Buffet Restaurant Chains Are Always Scamming You. Here's How.

A buffet may sound like a good deal, but once you start feeling stuffed after your second plate, you start wondering if you’re actually getting ripped off. The truth is that you likely are, as buffets use all kinds of tricks to scam their customers, because they do have to make money after all. However, if you want to know how to get the most out of your next buffet experience, we’ve got you covered. From the overpriced drinks to the sizes of the plates, spoons, and tongs, let’s take a look at how buffet restaurants are always scamming you.
#Buffets #Restaurants #Chains
Customer duties | 0:00
Repurposed food | 1:17
Strategic layout | 2:22
Diminishing returns | 3:41
Fountain drink | 5:03
Eating less | 6:02
Spoons and tongs | 7:00
All about psychology | 8:03
Smaller dishes | 9:30
Read Full Article: www.mashed.com/208788/the-sne...

[@MashedFood]

What is your favorite buffet to eat at?

[@MrShadowknight2000]

Golden Coral

[@louisianacajunchef2628]

Hong Kong

[@jonathanwang6230]

Are AYCE considered the same as Buffets?

[@liarperez]

the ones in Vegas, but they are not cheap at all, but they serve good food

[@DinamoFC]

Hon Dah Casino in Pine Top, AZ has a seafood buffet on fridays. The star of the show is King Crab ( not snow ). I bypass the little plastic cups for melted butter and go straight for the small soup bowls. I ignore all other foods provided and eat nothing but king crab with a water back. The only thing I save room for is the self serve ice cream. Hopefully they will be the same after this c-19 is over.

[@adamcavanaugh4940]

I watched a man pile his plate high at the casino buffet with only lamb chops. He did it right, and got his money's worth.

[@jbauern57]

Saw a man do the same with shrimp

[@miiverniebres82]

@@jbauern57 😂 that's me, I went straight to seafood.

[@robs7640]

And that’s the law of buffets. You eat as much as you want and if someone eats lamb or crab legs, another person might just fill up on the pastas and salads. It all equals out in the end, or buffets would be non existence ( before COVID).

[@IMadeBayu]

Worth for bypass heart sugery

[@titiung]

@@IMadeBayu Wrong. Meat dont harm you. Its the carbs and sugar. Stop listening to lies from big pharma.

[@jimroscovius]

How is this a scam? I know all of this going in. Scam means that I'm ripped off without knowing it.

[@greghall3013]

Yep, sensational headline scamming us into watching it.

[@shanedubose7096]

Exactly what i was thinking before the video even started.

[@meauxjeaux431]

click bait

[@HellRainsFromAbove]

Well you could argue that the part about them being able to raise the price because it makes the customer think they are eating higher quality food is a scam

[@shanedubose7096]

@@HellRainsFromAbove they don't raise the price after you sit down, you go in knowing the price beforehand. That's not a scam.

[@barryfields2964]

I have well over 20 years of restaurant experience and I can tell you that a lot of regular set down restaurants use leftovers to make soup too.

[@brucemarsico6]

So? A lot of people do the same thing at home every day. I do.

[@jw7037]

And if they have prime rib on friday..the cheese steaks all week are left overs

[@barryfields2964]

@@brucemarsico6 I never said there was anything wrong with it.

[@deansapp4635]

You can some damm good soup out of leftovers

[@brucemarsico6]

@@barryfields2964 Don't get upset, barry....I was only writing to let you know that I, too, make use of leftovers for making soups and salads and some pasta sauces. I'm very pleased you've been in the restaurant business for twenty years. So, you know a lot of sly tricks to use to get people to purchase the so called 'expensive' choices that may not be anything more than 'leftovers'. It's called, 'making money'. Cheating the naive. Thinking they're getting a great repast. Happens in all of the tourist trap restaurants around the world. There, feel better?

[@Vapegician]

I love buffets. I get to pay for whatever the heck I want to eat with a bunch of options. If you feel like you're being ripped off or scammed, don't go to buffets.

[@truechaosmulala3831]

@@mquiroz90 some people aren’t gorden Ramsey who can cook anything

[@rowenaramsaran6568]

@@mquiroz90 U dont have to not know how to cook to love buffet meals. I can cook, some dishes better than others, but I also love choosing what I want to eat.

[@rowenaramsaran6568]

@@mquiroz90 I love what I cook too. Depends on what I'm feeling to eat, as well as my finances, I either cook a good meal at home or buy food.

[@Landis_Grant]

I used to frequent this buffet restaurant and by making sure I tip at 50% of the price, the staff never looked at me with disdain when I pigged out. I only went up two times maximum.

[@adamhern95]

It's not a scam if you enjoy the meal. Get over it

[@Pimpedout007101]

Does anyone really feel satisfied with buffet food. If you factor in quality it is a scam

[@sngr-]

@@Pimpedout007101 lower quality ≠ bad taste

[@Pimpedout007101]

@@sngr- not true. Case and point, Kraft Mac and cheese. Terrible quality ingredients with good taste

[@Pimpedout007101]

@@sngr- I like buffet food. But the fact is they generally use lower quality ingredients than other restaurants. I work in a restaurant and used to work at a buffet so don’t act like you know more than the employees of that industry

[@catprincess9]

@@Pimpedout007101 You did not understand what @Mick Songer said. He meant lower quality does not mean bad taste.

