Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Late-night food specials conjure memories of old Las Vegas

Sundance Grill

Courtesy Photo

Eggs and bacon at Sundance Grill inside Silverton is $3.99 from midnight to 5 a.m. as part of the eatery’s late night specials menu, March 16, 2012.

Late-night cravings for a juicy steak and a side of eggs-over-easy for about $5 isn’t easy to find … unless you’re in Las Vegas and you know where to go.

Graveyard or late-night specials — deals that start around midnight and go until the early morning hours — are offered at a number of restaurants on and off the Strip.

“There are a lot of people out there late,” said Mark LaVoie, corporate vice president for food and beverage for Station Casinos.

“This is a three-shift town,” said LaVoie, who sees cocktail waitresses and security guards partaking in the late-night deals.

And the prices and the food are usually worth staying up for.

Graveyard specials start at $1 and go up to $7.99 at the Silverton’s Sundance Grill, said Jason Mayes, general manager of the restaurant.

“We wanted to offer value-oriented dining for those who eat late,” said Mayes, adding that Sundance’s menu includes all-you-can-eat pancakes.

The Silverton promotion started in spring 2011, Mayes said, and the late-night specials are offered from midnight to 5 a.m. daily.

Mayes said he sees hotel workers as well as tourists at the restaurant during those hours.

They include “east-coasters who are still on East Coast time,” Mayes said, “and people who just lost track of time.”

Some of the items are out of the ordinary, like the oxtail soup special at downtown’s California Hotel, but many of the items on graveyard specials menus tend to be breakfast foods.

“It’s traditional,” LaVoie said. “I cannot resist the steak and eggs.”

The classic items and the low prices, metaphorically, take restaurant patrons back in time.

“It’s a reminder of old Vegas as well,” LaVoie said.

The “Late-Nite” specials offered at Station Casinos are available to boarding pass holders, a free player’s card that’s available to anyone age 21 or older who signs up for it.

Many of the late-night specials, like those at Station Casinos, are advertised internally through the cardholder program or on signs posted around the casino floor.

“A restaurant has to decide if it’s going to be worthwhile for them,” said Jean Hertzman, a UNLV assistant professor who studies restaurants. “You can have more (graveyard specials) in a place like Las Vegas, where more people are out at night.”

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy