Buffets - Great Deal or Paying for Crap?

Some people always talk about buffets as God's gift to the impoverished and hungry. But whenever I find myself in a buffet, I think it's just endless tubs of crappy food. There are some exceptions, but they're so pricey, you might as well eat at a restuarant.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Unless I specifically want to go somewhere where I can eat as many different types of food as I can, I usually stay away from buffets. Granted, I like the fact that the have a lot of choices and that you can eay as much as you want, but most of the I figure why do it when most of the food tastes like crap. The only exception is the desserts, which I almost eat as much of as I eat food, just because it's usually the only thing that is good.

But yeah, you can usually get just as full at a good restaurant for about the same price. Other than the limited menu, regular restaurants are way better than buffets. You basically are paying for crap, but it is still kind of a good deal, especially for the variety.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

It is mostly about the variety they offer at buffets. You have tons of choices, unlimited plates, and it's all for a set price also. Can't really complain about that.

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I don't usually eat at buffets, but I do like the variety. I eat as much food at a buffet as I would at a normal restaurant. Normally, the buffets I eat at are Japanese or Chinese, since I find the others lack selection.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

That also... But I haven't really seen any other buffets around my area that aren't Chinese or Japanese... I've been to a couple, but as Rydia said, they lack the amount of variety and good food that Chinese/Japanese buffets have.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Buffets I hardly ever go to. The only good buffet, from my experience is at a pizzeria-type place. The food they chug out seems to always be good quality. There's a place about a mile from here that I went to in high school a few times. Damned good buffet. I should try it again sometime...

Golden Corral is a big buffet place around here. You used to be able to order an individual meal or pick buffet. It is all buffet now, and every time a friend goes there, they get food poisoning. I am not touching that restaurant ever again. Ever o__O

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

I don't go to buffets often, but when I do, I like positive feedback about a place. Yes, I've been to buffets where the selection was terrible, and I would have been better going off to a non-buffet place. Whenever I do go to a buffet place, and I do like it, I definitely eat much, much more than I would at non-buffet places.

FELIPE NO

One thing I never understood about the buffets is the drinks. Most of the buffets I've been to make you pay like $8.00 or something for the food, but then you have to pay an additional $1.50 or something for the drinks. They know no one is gonna come in there and not order a drink, so why not just add it on to the price of the meal?

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Yeah, it's mostly crap food. But it's cheap unlimited crap food as opposed to $32 for one mouthful of slightly less crap food at a fancy restaurant.

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Originally Posted by RockgamerXIII

One thing I never understood about the buffets is the drinks. Most of the buffets I've been to make you pay like $8.00 or something for the food, but then you have to pay an additional $1.50 or something for the drinks. They know no one is gonna come in there and not order a drink, so why not just add it on to the price of the meal?

The meal is a set price. You might want more than one drink. Unless they are offering free refils with that drink, they get to make a few extra bucks from you that way.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

That's the thing though: you get free refills once you do buy the drink. That's why I find it pretty stupid.

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I usually find it's certain buffets that have crappy food. For instance, Old Country Buffet is played into the ground with my family and I. We're sick of the place. The food is uninteresting and it seems like they have the SAME food no matter what day we'd go. Now we eat at Golden Corral every once in awhile.

I've tried other buffets, like Chinese ones, but it didn't work out too well. It seemed like every time I went to one of them, I was either really sick when I got home or I threw up the minute I exited the building (and no I didn't eat a whole lot).

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Lady Miyomi

I usually find it's certain buffets that have crappy food. For instance, Old Country Buffet is played into the ground with my family and I. We're sick of the place. The food is uninteresting and it seems like they have the SAME food no matter what day we'd go. Now we eat at Golden Corral every once in awhile.

See, I like Old Country Buffet, albeit only occasionally, a lot better than Golden Corral. They're a little pricey, but the food is tasty, and they actually have good desserts. Why is it that Chinese buffets have the worst dessert food, like stale cookies and cakes?

You can't expect buffet food to be as great as something ordered off the menu. It has to sit out all day, instead of being prepared more or less fresh for one person. The best time to go to a buffet is right when it opens, so they've just put the food out.

There's a buffet chain in Baltimore called Cactus Willie's, whose gimmick is all you can eat steak. It's not bad, but their cookies are delectable.

I was speaking idiomatically.

