Headlines about Las Vegas have been fairly dismal these days.
Town is experiencing a worrisome decline in guests. In line with the Las Vegas Conference and Guests Authority, customer numbers are down general by as a lot as 11% this 12 months.
One current report referred to as what’s taking place in Las Vegas, together with greater costs and diminished worldwide journey, a “perfect storm.”
“It was a turbulent summer,” Chief Business Officer of Caesars Leisure Sean McBurney instructed the New York Instances.
As a part of the fallout, the town can also be seeing an uptick in restaurant closures.
Like in lots of different cities, Las Vegas restaurant house owners are dealing with:
- Elevated lease
- Elevated labor prices
- Inflation affecting meals prices
- Provide chain disruptions
- Publish-pandemic modifications in shopper spending
Most eating places already function on skinny margins, and rising prices are making it tougher for some to outlive.
The most recent sufferer of the altering local weather is a festive Mexican restaurant on the Strip, recognized for its energetic music, reasonably priced margaritas (at the very least by Las Vegas Strip requirements), and get together vibes.
A widely known Mexican restaurant on the Strip is looking it quits.
Picture supply: Getty Pictures
Standard Mexican restaurant on the Strip closing after greater than a decade
Carlos’n Charlie’s, situated in The Flamingo resort lodge, is closing its doorways after over a decade on the Strip.
The restaurant, a part of Mexico-based Grupo Anderson’s, filed a Employee Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) discover with the Nevada Division of Employment, Coaching and Rehabilitation (DETR) stating that 79 workers might be laid off when operations stop on November 18, 2025.
Within the submitting, Carlos’n Charlie’s human sources supervisor wrote that the closure is because of “our landlord unilaterally forcing an early termination clause in our lease,” in line with News3LV.
The restaurant’s landlord is Caesars Leisure, which owns and operates the Flamingo. Caesars declined to touch upon the closure.
Some Carlos’n Charlie’s staff might be absorbed into Caesars
Among the affected Carlos’n Charlie’s workers are members of the Culinary Employees Union Native 226 or the Bartenders Union Native 165.
The WARN letter acknowledged that union staff “will be absorbed” into different positions inside Caesars’ properties, however that nonunion workers don’t have any “bumping rights” — that means they’ll lose their jobs completely.
Grupo Anderson’s, which operates a number of common restaurant ideas — together with Senor Frog’s and Carlos’n Charlie’s — throughout Mexico and the U.S., has not stated whether or not it plans to reopen elsewhere in Las Vegas.
The Flamingo location opened in 2011 and have become a go-to spot for reasonably priced margaritas, late-night nachos, and table-dancing birthday celebrations.
A sample of closures on the Las Vegas Strip
The lack of Carlos’n Charlie’s continues a wave of restaurant and leisure closures alongside the Strip, as property house owners and resort operators retool their eating lineups for higher-end ideas.
Earlier this 12 months, Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill at Caesars Palace closed to make method for a brand new celeb chef restaurant, whereas different mid-tier venues throughout the Strip have shuttered amid altering lease economics.
Associated: Why are so many Mexican chains submitting Chapter 11 chapter?
The Culinary Union stated earlier this 12 months that restaurant and bar staff throughout the Strip are dealing with “growing pressure” from redevelopment and consolidation.
“Unfortunately, these massive projects get bought and sold all the time. The thing the union contract brings is job security, that no matter who buys the hotel, or the project, no matter what happens to it, workers are going to be able to keep their jobs,” Culinary Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge said in a statement.
The business side of Las Vegas hospitality transitions
While closures like Carlos’n Charlie’s often make headlines for their local and emotional impact, business analysts say they reflect a broader reshuffling of the Strip’s restaurant market.
Carlos’n Charlies isn’t even the only Mexican restaurant in Las Vegas to close in the last 30 days. Leoncito’s at Red Rock closed at the end of September.
That trend suggests that mid-priced, family-friendly establishments may continue to lose ground to luxury-branded dining and experiential venues targeting convention visitors and high-spending tourists.
Carlos’n Charlie’s is just the latest on the growing list of Las Vegas Strip restaurants closing due to escalating rents and redevelopment plans. While union employees are expected to find new positions within Caesars, dozens of others will soon be out of work.
Fewer visitors make that outcome likely: According to the LVCVA, Las Vegas welcomed 40.9 million visitors in 2024, nearly matching its all-time record. Yet 2025 is unlikely to come close.
Associated: One other off-the-Las-Vegas-Strip resort closing
