck with 10pm tables. The people who work in the industry refer to it as "Hell Week."

One of my favorite restaurants is Boiling Crab Seafood at Decatur and Flamingo. Their shebang sauce is amazing on shrimp and dungeness crab.

[jaimilyn]

Not telling my favorite. It's a teeny little place and I already have to call in advance to make sure I get a seat...

[jadedlady]

Guess we won't be going then. I can't make decisions for them and trying to get them to make decisions without the others is difficult at best. This family is one that doesn't make decisions until the last minute and they all have to agree. Plus they are coming from different places.

Oh well, probably for the best since it's such a madhouse apparently.

[BBMW]

I think the issue is target audience. The high end Strip restaurants are mainly targeting deep pocketed tourists who don't care what they spend, since they're on Vacation.

The locals places have to work with the budget of the locals, even if their target market is the more affluent locals.

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

Why does it have to be off-Strip?

The best restaurants in Las Vegas are on the Strip. That's just how it is. And next week, you can eat at many of them for not a whole lot of money.

[MSchu]

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by BBMW

I think the issue is target audience. The high end Strip restaurants are mainly targeting deep pocketed tourists who don't care what they spend, since they're on Vacation.

The locals places have to work with the budget of the locals, even if their target market is the more affluent locals.

The margins in fine dining are razor thin, except for alcohol. So if you go to one of the Michelin-starred places and stay away from the wine list, you're doing better than going to a quick service restaurant at one of the locals' casinos. The bill is higher because the food cost is higher. There are never any sales on foie gras or caviar.

Fine dining restaurants offer products that are difficult to procure anywhere else. That's where the money goes.

I think Las Vegans are fools for having this resource in their city and not using it. (But then again, most New Yorkers have never been to the Statue of Liberty, so I suppose ignoring what's right under your nose is everywhere.)

[Wolfpacker]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

The margins in fine dining are razor thin, except for alcohol. So if you go to one of the Michelin-starred places and stay away from the wine list, you're doing better than going to a quick service restaurant at one of the locals' casinos. The bill is higher because the food cost is higher. There are never any sales on foie gras or caviar.

Fine dining restaurants offer products that are difficult to procure anywhere else. That's where the money goes.

I think Las Vegans are fools for having this resource in their city and not using it. (But then again, most New Yorkers have never been to the Statue of Liberty, so I suppose ignoring what's right under your nose is everywhere.)

It's not that they're fools...it's they don't have the pockets of wealth. Plus, not everyone wants to go the Strip much. The bill is higher because they can get a lot of people to pay for it (not that they aren't worth it) and higher overhead. Off-the-strip restaurants don't have to carry the high overhead and can cater to a local market.

[Wolfpacker]

Originally Posted by jaimilyn

Not telling my favorite. It's a teeny little place and I already have to call in advance to make sure I get a seat...

Then why even make this post?

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by Wolfpacker

The bill is higher because they can get a lot of people to pay for it (not that they aren't worth it) and higher overhead. Off-the-strip restaurants don't have to carry the high overhead and can cater to a local market.

I don't think my previous post sank in. People pay more for fine dining because the raw materials cost more.

The ovens and refrigerators are the same cost as they are at Olive Garden. The servers make the same crap wages and are supported by tips. The cooks in fine dining don't make all that much more than they do at Olive Garden. The plates and silverware are interchangeable at Olive Garden and Chez Froo-Froo's.

The only difference is the food. Quick service restaurants buy crap food, load it up with fat and salt, and serve it to people who don't know any better at a fairly large margin. Fine dining restaurants buy the best food in the world, and mark it up just enough to pay the bills. For instance, the beef where I work costs nearly $100 per pound. That's our cost. When was the last time you saw $100 per pound beef at Albertson's? Or Costco?

I'll grant you that rent in a casino is higher than rent in a Hendertucky strip mall. But in most cases, the casino is part-owner of Chez Froo-Froo and provides the space and the engineers to fix things in exchange for their cut of the profits.

Fine dining costs more, but it is a FAR better value. Eat in most of the time and save up for fewer -- but better -- meals in some of the best restaurants in the world. Sure beats going to Olive Garden.

[Ghengis]

Not sure what the local foodies (I am neither) think of this place, but we had a great dining experience at this off-strip place the one time we tried it...

Las Vegas Steakhouse - McCarran | Del Frisco's Steakhouse