[@jamielong2237]

Or if you're like me skip the salad and go directly for the expensive products. I'm getting my money's worth LOL

[@lockjaw5161]

I always have a salad because I'm not keen on a lot of vegetables but the buffet is the only way you get your money's worth.

[@ThePresentation010]

If that's you in the pic, I can tell.

[@peter320vn]

All the dads trying to eat money worth for the whole family. While their kids only eat pizza and fried chicken.

[@JohnSmith-qg9sv]

Got That Right!!

[@laceylolbug1]

Yup! You better bet whenever I go to a buffet that has crab legs or something similarly expensive, that’s the first thing I go for. I get my money’s worth in my first plate then enjoy the rest of the buffet.

[@tankthepitbull520]

This is just running an economically viable business it’s not a scam.

[@walterbrunswick]

people like to throw around spicy words without knowing what they're talking about

[@tankthepitbull520]

Walter's Playground do you expect a business to operate efficiently if it’s generating a deficit ?

[@walterbrunswick]

@@tankthepitbull520 sorry I wasn't clear in my reply; I was referring to the title of the video! I run a business myself and I fully agree with you. Honestly don't understand the hype. Americans I guess...

[@robertbrawley5048]

This is the second video by this channel that buffets are scams. I like cheap ass rice and salad and roasted potatoes

[@FortunaZKat]

Scam? No more than any other business. My rule for eating at a buffet: Eat what I want, not what's going to put them out of business. After all, I want them to still be there next time. Golden Corral can go out of business, never ate at one of those I liked.

[@neadster469]

good one outside of indianapolis..

[@karenstrycharz1499]

I do not like Golden Coral either! The one in Travaris area in Florida is horrendous! Food is lukewarm at best to cold, steak(???) hard as a rock w/ fat.. etc but visiting my brother & sister-in-law,”they love that place!”🤣Me? I paid the price & ate salad & red jello( ha!), all I could stomach & sometimes collard greens if “warm!” My food has to be “hot!” The one in Spfld., Ma has hot food, rotates it & they try to keep it fresh( grandsons adore it) but I avoid buffets...... period! Kids grabbing food, watched one in Fl take a bite out of something & put it back! Reported it to mgr but they did nothing. The coronavirus may put a big ✋ stop or hold on buffets, so we will have to see what happens.

[@lenalyles2712]

Our Golden Corral is very good, always clean and hot food is always hot. Best bargain for seniors around where we live.

[@DefSquadFan]

@@lenalyles2712 Seniors have weakened taste buds.

[@scotterickson6332]

@@DefSquadFan You're rude

[@jimroscovius]

I LOVE buffets!! I love picking what I want, and letting them cleaning up afterwards.

[@rexrefuerzo4188]

Thats right!!! All i have to do is shove those delicious food in my mouth ang leave after hahaha

[@toddkes5890]

Agreed. Buffets allow you to try a variety of options, without needing to order separate dishes. The food is already cooked and ready to be eaten, so there is less time taken up as well. You can also try something new by only getting a little bit of it, so if you like it you can get more and if you don't you haven't wasted it

[@jimroscovius]

@Don K Are you a slob?

[@logtec1977]

It’s not a scam, it’s business. And who doesn’t use leftovers to make soups or a meal the next day?

[@sexygeek8996]

At home, I cook the amount that I know I will eat and I never have leftovers.

[@RandyKing314]

Seriously. Pretty sure that's why soup was invented... To use up foods

[@Zo-hc2fn]

I am thinking about a new type of restaurants : eating-spots, in eating-spots, food keeps changing, chefs also rotate, this is opposed to current restaurants, thanks to this rotation of food and chefs, eating-spots are more powerful than restaurants, along with that, there is an app, people vote for the food that will be cooked in the next days, menu is influenced by the live input of the people via an app

[@powasjington4262]

Ya every restaurant needs to make a profit

[@user-nd7rd8jo6h]

Ehhh it's pretty sketchy

[@sarahperrette1024]

This is all BS im a server at a buffet and we work our asses off for one. The food and the soup is made fresh daily. And the ice thing is stupid, we purposely put very little ice in your drinks so you have more soda and its to cut down on how many trips we have to make to keep bringing refills. More soda, less refills, less trips for us. And dont forget to tip your Buffett server....we work just as hard as any other sever if not harder. We bus our own tables and make way more trips for each table taking countless plates and cups and trash

[@neadster469]

all depends on where your from sweetheart and just the general business practices of each place....aka some care...some certainly do not.

