LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — We've been tracking the tourism slowdown and the effect on locals and their livelihoods. The latest impact can be seen in downtown Las Vegas, where one of Las Vegas' oldest Thai restaurants has now closed its doors.
I spoke with the owner of Ocha Thai Cuisine, Bundit Buaban, to find out how the visitation slump affected this longtime downtown Las Vegas staple.
Buaban said he grew up in the restaurant, which has been around for more than 36 years. He got his start in the restaurant industry serving food and washing dishes at Ocha.
"My family legacy is this location. I remember the sink I used to wash dishes in. It's still there, and now I have to say goodbye to it," Buaban said.
Eventually, in 2016, he took over the reins as owner. He says in its heyday, the restaurant was filled with families who would come from near and far to enjoy their authentic Thai food.
"Food, family, just having a good time, line out the door, food flying..." he reminisced.
But he noticed a change a couple of years ago. He said they started seeing fewer customers, particularly regional and international visitors.
Being downtown, he said a big portion of their patrons had always been tourists, but that business was getting harder and harder to come by.
He said he's seen business drop by 20%, 30% — even 40%. Combine that with a rise in the prices of ingredients, and the situation became unsustainable.
"When the tourists gone, the cash flow was not there, and the price of the goods went up, 100%, like literally," he said. "My rice used to cost $24, now it's $46. A case of coconut milk used to cost $24, now it's $76."
Buaban said he tried to keep the business afloat for as long as he could, but the last couple of months, he struggled to make rent and pay his workers.
"I pushed everything I got this year to keep this business going, but there's no future. It's no tourists," Buaban said.
He said he helped his 18 employees find other jobs, and on Nov. 16, Ocha served its final customers downtown. He said it was an incredibly emotional day.
"I just feel like Ocha is downtown. Downtown is Ocha, and it's sad for me to say we're leaving downtown," he said.
"What it's like? It's like losing part of your life."
Las Vegas' visitation slump has been well-publicized. As I reported this summer, the executive director of the Burlesque Hall of Fame cited it as a reason for the museum's closure back in July.
According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the valley saw an 8.8% drop in visitor volume year-over-year in September. On Tuesday, Nov. 25, the LVCVA released its latest executive summary with October's numbers. In October, visitor volume slightly improved compared to the previous month; it's down 4.4% year-over-year, so still a drop, but not as sizable a decrease as we saw in September.
Tourism officials and resorts have rolled out deals in an effort to entice visitors back, but Buaban said more needs to be done. And he's not alone — many Nevadans think Las Vegas has simply become too expensive, and that the city is pricing out many visitors.
"What do you think needs to be done in order to bring the tourism back and ensure businesses like yours can stay afloat?" I asked Buaban.
"Focus more on the day-to-day folks, not the rich only," Buaban replied.
"It's a dream now to come to Vegas. No one can afford it," he went on to say.
While Ocha Thai Cuisine is now closed in downtown Las Vegas, Buaban emphasizes that their other location at 873 S. Rainbow Blvd., near Charleston and Rainbow, is still open. It's much smaller and relies on locals.
He also encourages people to check out other Thai restaurants in town, like DE Thai Kitchen and Le Thai. While they're technically Ocha's competitors, he said there's a real sense of camaraderie right now, as small businesses are just trying to survive.
Above all, he said Ocha Thai Cuisine's legacy of helping shape the Thai food scene here will forever live on and can never be erased.
