Tomorrow, resort property owners hope the sights of an empty Las Vegas Strip will all be a distant memory as the state's economic engine will begin slowly turning again.

The casino buffet has been an integral part of the Las Vegas experience for decades. But COVID-19 is threatening to put a fork in the Strip amenity staple.

Don’t put a fork in buffets quite yet. Their attraction for tourists make them a sure bet to return. UNLV professor Amanda Belarmino, who teaches strategic management at the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality, tells News 3 LV that buffets could swap out the free-for-all for a butler approach to getting food, with dishes brought to the table and fewer seats to maintain social distancing.

It's as "Las Vegas" as Elvis impersonators or drive-thru wedding chapels: the All-You-Can-Eat buffet.

When they open June 4, Las Vegas Strip casinos are almost certain to take steps to protect the health of workers and guests.

Casino companies have been characteristically cagey about when — and if, and in what form — they might reopen buffets in the wake of the coronavirus shutdown, but it appears most will hold off, at least for a while.

Restaurants inside casinos are now allowed to reopen. But that doesn’t mean they will.