[@seavamp]

I'll tell ya the other thing that's BS and that's the part where they say "ppl would rather pay more" LMAO!!! HELL NO! It would taste even better if it were free! How dare they try and make ppl believe that BS. LOL! That's one way to raise theprice blame the customer lmao

[@sarahperrette1024]

@@neadster469 ok sweetheart, if you say so

[@alexfields8700]

@@sarahperrette1024 kekw. Never been to a different restaurant?

[@BenjaminGessel]

The problem at buffets isn't the service, the problem is the often unseasoned, overcooked, bland food... Raise the prices just a little bit, increase the quality of the food, and buffets will survive. Buffets can keep the Texas toast and all that jazz. But with certain types of food like oysters, like hell am I eating THAT kind of food at a buffet...

[@tangleshootburrfoot36]

Fun fact: leftover food from buffet restaurants is actually donated to farms in agricultural areas for pig slop.

[@robertcherman]

Most food places go to animal feed, not just buffets for other people wondering.

[@karrenpopovics2780]

It depends on the state that you live in..

[@thefckumean2209]

Am I the only one that goes straight to the entree items? Like I know exactly what I want.

[@ajaedwards85]

Correct and I get what i want

[@thefckumean2209]

ajaedwards85 exactly

[@DefSquadFan]

Anybody eating salad at a buffet must want hepatitis or food poisoning.

[@thefckumean2209]

Sea Pea hmmm I’m inclined to agree

[@sexygeek8996]

Unless they have lobster and crab legs, then I'll have several plates of those those first and maybe only 6 steaks.

[@villain5873]

Don’t start bad mouthing buffet restaurants during a pandemic, they may not survive.

[@DBT1007]

But it's a fact.. Not just a mere gossip

[@simonbrushes]

COVID-19 = death of the Buffet

[@Vynzent]

The video was also just ridiculous. I don't like that people are stupid enough to cause food prices to go up, but that's about it. Every other "tactic" in this video is just knowing how to run a business and none of these ever remove choice from the customer. To fall for some of these you just flat out have to be lazy.

[@Kanal7Indonesia]

Ikr, I have to dislike this video.

[@bettywalsh5542]

Agree

[@edwardvara9993]

The pricing practices are true. I witnessed it in the late 80s. We had a Shakeys pizza in Sunnyvale ca. The price was 4.99 for the buffet. The floor was always empty. Just a few customers. The price was changed to 5.99,guess what? More customers. Later on, they increased the prices to 7.99. The place was packed .go figure. The menu never changed.

[@rparl]

I remember that Shakey's. The whole area has been redeveloped. Even the Post Office.

[@Shayna11NM]

30ish years ago there was a Shakey's buffet in Wisconsin my family went to on occasion. (2 adults & 4 kids so we didn't go anywhere expensive.) It was great for kids. Lots of pizzas, pastas, breadsticks, salads, etc. & dessert. There was a glass partition so you could watch them make the pizzas. There were arcade-style games & always someone doing face painting.

[@kimquim2803]

I would defo have gone there with low price... Missed it 😂

[@Evilbob33]

I used to work at a very high end buffet, it was by reservation only. So the chefs would try to prepare accordingly based on previous numbers of the week/month/year. The kitchen and dining room managers were smart and knew how to cut back on waste like nobody's business. But still at the end of the day, (we only served on the weekends.) There was so much leftover food that even after all the employees picked through them, there were carts upon carts of of wasted food. I miss that job because I didn't have to grocery shopping (for food anyway) for months at a time. I remember sometimes I would take home whole filet mignon, not a steak, the WHOLE filet. Entire pork tenderloins, huge amounts of prime rib, duck and salmon. To go boxes full of shrimp and lobster, entire cheese cakes and all the veggies I could carry out.

[@jujub4553]

Whoa, what restaurant was that???

[@meauxjeaux431]

That was a hell of a lot of stealth income...TAX FREE INCOME !

[@ijustgottasaythis]

I worked at a "Whistle Junction" in FL, the big thing I remember was the general SIZE of the people. The HUGE folks that would come in right at dark, and eat and eat, & eat some more! Do you remember seeing those large humans in your old workplace? It was not unusual to see a family of 350lb men, 200lb women, & very large kids chewing through 7 or 8 refills. Pure gluttony was the norm. AYCE! $12.00! It was fun sometimes at the parking lot, to see them make the car squash down on the shocks when they piled in to leave. Poor car.

[@JustLuisDoingStuff]

@@ijustgottasaythis Very rude comment. The only reason i'm 350lb is because I hit the Gym.

[@danieelle6100]

Lemme guess, Sterling Brunch? Lol hahaha

[@johntexas8417]

I like buffets alright. As a rule, I like buffets which serve meats. A typical buffet for me at Hart's Chicken runs about 10$'s. Given the food, its freshness and the pleasant atmosphere its a bargain. Im also known to visit a family own restaurant. Its own by a Chinese family and for 20$'s a bargain. Same true for a lil family owned Mexican restaurant. I dont eat until I've had a gut full. I eat until reasonably good. I also keep my area clean and clean up after myself. When I eat out its for mainly the possibilities, the atmosphere and supporting family owned outfits

[@tomgresis7720]

You gotta go in with a plan. Order water to drink, less filling than soda. Go with someone else, so each of you can take a sampling of many things, compare notes then go back for the best ones. Stay away from rice, pasta and bread.

