MSS Food Coupon Book

That's it.

 

MSS was called Rosie O'Gradys in the early 90's, I believe.
Good luck.

 

Don't think that's it. Rosie O'Gradys is too colorful a name for this place. It was just a quiet coffee shop atmosphere where you could eat. I can believe that Rosie O'Gradys was the name of the casino before it became the MSS, but not the little restaurant of about 25 years ago located where they now give out the players cards.
In any case, when we visit early in October, I will be tracking down that name. I'll start asking at the bell desk, then move on to the players card area, If no answer then I'll head on to my favorite area in the casino which is of course the Boar's Head Bar. I should get an answer there.

 

MSS was formerly the Holliday Hotel (or something like that)
Rosie O' Grady's was the first (only?) restaurant in MSS (before Boyd owned it)
That'll be a good question for our G2G this weekend at MSS...see if anyone knows who works there

 

Thanks, that would be appreciated. Also see if you can get the location of any restaurants that were once on the site except for the Pullman Grille which was a recent closing.

 

I used to have a trucker hat that I'm pretty sure said Rosie O'Grady's Main Street Station on it. I was like 12 at the time though, so I may not be remembering that properly. Wish I still had it though. I wear my Lady Luck one weekly!

 

Found this on Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/chris2four/5303850249. Rosie O'Grady's it is....

From my research, the hotel originally opened as a Holiday Inn in 1977. The casino was named the Holiday International Casino. The property was named Park Hotel and Casino from 87 to 90. In 90, it became MSS.

Nice history lesson here....http://over50vegas.com/300_N_Main_Park__.html

Check out the slot glass for the VP @ the Park. A royal flush paid 4,795 credits ($1198.75), just a quarter shy of the IRS W2G threshold.

 

GREAT research job. If you look back to my original question to start this tread, I was looking for the NAME of a long ago closed restaurant at MSS that we had eaten at. Thanks to you, I now know the year was 1991 or 92 when we last ate there . After that MSS was closed down for a few years until Boyd bought it and reopened in 1996. Must have closed down that old restaurant when they opened back up.

One of the pictures shown on the FLICKR site has a shot of Rosie O"Gradys with a sign in front which says, "The Cals Mainstreet Tower Vacancies" Could MSS have belonged to the California???

On our first trip to MSS back in 1991 or 92 my wife hit that $1199 RF, but it was on a jokers wild machine. You never forget that very first RF.

Again, thanks for all the work you did finding out some interesting history of our favorite Downtown casino.

 

The owner of MSS who did the marvelous job of remodeling the former Park Hotel and bringing in all those gorgeous archtectural antique furnishings was Bob Snow. He had no casino experience but he had owned and developed Church Street Station in Orlando which was a very successful restaurant and entertainment attraction. I had a chance to talk with him briefly while the work on MSS was in progress. He was driven by a sense of perfection and meticulousness. The hardwood floors had to be finished and refinished 3 times before he was satisfied. Under his ownership the hotel had no buffet and I don't recall what occupied the space where the buffet is now located. The restaurant where the Triple 7 is now located was called Rosie O'Grady's Good Time Emporium. I never ate there but I did dine at the Pullman. The ambiance was spectacular and the food was very good but it was not doing much business. If there was a third restaurant, I don't remember it. I do remember that In the middle of the casino floor was a roped off circle where a coin toss game was played. The casino-hotel only stayed in business less than a year and remained closed for more than 10 years before it was acquired by Boyd and re-opened. Boyd added the buffet and re-opened the Pullman which was later closed. It had the same menu as the Redwood bar & grill at the Cal but it never became a popular dining spot.

 

Sam, could you give me a date for the year the MSS first opened as you described it above? When it had the restaurant called Rosie O'Grady's...... I was there during what must have been the first year it was MSS. Sometime between 1991/1992. The full name could have been MSS Rosie O'Grady's Good Time Emporium, not sure about that, but I'm almost certain there was a buffet there for that one year before it closed. Also I believe it was only closed down for around 4 years before Boyd reopened it in 1996 but kept the name MSS.
Timspeed said he was going to be down at the MSS this past week-end and see what he could find out on the early history. If not, I plan on going 5 days in early Oct. and will try to get this resolved.