At a place like Western Sizzlin' or Golden Corral that specializes in buffets, it's wonderful. At other places, however, some of the food is lacking. In the end, though, it really depends on how much I feel like eating. I would only order a buffet if I were hungry. Otherwise, it isn't worth the price.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by nuttyturnip

Why is it that Chinese buffets have the worst dessert food, like stale cookies and cakes?

I don't think they really expect for anyone to eat it. I meant, granted it's stale for a reason, nobody wants it. Every time I've gone to a Chinese buffet, I hardly ever eat their dessert. I don't see very many people doing it either.

FELIPE NO

The chinese buffet near me has the absolute best soft-serve ice cream I've ever had. I have no idea why it's so good, but every time I go there I wind up eating two or three bowls of the stuff (with fixins) after already gorging myself on two or three plates of food. Of course, I'm always hungry again by bedtime.

The best buffet I've heard of is this Brazilian beef buffet near me at school. I haven't been there myself (spending $30+ on a meal is a little tough for me as a student), but it's all you can eat steak. My suitemate went there and said it was the best moment of his life when they asked, "Would you like another filet mignon wrapped in bacon, sir?" Apparently at some of them they serve the meat off of swords, too.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Man I totally agree. All those buffets that tote ALL THE STEAK YOU CAN EAT, have obviously never eaten their poorly prepared cardboard tasting steaks. I try to avoid buffets but when I am at one, I tend to eat all their shrimp cocktail and ice cream, since there's no way to do bad on either. Also usually I find the sushi buffets the better of. Since I don't have much of a discerning palette when it comes to Japanese food, I find it all tastes the same. Probably the same of all ethnic foods but damned if I was ever at a Mexican buffet.

I never eat enough at a buffet to justify the price so it does make more sense to go to a decent resturant.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I tend to go to Chinese buffets more often than others. I'm not quite sure why. There's this really nice one about half an hour away from my home that serves tasty food. Of course, it's more expensive than the ordinary Chinese buffets that can be found anywhere, but it's worth it. However, the food is still pretty greasy, so I try not to go there (or any other buffet) too often. The fact that it's all-you-can-eat really makes me go overboard, so I end up eating way too much.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

We go to a chinese buffet every once in a while... but real chinese food is always way better, if a bit weird sometimes O_o

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

There's a local Chinese buffet I go to every so often. The food's good enough, and it's a hell of a lot more reasonable than most restaurants.

There's a Jap buffet too, but it's a bit more expensive, so I don't eat there very often.

As for Golden Corral, my dad got food poisoning there, and we've talked to others with the same issue. I think it's a nationwide problem or something.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I think the Chinese Buffet I go to offers a great deal. There is a wide range of food to select and a nice dessert table as well. Most of the food if fresh since they replace the trays whenever they're finished. Lunch is only $7 (including drinks too) even on a Saturday!

I was speaking idiomatically.

Soup plantation!!!!

They have alright salad and their clam chowder is soooo goood!! They have a lot of breads/bakery goods too give it a try.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

There are only a few buffets in my area. Cactus Willie's is where all of the old people (or people who love cardboard anything) go to eat. As a bonus, green stuff comes out of the steaks. Trust me, I've seen it.

China Queen Buffet and Grand Buffet are both similar. I think the food at both places is good, but Grand has food that's actually warm once I get it, and doesn't have Light FM on (I heard enough of it back in middle school, and was about to go insane). There's also China King Buffet, which, from what I heard, is owned by the same people who own China Queen. I've never really been there, so I can't judge it.

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Well... I pretty much only have two buffets I go to regularly, and there is one other one I go to.

Soup Plantation
Good food, not as much variety but good stuff. It's cheap too!

Todai
My favorite place to go, all you can eat sushi, that is pretty reasonable. That and crab legs, lobster and clams. Yay, I win at this place.

Goofy's Kitchen
The most expensive place ever at Disneyland. I think it's like 28 a person. They have good prime rib that's all you can eat though, so for me it's worth it. I only go there once like every year though.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I go to a chinese buffet near work once or twice a week. It's fairly decent, especially at $5.99. It is not the best chinese food that I have ever had, but the General Tso's chicken and sweet/sour chicken are tough to screw up, so that's typically what I fill my plate with. As for other types of buffets, sometimes I will go to this locally owned pizza place that does buffet lunch, and it's fairly good. The woman who runs the place will come out and ask us what kind of pizzas we like, so she can toss one in the oven for us. Pretty cool. For any other kind of buffet, I am more than a little apprehensive about going to them. Either the food is really bad, the selection is really bad, or both {often times both}.

Jam it back in, in the dark.