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| By Kevin Pang, Chicago
TribuneMcClatchy-Tribune Business News
Sep. 28, 2006 - The perpetual pings from slot machines provided the soundtrack for a thousand meals. It was a Friday night at Hollywood Casino Aurora's Epic Buffet, and folks with warm plates in hand performed what can best be described as "The Sideways Shuffle." The dance: Eyes locked on the entrees. Stop. Pick up food item with tongs. Move to the left. Stop. A waifish lady in a purple sweatshirt--lettering across the front reads, "If there's no gambling in heaven, I'm not going!"--piled on crab legs as high as her plate was wide. The scene is repeated dozens of times a week, every day of the year, at casino buffets, the often-mocked but immensely popular dining genre. Casinos in Aurora, Elgin and Hammond, Ind., feed nearly 10,000 visitors each at their buffets each week. At the Hollywood Casino Aurora, the Epic Buffet is the busiest restaurant in Aurora, according to the Greater Aurora Chamber of Commerce. Even with those kinds of numbers, buffets are rarely moneymakers for the gaming industry. "People come to the casino to game. The food is here because they get hungry," said Matt Rzepka, vice president of food and beverage at Hollywood Casino Aurora. "The challenge is to put together food that has a broad appeal, because you'll never bring in people just for the taste of your fried chicken." Still, buffets are synonymous with casinos. "It's a promise of infinite abundance and supply," said Natasha Schull, a filmmaker who directed "Buffet," a documentary about the all-you-can-eat buffets in Las Vegas. Here's why they fit so well: Customers tend to spend long periods of time in the casino. They invariably want to eat, so with a buffet, they're offered a dizzying variety of food at most hours of the day, and all at a set price. There's something sure to satisfy a broad swath of palates. With a business model based on high customer and food turnover, the buffet is a restaurant of convenience, rather than one of destination. "We're not a place that's going to go with the outlandish," said Doris Siemen, director of food and beverage at the Grand Victoria Casino Elgin. "Our clientele wants fun foods, comfort foods. We're trying to find things people have in common." Horseshoe Hammond's Village Square Buffet serves more guests than all of the casino's restaurants combined, averaging 2,200 guests a day on weekends. "We're not a free-standing restaurant--we're an amenity to our gamers," said Tony D. Thomas, restaurant manager at Horseshoe Hammond. "We're not making money off our food, but that's not the focus of the casino." For diners, it's every bit as appealing. "You can go back as many time as you want, have a little bit of everything," said Earline White of Gary, who visits Horseshoe Hammond once a month. "The price is expensive, but when you have all-you-can eat crab legs, it's not all that bad." By 7:30 on a Sunday night, the line to Grand Victoria Casino Elgin's buffet was several dozens deep. Men wearing chili pepper Hawaiian shirts, older folks with canes and younger folks with Gameboys--the crowd was diverse, loud and hungry. It wasn't unusual to see half-eaten prime rib and whole slices of cheesecake left on plates, carted away by restaurant staff as diners headed back to the buffet line for seconds and thirds. "The joy of the buffet experience is not just eating and gluttony," said filmmaker Schull, "but the discarding and throwing away of what you don't want to eat." - - - Pile it on at these 3 casino buffets Epic Buffet Hollywood Casino Aurora Price (includes fountain drinks): Lunch (daily) $8.99-$11.99, dinner (Sat.-Thurs.) $12.99-$15.99, Surf & Turf (Fri.) $15.99-$18.99 Average number of weekend entrees
(desserts not included): 43
Village Square Buffet Horseshoe Casino Hammond Price (includes fountain drinks): Breakfast (daily) $9.99, lunch (daily) $13.99, dinner (Sun.-Thurs.) $17.99, Seafood Feast (Fri.-Sat.) $29.99 Average number of weekend entrees
(desserts not included): 69
Grand Victoria Buffet Grand Victoria Casino Elgin Price (includes fountain drinks): Lunch (Mon.-Fri.) $8.99-$9.99, dinner (Mon.-Thurs.) $11.99-$12.99, weekend buffet (Fri. dinner, all day Sat. and Sun.) $20.99-$21.99 Average number of weekend entrees
(desserts not included): 55 --Kevin Pang
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