You must have missed the recent Spotlight on... feature that we ran on this very subject, so we'll re-post that information in this forum.
As an aside, if you're not familiar with our Spotlight feature, it's worth checking out when you drop by to check out QoD. It's a really eclectic feature that we use to highlight all kinds of things, be it an area on our site that just got updated (as with graveyard specials), or a QoD-like feature on something that occurred to us to be useful and informative (like the recent one on interesting things to do/eat/see in late-night Vegas), or something topical like our analysis of the controversial iPhone card-counting app. The Spotlight on... archives are open to everyone (just like the Reader Poll archives), so feel free to check them out and see what you've missed.
Back to business. For all those who didn't catch it the first time, here's what we wrote recently about those late-night dining specials that you were interested in:
The so-called "graveyard special" is a long-established tradition in casino coffee shops, which are generally open 24/7, since casinos are legally obliged to have at least one eatery open at all times (presumably so there’s always somewhere to soak up the booze). These late-night carb-and-protein-laden specials cater both to hungry swing-shift workers who're just getting off work or the graveyard shift that's just beginning its workday around midnight, not to mention night-owl gamblers in need of some cheap comfort food.
The dishes served are generally discount-priced breakfast deals, including ham/bacon/sausage/steak and eggs combos, biscuits and gravy, and pancakes, and they're generally served from about 11 p.m. until 6-7 a.m.
In these tough economic times, we were expecting to see an increase in cheap late-night munchies, but in fact the opposite proved to be the case. In part, however, this may be due to some places replacing the late-night-only special with a day-long one, such as Lucky’s Café at the Stratosphere, which has axed its previous menu of $3.99 biscuits and gravy or eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns with eggs and toast for a $5.99 24/7 ham or steak and eggs deal. (Their former steak and eggs, hash browns, and toast graveyard special was $6.99.)
Another trend we found was reduced hours for a number of venues that had previously served graveyard specials, with Bally’s Sidewalk Café and Circus Circus’ Casino Café both now open only until 2 p.m. While Bally’s explained that the Tequila Bar and Grill is open from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., when the Sidwalk Café opens for business, Circus Circus apparently no longer has any eatery open 24/7 – is that legal? We’ll put it on our list to investigate…
In the meantime, you can find our updated list of bona fide graveyard specials in the All Restaurants section of "Buffets & Dining" – just select "Graveyard" from the "Other" drop-down menu (which also lists all kinds of other searchable options, from "kosher" to "vegetarian-friendly," and "outdoor seating" to "open for lunch."
