Viral Photos Show Las Vegas Restaurants Completely Empty During Grand Prix

The Outback Steakhouse location just steps away where the much-hyped Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix is taking place was empty during the first practice session on Thursday night.

The surprising turnout comes amid high expectations of increased business and tourism because of the race, a significant event in the global motorsports calendar. While the event is expected to generate $1.3 billion for Las Vegas, the high-end clientele it usually attracts sparked concerns about local people being priced out of tickets, and businesses suffering as a result.

In a now-viral video posted to X, formerly Twitter, late Thursday evening, Arash Markazi, senior writer at The Messenger, shared a 52-second clip of himself walking through the nearly empty restaurant.

"This Outback Steakhouse on the Las Vegas Strip across from The Mirage and next to Harrah's is normally packed on Thursday nights, according to the hostess. They expected big business with a view of the track. It's dead so far. They're going to close early tonight," Markazi posted.

Newsweek reached out to the Outback location for comment.

In another X post, the user shared a photo showing updated hours for the restaurant during the F1 weekend. Normally closing at 11 p.m., the location chose to adjust its schedule, opting for an earlier closure at 9 on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, coinciding with the three days of the race event.

"They're not expecting much business during race weekend despite their prime location near the track," the user said.

In addition to the evident lack of crowd at Outback Steakhouse, other establishments also felt the impact. User @VitalVegas posted a photo of an empty seafood buffet at the Palms Casino Resort, and highlighted the broader economic implications.

"When they add up the economic benefits of F1, we trust they'll deduct losses at off-Strip casinos like Palms," the user said. "Popular AYCE seafood buffet has zero customers, zero line. Bonus: Ask shows how many millions they're losing over the next few days."

Overestimated Fan Demand?

The high-profile event with a budget exceeding a half-billion dollars encountered several challenges, indicating a possible overestimation of fan demand, the Associated Press reported on Monday. Despite the hefty investment and the buzz of bringing F1 back to Las Vegas after a 41-year hiatus, the event struggled to sell out.

Newsweek confirmed that three-day tickets across sections of the race are still available for purchase.

Touted as the most expensive grand prix on this year's 24-race calendar, ticket prices were reduced by up to 60 percent in the days leading up to the race, AP said. More than that, ticket sales didn't reach the expectations of Grand Prix CEO Renee Wilm, who predicted that the event would be sold out by its kickoff during an earnings call in early November.

Even worse, the practice session on Thursday evening was cut short.

"That was a fun 8-minute dinner before F1 cancelled the practice session because of a loose drain cover on the Las Vegas Strip," the X user said. "Good times."

The practice session was abruptly halted due to a loose concrete frame around a water valve, according to reports.

The mishap, which caused damage to several cars, including Carlos Sainz's Ferrari, was deemed as a logistical shortcoming, and fans were asked to leave the circuit due to "logistical considerations."

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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