There was a day, not long ago, when Las Vegas would do darn near anything just to get you there. A round-trip flight for just $99? Done. All-you-can eat buffets for $9.99? No sweat. Comped room if you bet more than a c-note at a blackjack table? Easy peasy, the house always wins.

That era is over, to put it mildly. Gone are the days when the only thing you spent money on was whatever you put down on the felt. Now, two pressed juices near the elevators at the Venetian will set you back more than your per diem.

Vegas is now so expensive now that it virtually guarantees a Slack DM session with your corporate bean-counter once you return from a work trip and expect to be reimbursed. That’s why it’s important to know what shall henceforth be referred to as “The Peppermill Hack.”

The leftovers

A woman I love recently took a business trip to Vegas. She was staying at Resorts World, which is, more or less, across the Strip from the Peppermill, the unlikeliest of James Beard Award winners. I have never been happier about a Beard Award as when the Peppermill won theirs.

Her job is somewhat new. And when the job is new and the conference is in Vegas, maximum restraint is required. Why? Well, it’s really easy to spend well upwards of $100 a meal without even getting drunk.

She actually spent slightly more than $100 on her meal at the Peppermill, but that’s where the leftover factor comes in.

A dubious Manhattan count

This woman claims to have ordered a steak dinner, a side of mozzarella sticks, and two Manhattans. The Manhattans at the Peppermill are dirt cheap, at least during happy hour, so I am skeptical of the “two” figure, but maybe she ordered from an upper shelf.

Observe the receipt atop this article — $116.82 after a generous tip. Do you know how much of that supper she finished that evening? All of the Manhattans, however many that may have been, but only 20% of the food. The Peppermill’s portions are insane. 

She got her leftovers to go and put them in the fridge in her room at Resorts World, which had a peekaboo view of the Sphere. It was a two-night trip, and the leftovers were all she ate for the rest of that voyage.

The conversation she will have with her staff accountant upon submitting her expenses will be the opposite of what most Vegas business travelers have upon their return.

“So, uh, you only ate one meal during the whole trip?”

“Yes, it was at the Peppermill.”

“Say no more, and go back for more.”

Photo: Lil’ Scoop