[@danielcostello7170]

"made from scraps of yesterdays entrees" = all soups

[@billklement2492]

I think "scammed" is a bit of an over statement. A buffet is a business and can't stay in business if they lose money. Back in my 20s, I could put a hurting on a buffet, but not since then. And that's fine. I like buffets because I get a variety of food. I'm going to have a little of this and a little of that. I'm not focused on getting "my money's worth". If you go in with that mentality and enjoy what you're offered, you do get your money's worth. As far as using leftovers for new dishes, I do that all the time at home! Good for them! My biggest complaint with buffets is the waste. Because of their business model, they waste a lot of food. A regular restaurant is likely pulling something out of the freezer and cooking it for you. If they don't sell it today, it's still good tomorrow because it's frozen. A buffet has to prep the food for you whether it gets eaten or not. So if you want a cheap meal, go for the cheap fried seafood place. If you want a variety, go for the buffet. Just remember there's no free ride!

[@raegibson3066]

True plus I don't know of a buffet that donates food that isn't used.

[@justpassingbye]

@@raegibson3066 ahaha well that's actually a lot of good name marketing actually

[@michiganborn8303]

If any buffets still exists after this pandemic is over and done with, they'll be raking in the bucks.

[@MrGavinspoppop]

the staff will have to serve you at any buffets that will be around ...

[@JustLuisDoingStuff]

Hong Kong Buffet Open here in MD California.

[@zetejones6071]

Our buffets in Wichita, Ks have mostly opened up with extra precautions. Love going, and I waste very little.

[@justwanttohavefun1164]

@@MrGavinspoppop there is a golden corral where i live there all you can eat is still available they have disposable gloves for you to wear when you grab food

[@matthewbennett9928]

There's a Golden corral where I live and there's many Chinese buffets

[@ehCanucklehead]

I'm sorry, what's a buffet? It's August 2020...

[@neadster469]

for real.

[@Tonyslightrestoratio]

Right!

[@Tonyslightrestoratio]

@Aaron Gordon not sweet Tomatoes

[@evansyawamo8686]

😂😂😂

[@PeruChris]

Who is eating at buffets in the COVID19 era? I believe in science, so, while I loved vegas buffets, that's over.

[@badandy925]

Buffet: *exists Covid: I'm about to end this man's whole career

[@japneetsaini5441]

I actually went to a buffet last week and tha staff was seerving the food themselves

[@IsraelGarcia-rx6zv]

Yeah but the food still sits there exposed to a air borne virus 😶 I mean ... 🤷🏻‍♂️ To each his own.

[@twizack22]

@@japneetsaini5441 cafeteria style

[@japneetsaini5441]

@@twizack22 yea pretty much

[@saedm2359]

@@IsraelGarcia-rx6zv you're too paranoid man 😂

[@jayp1034]

The only time I wasn’t allowed to eat rice was at a buffet. Meat and seafood only 😂

[@pmarcusb]

I paid 160 bucks for me and my ex for a buffet in Vegas. I was pissed that I paid that much and the food wasn't worth it.

[@trublacking8572]

I'm sure you was I mean what kind of food was they promising

[@tiffanynerz1429]

I thought Vegas buffets we're super cheap? I guess not

[@phlotographer]

@@tiffanynerz1429 they used to be when it was a loss leader so people would have more $ to spend gambling where the real profit resides. However when the concept a creating LV as a family vacation location the cheap buffet disappeared. View some of the LV buffet youtubes and you will be somewhat shocked. However, likely for the ultra pricey ones, the quality will be much better. I still love buffets mostly due to choice as price is getting up but have recently gone to a restaurant and for 4 adults with tax and tip was $650. That is a few buffets.

[@jujub4553]

Tiffany Nerz Vegas buffets are like at LEAST $30-$80 dollars per person

[@CRuf-qw4yv]

@@tiffanynerz1429 They used to be...until Vegas casinos and officials discovered that most people visiting were not high-roller or even moderate gamblers. Most tourists went to see the attractions and new hotel themes...and signify. No cheap food for you miser.

[@robertbeacham4314]

I won’t take anything I don’t like, therefore there is no waste.

[@CarbageMan]

So, you're saying you have ESP, and know in advance what sucks.

[@terrencebynumbynum2024]

You live in Newark

[@karenstrycharz1499]

Carbage Man 🤣🤣🤣You had me burst out laughing when I read your witty comment! 😂Loved it!

[@fredgaspar851]

Me too. I only take my favorite. I don't like to waste food.

[@reginaldsmithers3468]

@@CarbageMan Some people are just better than everyone else. Maybe Herr Beacham belongs to a superior race of beings.

[@daisy5530]

None of these are scams lmao 😂 they're just industry practices that I'd say are well known. I expect them to be turning a profit, it's how businesses operate.

