All-you-can-eat buffets in Las Vegas are reportedly drawing up to 2-hour wait times amid a resurgence in popularity

• The resurgence of buffet-style restaurants is leading to wait times of up to two hours, NYT reports.
• Inflation and rising food costs may be a factor in buffets' resurging popularity.
• Buffets took a hit during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic due to health restrictions.

All-you-can-eat buffets are making a major comeback and drawing in crowds. Buffet-style restaurants in Las Vegas are now seeing wait times of up to two hours, The New York Times reports.

That doesn't necessarily mean it'll be a cheap meal. Dinner can cost nearly $80 before tax and cocktails, according to the report.

But with inflation affecting food prices, customers are looking for ways to get more food for less money, and the reported long lines are the latest indicator that buffets are back, as Insider previously reported.

Vegas restaurants are seizing the opportunity. The Buffet at Bellagio reopened, offering a variety of dishes including American, Italian, Japanese and Chinese, according to its website.

Money is being poured into buffets as well. Bacchanal Buffet in Caesars Palace recently got a $10 million upgrade and expanded its brunch schedule to cater to more customers, The New York Times reports. Wicked Spoon in the Cosmopolitan serves up to 1,800, with $49 brunches, according to its website. 

Though these findings are significant in vacation hot spots like Las Vegas, buffets across America also are seeing a boost. There's been a 125% increase in foot traffic to buffet restaurants Golden Corral, Cicis and Pizza Ranch, according to Placer.ai data first published by CNN.

The New York Times also reported that Movie Star Restaurant, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, attracts 500 customers during its Sunday rush.

"We have been very blessed with a comeback after the pandemic," Lori Ford, one of the owners of Movie Star Restaurant, told Insider in a statement. "The longest our customers have to wait on a busy day, usually Sunday, is 30 minutes.  The buffet affords its patrons a meal that is ready upon arrival which cuts down the wait times."

Not all buffet restaurants were lucky enough to see a post-pandemic comeback — some closed down for good during the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide restrictions. In 2020, the Food and Drug Administration recommended that buffet and salad bars close, Insider previously reported. One salad bar chain, Sweet Tomatoes, closed all 93 of its locations. 

Ford told the Times that she believes the pandemic made the buffet industry stronger.

"I think not having it for so long made people appreciate it more," she told the newspaper.