Las Vegas NV: Will We Go To Jail For Buffet Robbery? Print


Guest Correspondent WLW, Pasadena CA: Will we get a Sin City lock-up built for two? We sneaky senior wanderers don’t rob money from casinos. We commit the crime of daily doggie bagging. As frequent diners at Vegas hotel buffets, we’ve developed the fine art of sneaking food out to eat later for free.

No arrests yet, but considering the Mafia history of Vegas, by revealing our nefarious actions, we could be risking broken kneecaps or anonymous burial plots in the desert. After all, didn’t the Mob hit Bugsy Siegel and other unfortunate guys for cheating in Sin City? As retirees, a frequent travel destination now is Las Vegas, because it’s just one hour’s flight away. In our first dozen retirement years, we roamed the world ... England, France, Russia, Italy, South America, Alaska, Canada, Hawaii and more. It was great while it lasted. While WE lasted.

But, as years add up and the feet get slower and sorer, we now visit substitutes for those nations on Las Vegas Boulevard. Bellagio and the Venetian Resorts provide Italy. The Paris Hotel gives us France. The Luxor brings us Egypt, and Mandalay Bay has a Caribbean theme. So, who needs to drag bags and elderly butts to fly ten extensive and expensive hours each way in aerial sardine cans?

Las Vegas is famous for its buffets ...  eat all you want, when you want. We love 'em, but unlike younger and heftier buffet scarfers who pile up plates three or more times per meal, we can only comfortably eat one helping. So, in our criminal minds, we believe it’s only fair that we abscond with food representing second and third helpings we didn’t take.

Typically, as we dine on our modest buffet meal, into my spouse's large pocketbook and my coat of many pockets, we’re stuffing food. Cookies, fruit, crackers, rolls, cheese, deli meats, salad veggies and other goodies.

We pay for one Las Vegas buffet meal a day, usually lunch or brunch.Then we haul our doggie bag stashes to our hotel room refrig, and they provide two other daily meals for each of us. 

Of course, we don't kid ourselves about getting away with the crime. With eyes-in-the-sky security cameras throughout Vegas keeping gamblers honest, we know our food-swiping actions are duly noted. But, so far we've escaped the long arm of Sin City law, while probably giving hotel security people some chuckles at the sneaky old foodie codgers.

Buffet swiping savings represent about $50 a day total for the two of us. Of course, in Sin City we spend lots more money daily in room rates and casino gambling. Our reward is the excitement of committing sneaky food-swiping crime and getting away with it.