[@nancyomalley9959]

I think the creator of these videos is just a bitter conspiracy theorist who thinks everyone is out to scam him A true customer from Hell!

[@willn8664]

Apparently 3,500 idiots really think they are now being scammed even though most of this information is common knowledge. Also all the foods are fresh everyday.

[@jaimereupert4247]

5:18 ALL places do that so they can skimp on how much soda they give you. Bars, restaurants, buffets they all do this, that's why I always get my drinks with no ice so I get more drink. 😉

[@grantchow13]

I never heard anyone at an all you can eat buffet feel like they were "scammed". Your feel to eat what you want. Supermarkets,retail businesses and yes buffets set up their stores strategically to maximize "profit". What business is in it too lose money ? Get off your high horse.

[@PenAndSea]

I don’t care that much about how expensive the food cost to make. For me it’s about the variety. As long as I get to try a bunch of different food items at a buffet, it feels like money well spent.

[@worldtraveler930]

A Strong rule of thumb is to go around to the back of the restaurant and if it's Nasty and Trashy then just go somewhere else find one that isn't.

[@Martindaskomedia]

Thanks for the Studenomics mention in here! I've been conned many times by buffets.

[@larryburbridge6405]

I worked in so called fine dining and we did the same thing. leftovers became soup or some kind of special laden with sauce. leftover steak got ground up and made into shepherds pie. most restaurants reuse leftovers and some are not that judicious.

[@TheOriginalRick]

I was with a Seabee Navy Reserve unit in Fayetteville Arkansas during the late 70s. Because we did building projects during our weekend drills we couldn't make it back to the base for lunch. The command had a plan so that we could eat at a contracted restaurant for Sat/Sun lunch. The contracts ran for six months and then changed to a different restaurant. Our contract with an all-you-can-eat buffet only lasted two months before we got thrown out. The Seabees were eating so much that the owner was losing money each lunch. :-)

[@misssonja1]

Rick that was funny 😂😁😂😁

[@seangonzalez9025]

The Chinese buffet i went to let the customers get their own drinks and the crab was a huge item and ppl would pile their plates and the place kept it coming

[@rparl]

Once in the Northeast, we ate at an AYCE lobster place on the highway. But it had a slight gasoline taste / smell. I think it had turned or spoiled.

[@seangonzalez9025]

F-zero91maru 🤢That’s true but this one was pretty clean in an upscale area and fly free. I still didn’t use the pop machines and i drank from a straw with the drink i ordered. Lol! They even had cooks on deck making customized dishes and sushi rolls

[@vashtipritchett7253]

This woman has underestimated the amount of food I can eat.

[@TheMarcAPullen]

I used to love a monthly trip to Golden Corral, back in the before times, the long long ago. Price was fair for the vast variety of foods to try, and is a nice place to have family meals together, catch up on stuff.

[@meauxjeaux431]

USED to be $7.00, and it more than doubled....plus drinks, PLUS TAX !

[@davenwin1973]

My local GC locations were expensive, and the food wasn't great either. On top of that, the people the franchise hired didn't care about their jobs, that they were dirtier than Old Country Buffet. One location closed 5 years ago after that franchise owner ran it that dirty, that the board of health had to put an Unfit for Human Habitation sign on the location. The franchise owner of the other location took it over, and hadn't been open a year , and shut down due to the Corona Virus. Now the franchise owner of both locations got charged with murder in Missouri, and it's expected that his locations won't reopen at all. The local board of health has already made it difficult for buffets to reopen, that the Chinese buffets that had a lot of carryout business, are doing carryout only. Old Country Buffet was supposed to reopen by me, switching to a cafeteria style buffet, where employees serve us. 3 bankruptcies and the Corona virus caused the parent company of Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet, and Ryan's to close for good.

[@mtforeman2]

This was great when my kids were little. They could always find things they liked. They always thought it was such a treat to have a choice.

[@matthewbennett9928]

I've been to a Golden corral just last week and they reopened there's masking distancing so carry nothing to worry about and I serve the food to you

[@jeffmiller2682]

I went to GC onece a week got what l want andc as much only $12 a burger combo as much and l get a gut ache a or diarrhea for my money covid killed my guilty pleasure

[@sittingduck02]

I once ate so many lobsters at a $24 Christmas special buffet, boss lady came over to tell me she is ready to send me to hospital if needed. I told her to back off before loading two more extra scallops. She almost cried.

[@doctormorbius6430]

*Yeah, don't eat what you really want. Stuff yourself with only the most expensive dishes, because the point is to stick it to the buffet, right?*

[@sittingduck02]

@@doctormorbius6430 Nah. I saw plenty of fatsos loading up pizza soda & pasta and I felt obligated to balance it off on the other end.

[@AliB333]

Eh, even if they’re manipulating me, I pay like $20 for lunch at my local buffet and eat 2-3 plates of sushi and short ribs, plus dessert. I think I’m definitely winning.

[@sexygeek8996]

I always load up from the first few trays because I go to the steak and seafood first. Those of you who get bread, salad and pasta first, please keep doing so because it helps keep the prices down.