 

I was mistaken about the length of time between the closure of MSS and its re-opening by Boyd Gaming. Here is a complete corrected timeline for the hotel's history:

1978 July 1 The Holiday International opens.

1987 September 2 The Holiday International closes and reopens as the Park.

1990 November 30 Park closes.

1991 August 30 Main Street Station opens (same site as the former Park).

1992 July 6 Main Street Station closes.

1996 November 22 Main Street Station reopens under ownership by Boyd Gaming.

http://www.lvrevealed.com/deathwatch/las_vegas_timeline.html
http://snow-and-associates.com/mss.htm
* * * *

For sure, there was no buffet there while under the ownership of Bob Snow. During that time MSS received plenty of media criticism for its lack of a buffet. I stayed there shortly after it opened and also spent a lot of time there in early 1992.

 

The timeline you have follows what I have been able to find out also. So we agree on that.
You said you were sure Snow did not start a buffet. When you go to the snow-and-associates... site you posted there are at least 2 different pictures of the BUFFET on various pages of Snow's site. It is even on the page that shows pictures of what he developed when you click on the MSS title from past developments. The inference is that he is taking credit for the buffet! There was also a picture of the 777. and another of the Pullman Grille.

 

Just to clarify, the vacations Hawaii charters (on Omni airlines) do include the food coupon books. Vacations Hawaii also works with Hawaiian air with 7 night packages (not really a charter) and they may or may not offer coupon books, it all depends on what package you take.

For the rest of us, when we log onto the b connected cards each downtown hotel offers different packages, some come with food coupon books and others do not. I think if you don't take the coupon books it is $15 a night less so for some it could be worthwhile and for others it may not be. Not sure if this is only offered for Hawaii b connected guests but it looks like it is available when you log onto their b connected site so could be available to all guests.

 

Just FYI, after MSS closed in 1992 they had a deal with vacations Hawaii and Jackies travel (Hawaii based travel company) and they were using the MSS rooms for overflow guests from the other Boyd hotels. At this time most of the hotel was boarded up so we had to go through walkways to get to the back elevators to get to our rooms. Peeking into the main hotel/casino area we could only see lots of construction going on but not much else. Eventually they closed off the whole hotel to complete their renovations to what it looks like now.

 

Interesting. Must have been eerie at night. Hope you got a discount for all the walking. Guess the closest gambling or eating would have been at the Cal.

 

Nah, I don't think it was that eerie. I think the entrance to the hotel and elevators was through the area by the north entrance anyway (same as now to get to the front desk). Just that there were plywood "walls" and scaffolding from the entrance to the elevators so it was all boarded up with those work lights strung up along the walking area. It wasn't a straight line to get there so I think it went through the front door, winding through the area where the player's club is and then back the other way to the elevators (through the service entrance on the south side). Yes, the closest eating and gambling area was to walk over to the Cal. Not sure how we got to the Cal or if there was an entrance to get into the Cal on the Main St. side of the building (by the Market Street Café)? Been too long ago, can't remember.

 

Still, I wouldn't think there were many people walking through if you were coming in after midnight, Doubt if they even had much in the way of security cameras strung up through the plywood walkways back then. Heck, my wife gets paranoid just walking through the hallway at night. I can just hear her now if we had to do what you did.

 

Ha ha, I understand your point. No, in those days safety wasn't a big issue as it is nowadays, I don't remember if there was a security guard at the front door either. And definitely no security cameras either. Yup, your wife would have had a fit if you ever stayed there during those renovations. Guess for me it was never a problem, more of an inconvenience since we had to walk over to the Cal for everything.

 

I found my drink glass and here is what's embossed on it.........
(On the front).......Home of Rosie O'Grady's "Main Street Station".....Las Vegas,Nevada
(Back).......Rosie O'Gradys
Lili Marlene's
Apple Annie's
The Morning Glory Cafe
I have 4 of these hi ball glasses that I have had for years.
Hope this info helps......."...I will be Downtown starting Sunday morning and staying 2 nights each at DTG, Plaza, and my normal ending at MSS.

 

Sounds like Lili Marlene's and Apple Annie's were eating places now almost all but forgotten. SAD!
Best of luck on your upcoming trip with many good hits.