Why was M Studio buffet coupon removed from MRB?

M basically did us dirty. Not only did they ultimately decline to run the offer again, they strung us along until the last second before telling us no. I kept asking them to declare and they hinted that it would be renewed, then no. Only ones who did it worse was the downtown Boyds. They actually said yes, they were coming back in, then came back and said nevermind. Bad way to do business.

noahcat---yes they had a solid local customer base----The problem is we were there in Oct/Nov and the crowd seemed to have been cut by 25%/30% from when we were there in Sept. We were there on 1/22/11 and the crowd was so small could not guess the percentage of decline. If it is locals they are counting on things like removing the soda fountian, questionable about quality staying the same and the odds are not too good I can see it going down even further. Just maybe they may want to see some visitors dribbling in every so often. I'm sure there are a lot of casinos that really welcome visitors. The only thing that was busy was the buffet and I'm sure that will not pay the bills. I see a big problem with the other restaurants (Hash house and the deli style at the entrance) having a problem competing with the buffet if all things remain the same.

Thanks for the explanation Anthony. I for one have never understood why the downtown Boyd properties pulled out a few years back. Orleans and Gold Coast participate big time................there must be some different management personel between the off strip/downtown casinos and no set Company policy. It's a crying shame because we do a lot of playing at Main Street and love their buffet. Very nice friendly staffs at all the downtown properties especially the Fremont so we won't hold anything against the good folks whom work there!

Aloha,

IMHO I think Boyd downtown properties pulled out because they are counting on the loyal Hawaii market. Boyd properties such as Orleans and Coast properties are not heavily advertised to Hawaii residents as the downtown properties are.

Some years back, I convinced the GM of MSS to do 2 coupons -- a 2-4-1 buffet and a room night. This was back when LVA'ers were talking up MSS a lot and were being given the casino rate just by mentioning LVA when they spoke to the hosts. David Lebby (the GM) told me after a couple of years of being in the book that the coupons just weren't getting used as much as they thought they should be, so they dropped out.

And yes, the downtown Boyd properties are managed by totally different people than the Coast group.

That explanation is disingenuous. They don't pay anything to be in the MRB, so even one redemption is a net positive. It's personal with management down there. LVA members should understand that.

I could almost bet that mid year M will be dropping BOGOF coupons weekly in the LVRJ. No matter how nice a casino is they still need traffic to make the ball bounce. It almost comes down to a decision do I drive all the way out there without a coupon or not. My case will be not. Too far out of the way to play BJ or Crap in the early afternoon by myself. Maybe they are offering something that I can't see.

That's what they don't understand. My comment when they finally said they weren't participating: At least now there's no reason to have to go all the way out there anymore.

Let's support Anthony (LVA) and put the BLACK X on M. Maybe show them you can lead a horse to water but !!!!!!!!!!

While it might be a short sighted move on their part, in order to be fair, they do have a pretty strong offer for a free buffet when you earn a specific number of points on your card in a given day. The schedule is as follows:

LUNCH
Monday - Friday
300 Points on Reel Slots
850 Points on Video Poker

DINNER
Monday - Thursday
450 Points on Reel Slots
1,300 Points on Video Poker

SEAFOOD BUFFET
Friday - Sunday
600 Points on Reel Slots
1,700 Points on Video Poker

If you're a vp player and were planning on playing there anyway, this is a good deal since you keep the points. In fact, if you buy the math, it's actually a better deal than a BOGO. Here's the math if you're interested...assuming a lunch midweek.

.25 single line JoB. $1.25 a push. 850 coin in required for free buffet. 99.54% theo game return and .3% slot club. You have a theo loss of $1.36 on a buffet that would cost you $15. In fact, if you opted to play on a 2 or 3 X points day, you have a positive play and a "free" buffet. This would cost you an hour or less of your time.

Once again, not suggesting that them bailing was a smart move but unless they get you to play, a steady diet of loss leaders isn't good for business. Anyone who has seen the buffet line knows that there is no shortage of patrons for this.

Dan