[@doctormorbius6430]

*Yeah, don't eat what you really want. Stuff yourself with only the most expensive dishes, because the point is to stick it to the buffet, right?*

[@sexygeek8996]

@@doctormorbius6430 Those expensive items are the things that I want. If I want the cheap stuff then I won't go to a buffet.

[@jclements7361]

Here in South Florida ALL buffets were closed down months ago. Sweet Tomatoes has since flied bankruptcy nationwide while I hear Golden Coral is barley hanging on doing take out only. I do not see them ever reopening. Maybe it is time to rethink the demise of old fashioned cafeterias. With most of the choice of a buffet, they all had people behind the counter serving the food into a small plate or bowl and handing that to you. That system is actually pretty COVID safe as only staff handles serving the food.

[@deonnadyson]

The buffets in my area serve cafeteria style...

[@HellRainsFromAbove]

Now I wanna go to a buffet with all this info and show them who’s boss

[@paulettepoole5476]

I guess people rather have more food than a hostess. You dont no whether you are eating leftover from a non buffet place either.

[@strategic1917]

R.I.P to all buffets I personally would go to Souplantation that was the first one to go

[@MegTelevised]

I miss sweet tomatoes alot

[@Technocrat.]

I always walk the buffet first, skip salads, go for the breakfast items, then meaty items, then slowly go back for items i like and finally a little desert and salad items.

[@lloydfox5752]

Shock shock! They make soup out of unsold product. LIKE EVERY OTHER RESTAURANT!!!!

[@toniroberts8117]

If you don’t have a picky palate, are able to eat a lot in one setting, and aren’t afraid to load up on the meats (& skip the jello), you can save money at a buffet. Personally, they are a rip off for me. I can’t eat much in a setting and rarely enjoy the crap food. Good quality buffets that I enjoy usually start at around $25-$30 so it’s not worth it for me. The only buffet I went to and truly enjoyed is I think the most expensive one actually. I was in Vegas and it was $100 a person but the food was beyond incredible. Amazing sushi, oysters, foie gras, lobster, crab legs, good champagne, incredible quality and probably would have cost more at a nice restaurant. Trust me, it didn’t taste better because it cost more. I’ve gone to $60 high end buffets in Vegas that were crap.

[@KaribeCuebas]

Yep, that's me too! It has been many years since I've to a buffet. I don't and cannot eat very much in one sitting. I just don't feel I get my money's worth. I know a regular restaurant can be pricey as well, but I get to take my leftovers home and eat them later.

[@alejandrorojas1423]

The Sushi and Hibachi buffets can be a good value. I go to one that's like 12 dollars. I go after the gym and usually end up eating up like a dozen pieces of sushi and probably a full pound of hibachi meats. Its dooooope.

[@toniroberts8117]

Alejandro Rojas Yeah, people like you are why my town doesn’t have cheap buffets anymore 😂 Good for you though taking advantage of a good deal.

[@Lady333333]

I am woman, and I like steak just like a man. Standing behind a man waiting for my turn, the server gave the man a nice steak. Then he looked at me took a steak from the far side of the grill then proceeded to cut it in half. I just stared at him and said give me the another steak back over there and don’t cut it...This has happened almost every time a go to a Buffet.

[@reginaldsmithers3468]

I know exactly how you feel. I am a fat man. I walked into a department store and a woman tried to sell me a bra. I stared right into her beady little eyes and told her to get me a leopard print thong from the secret drawer. This happens nearly every time I go into a department store, except for when I ask for a leopard print G-string (from the secret drawer of course).

[@MarkSmith-js2pu]

Years ago, before Vegas went corporate,there were buffets that we’re outstanding and inexpensive. That’s where I experienced my first and only Bananas Foster, that was at the Palace Station. So fantastic, they even lit in on fire after I got to my table. The Imperial Palace had a Bread Pudding that was legendary for good reason.

[@Yup712]

I love buffets! Nice variety and I can get as much, or as little, as I want. Restaurants saving money on servers, busboys, and cooks by having a buffet isn’t a “scam”, it’s just smart business! And I’m okay with that. One of the best buffets I’ve ever had in my life was at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas! It was soooooo good!!!

[@craigt5906]

Hey Mashed haven’t you heard theres a GLOBAL PANDEMIC going on and most buffets are CLOSED temporarily or OUT OF BUSINESS

[@fatbastard7539]

Buffets are open around here. I'm hitting Austin's Steak & Buffet tomorrow.

[@matthewbennett9928]

I don't know where you live but we have lots of buffets open where I live including Golden corral I just hit one up last week.

[@elliesmom0992]

When I used to go to the Chinese buffet, I got my money’s worth by filling up on seafood, meat and sushi. I would avoid most carbs

[@DS-pr1iw]

The thing with not needing waiters isn’t true at the only buffet I have ever been to. It was a really expensive steakhouse that had a Sunday brunch buffet, so there were waiters for taking plates and bringing drinks.

