It boggles my mind that MGM Grand can have such a rip off of a buffet and get away with it. I guess having a giant casino and a lot of hungry clients walking out of Ka or just lots of gambling will do it.
It's not that the food is terrible; it's actually fairly decent, and there is a very large selection. My concern here is why I'm spending $33 for corn dogs, fried chicken, and a do-it-yourself burrito section with dry beef and greasy beans. You could get those items in a $10 lunch buffet these days.
That being said, it's not like they're completely devoid of decent food. The day I went, there was a section where a chef will cut you a new york steak or a prime rib. There was another section for king crab. The issue here is that those items aren't anything special these days; The Mirage offers those as well for around $25. Even worse is that the chefs were quite stingy with their meat, cutting me a small piece and telling me to come back later (presumably after stuffing myself with microwavable corn dog bites).
It seems to me that compared to more economical but quality buffets like the one at The Mirage, you're paying about $10 more for a larger selection at MGM Grand Buffet. But the "selection" we're talking about here is crap you could get from Hometown Buffet... hardly something I'd want to waste my time waiting in line for in Las Vegas.
Bottomline: If you're going to spend over thirty bucks for a buffet, go to the Bellagio or Wynn instead. If you really must eat in MGM, go to one of their restaurants or even their food court with McDonald's. Avoid the buffet.