Just had a terrible experience at Roy's Las Vegas on Flamingo. Entered the parking lot at my reservation time to find no open parking spaces. I pulled up to the door and asked valet where I was to park as all the lot was full except those coned off for valet. They told me unless I let them park my car I was pretty much out of luck. I pulled up to the door, went inside and asked the Managing Partner (Rodney Johnson) about parking. The ensuing ten minute conversation revealed that Roy's management is subservient to the contract parking valet and restaurant management cannot override the valet decision. I asked him if it made good business sense to turn away a regular customer (a customer that hosted his son's $3500. wedding party at Roy's) over parking. He said they were saving the twenty open spaces for those that may come later and want valet. So it is Roy's business model to save spaces for those diners you hope will come later and might want valet while turning away someone that is already here and ready to be seated. He reminded me that valet is complimentary. I told him I would not let a kid that looked like he should be home studying his Jr. High math homework drive my Corvette.
I ultimately left telling him that it just doesn't seem good business to turn away a $150 check so the valet boys MIGHT later get a $5.00 tip. Not hard to understand why the other Las Vegas location recently boarded its doors and took down the torches.