[@justinturner653]

Man, I have a friend who got kicked out of a china buffet. He was on his 8th plate, not slowing down. The manager came over & told him he couldn't get more food. When he asked "but I thought it was all you can eat" the manager replied "yes, and we're telling you that THAT'S ALL YOU CAN EAT" smh...

[@minty6476]

this is why i always pile my plate with 2 steaks and 3 pieces of chicken at a golden corral and don't eat for the rest of the day and night.

[@doctormorbius6430]

*Yeah, don't eat what you really want. Stuff yourself with only the most expensive dishes, because the point is to stick it to the buffet, right?*

[@ryanbrewer4785]

I always eat too much at them regardless of the little plates and serving tongs 😆

[@Thomisan1]

Around me theres 2 buffets that you order off the menu and they cook your food fresh and bring it to your table. Best buffets ive been to

[@berniemcclain9040]

While in my 20s and 30s I would eat plate after plate of higher end foods for 4 and 5 hours before being asked to leave. I only weighed 125lbs at the time and needed to eat all the time to keep from losing to much weight due to seizures that burned a lot of calories.

[@izzy9889]

The Chinese buffet near me knows that I'm there for a while heck I normally have my own waitress that I've known since we were kids and before old country went out of business the one at the mall i was almost always there every week for over 14 years

[@ashleymiears266]

I eat at cici and sometimes toward the end of the dinner when I start getting full I scrap off the toppings and eat it right off the pizza. Never eat the crust! Cici doesn't make a dime off me.

[@doctormorbius6430]

*Yeah, because the point is to stick it to the buffet, right?*

[@marinas.6612]

I often eat at least 3 plates when I go to a buffet, on top of soups. Buffets are for eating until you can’t eat more so this whole reminished returns is complete bs.

[@maryseflore7028]

My niece's father is a big eater (although he himself is NOT overweight), and one day in a Chinese buffet he ate 9 (NINE) well filled plates... The waitress came to him and asked him to leave the restaurant - which he graciously did. If he had stayed, he would have gone on for another plate and another, etc.... And the restaurant would have had to close for the rest of the day because they were getting low on food! LOL

[@hotgusta]

I feel like everyone makes soup or stew for the same reason. Chicken and corn chowder? That sounds like a "what's left in the fridge " kind of meal.

[@meauxjeaux431]

I'm fine doing the "work" myself. In fact.....I LIKE IT !

[@piper_fr]

I went to the one I know on my birthday and they kept asking us if we were finished and if they could take our plates. They also take your plates if you leave the table, so if you’ve just gone to get drinks, you might find your plate gone. It’s a big buffet and it’s really popular.

[@RoccoAntonelli]

I went into my first Chinese / Sushi buffet in years last week. I went to their website and did my own research on what they served and made a plan - no pasta, bread, rice or veggies. Drank soda sparingly. I went for the fish and ate my fill and felt I got good value. Did they make money off of me? Probably. But I had my fill and was satisfied. All Golden Corral's near me are closed.

[@jacobh9487]

I have no problem buffets making money off of me, as long as they don't recycle food out of the trash. It's my choice to go or not go to them. I may enjoy pastas and veggie more, and less about the meats on a particular day. What's important is my satisfaction at the end of the meal, and I'm not really into gaining crap tons of weight after I'm done. I just eat what ever I want to eat, not what is the most "efficient". I'm not from Somaliland or N. Korea.

[@AZK91]

Your last sentence? 😂

[@dawndubke1841]

I'd love to know the names of the movies highlighted in this article about buffets. They look hilarious!

[@Kenneth2413]

I get the amount I want of the dishes that interest me at buffets. Social pressure does not and never has worked on me. If anything, pressure just has me dig in more to whatever it is that I want/need or believe in.

[@riohughes1281]

I bloody love the Buffet!!! It's a great place to go with freinds and family! I love to bring a board game along and spend the day eating and drinking for hours on end!

[@milkymoogod596]

There's this buffet called lims international buffet and you have to pay first then you can sit down and eat which is pretty good

[@DrMRChef1165]

I already get a good deal for my buffet meals. Scamming is hardly the word

[@notmyrealname608]

Lin's Fusion in Fresno is awesome! About $11 for all you can eat sushi (and other stuff) for lunch. Not sure if they are still open due to COVID.

[@davidsebastianhartono]

I like how little commitment I have to give to a specific dish.

[@MrKilroi]

fun fact: The average person can only eat 2 LBS of food in 1 sitting, so if expensive seafood is your thing start there likewise with the meats.

[@doctormorbius6430]

*Yeah, don't eat what you really want. Stuff yourself with only the most expensive dishes, because the point is to stick it to the buffet, right?*

[@TheCanadianImp]

If I was at a buffet I'd choose the best meats then check out the rest

[@prva9347]

Not a buffet but a friend and I ate at a particular British supermarket and opted for their "any 6 breakfast items for" a fixed price (can't remember if it was 99p or £1.99). He asked for 6 rashers of bacon. He got them but next time we went they'd added a sign saying there was a maximum of 3 rashers of bacon per customer. My friend got me to ask for 3 rashers, which he had, while he gave me the 3 items he'd ordered that weren't bacon. We didn't go again, fortunately, as the food quality was poor, but he was the kind who loved an apparent bargain.

