Columnist Joe Delaney: Death knell for dinner shows has sounded

Joe Delaney

Thursday, Sept. 28, 2000 | 9:50 a.m.

Joe Delaney's column appears Thursdays and Fridays. Reach him at 259-4066 or joe@lasvegassun.com.

A brief history of the dinner show in Las Vegas ... At first the gambling establishments -- now gaming hotel-casino complexes -- were satisfied with coffee shops with rather simple menus ... In the late 1940s there were chuck wagons, now in the form of buffets, which offered all-you-can-eat of the best of everything for a buck ... The original Thunderbird, circa 1948, had Big Joe's oyster bar and a steakhouse in addition to the coffee shop.

Even earlier the original El Rancho, across from the Sahara, now a vacant lot, had a small showroom for such stars of nightclubs and vaudeville as Joe E. Lewis, Sophie Tucker, Harry Richman and Milton Berle ... Dinner shows were at 8 p.m., and midnight shows were drinks only.

As the new hotels opened, the Thunderbird and Desert Inn (1950) each had a small showroom in which dinner was served at early shows and a small lounge adjacent to the casino action, plus a coffee shop.

'50s, '60s and '70s

Most of the hotels built in the 1950s had showrooms that sat 600 or less ... The Riviera's Versailles Room sat 900, and the Dunes could squeeze in 1,000 ... The Stardust showroom held less than 1,000 people when the "Lido de Paris" opened there in the late 1950s ... Caesars Palace's Circus Maximus in 1966 had a 1,200 capacity.

The International, later to become the LV Hilton, opened in 1969 with a showroom that had balcony seating and a capacity of more than 2,000 ... The first MGM Grand, now Bally's, in the early 1970s had two showrooms, one for star policy (1,400) and the other for production shows (900). Dinners were served in all of the showrooms.

Many of the showrooms offered three choices; chicken, fish or steak ... Caesars and the Hilton were tops when it came to the quality of showroom food ... The Desert Inn, much smaller, was quite good as well.

Comes the corporation

Once the hotels went corporate, efficiency experts and accountants got together and pointed out how much more profit could be realized if they cut out dinner at early shows, with savings in food, beverage, manpower and gaining valuable space ... Caesars Palace led the way and a number of hotels followed suit, dropping dinners, serving beverages only for the same minimum or higher than the previous dinner and show prices.

Financially, it was a huge plus for the hotels ... Most of the showrooms built in the late 1980s and through the 1990s have theater seating with cup-holders ... Prices, drinks optional but extra, have escalated dramatically, passing the $100 mark for the first time other than New Year's Eve.

The Tropicana and the Flamingo Las Vegas served dinner shows the longest .... Certain shows offer special prices that include a buffet option but the traditional dinner show, once a Las Vegas fixture, is now a memory.

In conclusion

The public accepted the fact that they would not have a dinner and show ... Starting with Caesars Palace, the hotels began developing specialty restaurants, giving patrons multiple choices for dining ... Dinner shows were a necessity back in the days of coffee shops only and an occasional steakhouse ... Las Vegas ranks with all major cities in the world today when it comes to fine dining.

Fine dining, along with entertainment -- and shopping --- now ranks higher than gaming as a reason given by visitors for visiting Las Vegas ... Dinner shows were a major factor in the development of Las Vegas.

Star-policy rundown

It's Clint Holmes, plus Mac King (Harrah's); Engelbert Humperdinck, plus the Scintas (LV Hilton); Bill Acosta (Luxor); Masters of Shaolin, plus Rita Rudner, plus Tommy Tune starring in "EFX" (MGM Grand); Siegfried & Roy, plus Danny Gans (Mirage); Lance Burton (Monte Carlo); Ray Charles (Orleans); David Cassidy-Sheena Easton (Rio); Wayne Newton (Stardust); and Melinda, First Lady of Magic (Venetian) ... See you Friday.