[@prva9347]

"The soup you're about to chow down on at your favorite chain? It may just be made from scraps of yesterday's entrees." That's what they did at my college halls of residence. Nothing wrong with that. It was economical, and usually it was tasty. During the lorry strike of ?1980, which lasted for weeks, it seemed that only parsnips had managed to be delivered, so we had parsnip soup every day and increasingly parsnip as the main course veg. Students got fed up with parsnip. On the daily printed menus people would write "parsnip" over the stated pudding. Eventually we took to serving as much parsnip onto our plates, not eating it, and scraping it into food waste, so that they could take the serving dishes still full of parsnips and turn it into soup.

[@prva9347]

Sorry, should read: so that they could NOT take the serving dishes still full of parsnip

[@norbsobil744]

I'm not affected with any of these. I always feel like I ate to my hearts content

[@jessicagodare]

When I go to to my local Chinese buffet I always get the more expensive items. Usual things like crab legs, shrimp, ribs, orange chicken, sweet n sour chicken, sushi, etc. Most visits I'm getting 3-5 plate that are overflowing. I spend under $15 including my drink. If I went to a grocery store there would be no way I could get this much food for under $15. The trick to getting your money worth is stay away from the breaded foods.

[@raymondcheung5366]

1. I don't tip at buffets. I'm doing much of the work besides cleaning, but that's what they do at Mcdonalds anyways. 2. Skip the salad, plain carbs, instead go straight for the seafood/sushi. 3. Scout the entire area first, and see all the foods you want. Then grab a tray and grab only what you picked out 4. Skip carbonated drinks. The gas will fill you up. Drink water or ice tea if needed. 5. You can fill up two plates each trip. So you don't have to spend as much time in line. I am a buffet connoisseur.

[@Mezzoflation2148]

I once went to a buffet where they let you take your own sashimi. One of the dudes took the tong, set it down, and carried off the whole plate, with a queue behind him.

[@robertlipsett2535]

Yea i saw the same thing once concerning crab legs and the guy behind him says hey. The first guy responds back that this is all i am going to eat and the response back was how with no teeth. He kept walking and then the entertainment started. Someone was serious

[@johnrogers527]

“You can only eat so much food!” Mukbanger: *no*

[@chrisashby4497]

It's ironic that you spend so much time talking in this video and others about the food industry repurposing food into another dish. Almost every single eating establishment will do this. Including high end eateries. You all act like this is a terrible thing, or that people who cook at home don't do the same thing.

[@ajaedwards85]

This is so true. There are so many restaurants that do this and everyone turns a blind eye

[@dontbeadonny3736]

And the repurposed food is often the "daily special'.

[@JasonBeeneistheLordGod]

Straight up truth, all this food goes to the trash & we all got brothers & sisters on the streets starving, how the hell does that make sense?

[@LuisPerez-pc9sm]

I think the best deals on buffets are specialty cuisines... Where a normal entree might be $10, but during buffet you can sample a wider variety without dishing out all the money required. Like Indian food, middle eastern, or south american buffets.

[@changkwangoh]

Amazingly, this was recommended to me after I watched several Joel Hansen and Darron Eats videos of them practically eating each and every item on the buffet and possibly bankrupting the buffets 🤣🤣🤣

[@JohnSmith-qg9sv]

Joel Will Eat You Out Of House & Home!!

[@TheCanadianImp]

The clip of what seems to be ripe fruit being wasted actually made me cringe

[@prva9347]

Non-serrated knives are usually what's available at a buffet/carvery. If you find it hard to cut your meat, you tend to take less (or ask for less) next visit.

[@theresachiorazzi4571]

My favorite buffet is Golden Corral. I love the variety there. It’s always good tasting too.

[@apesuit9820]

We go to buffet because we want to serve ourselves, there's no need of waiters.

[@11u510n15t]

When I eat buffet, I am the scammer.

[@EatCarbs]

Same thing at breakfast buffet's as well. All the filling starchy foods first. Meat last. I also skip the salad bar all together

[@miragespl]

That's why I go to the expensive food first in buffets. I usually ignore the more common entrees.

[@potatoplays9356]

Not a single buffet is "scamming" anyone... at least, not during Rona' Season.

[@MainUkraine]

Joke's on them I'm keto no carbs for me just meat and vegetables that are low filling.

[@JKLoans]

I actually don't mind them using yesterday's entrees to make new food. If it eliminates food waste, if there is nutritional value and it isn't contaminated, I say good on them.

[@angelamartin1717]

I’ve been HAD... I hit the salad bar...baked potatoes with cheese and bacon bits...then rice with meat topping. Once I get to the curving station...plate full 😩. Drink down two fountain drinks and a heap of warm rolls with the container of heart stopping butter