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Buffets Fantastic Eat til you pop or Leftovers that need to be left out

Poll ended at Fri May 11, 2007 11:37 pm

Yum I'll Eat til I pop
9
30%
No thanks I'll take a menu
21
70%
 
Total votes : 30
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Ned Weatherby

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Opinions on Buffets for local eateries

by Ned Weatherby » Wed Apr 11, 2007 11:37 pm

Okay I was up at my fave place and John and I got to discussing the buffet. For those wo have never been to NJ's they have a steam table set up with six full size pans for lunch and dinner buffet items such as fried chicken, mashed potatoes, etc. Well these tables have been a staple in the restaurant since they were kaelins long ago. Well since Norma and John took over they are focusing more on the menu and not the buffet. We got into the discussion on whether it is viable to keep the buffet going or whether they are just wasting money. I never was a big believer in the buffet and probably have not eaten it in a year or so. I was wondering what the forum thought of buffets in general and whether it makes any sense for local eateries
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Sonja W

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buffets

by Sonja W » Thu Apr 12, 2007 12:29 am

I dislike buffets and avoid them. The food overcooks, dries out and the texture is ruined.
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carla griffin

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by carla griffin » Thu Apr 12, 2007 6:28 am

The only one I can remember going to where the food wasn't fairly bad was the old New Orleans House. It was great because it was all seafood with your choice of steak or lobster at the end. I usually filled up on raw oysters. Any other buffet I have ever been too was the same as described in the posting above. :cry:
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Robin Garr

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Re: Opinions on Buffets for local eateries

by Robin Garr » Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:09 am

Ned Weatherby wrote:I was wondering what the forum thought of buffets in general and whether it makes any sense for local eateries


Mixed opinions here, but I went ahead and voted "yes" just to be contrary. ;)

Seriously? I think a buffet can be fun and enjoyable, but it requires a real commitment on the restaurateur's point to keep the pans in good shape, keep them filled and don't give them time to congeal or get nasty.

Since a buffet is a great deal for the restaurant, too many places use them to save money and, seemingly, figure that the gluttons who like them won't care what kind of cr@p they put out.

But it can be done, and when it is done well, it's a good deal for the restaurant and the hungry consumer. The old New Orleans House has already been mentioned, but I'd note that most of the region's quality breakfast buffets are decent. The Chinese buffets range from okay to horrible - I think the cost-cutting decision plays strongly there. But the Indian buffets aren't bad - I've never been disappointed in India Palace, although Shalimar's can get pretty nasty toward the end of lunch; they're not good about keeping the selections in good shape after the crowd starts to thin. Thai Taste on Brownsboro does an excellent job ... they put out only a little at a time but keep tabs on it and bring out refills when necessary to keep everything fresh. Ditto Sari Sari for its Filipino buffet, where they keep the selection small and keep an eye on things. Pizza? Scott does an outstanding job with a lunch pizza buffet out at Fast Break, and no complaints about Tony Impellizzeri's lunch buffet. But Pizza Hut? Ehhhh ...

So really, like just about everything else in the restaurant world, buffets can be great or they can be lousy, and much depends on management's commitment to quality.
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Ned Weatherby

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Agree and disagree

by Ned Weatherby » Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:47 am

While I agree that buffets can be a very good thing overall assuming that is what the restaurant does primarily but if you have a great menu then I think the buffet is more of an afterthought and tends to detract from the menu. I mean if you look at NJ's menu and then look at the buffet it seems like a whole different world and put on top of that the cost of keeping the buffet stocked and all the food that potentially goes to waste I think it could potentially be a money pit. Chinese buffets are always an adventure for me as I usually go with my wife and she is ever the conoisseur I guess of Chinese buffets her favorite is one in Columbus called Asian Star and she says none can compare down here. I see the chinese buffet as one of those restaurants that you can order everything from one vendor and it arrives in a huge box complete with decor and servers from China. I have yet to see one that stands out from any other one on buffet choices.
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Bill Veneman

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I'll take a buffet

by Bill Veneman » Thu Apr 12, 2007 7:59 am

Especially at an "exotic" place, IE, Chinese or Indian establishments. I like the varity and the ability to check out the different things. Now, that being said, some of these MEGA buffet's take it to the extreme and cross the lines of the theme.......

Yes, sometimes you run into a situation where the buffet is a bit past it's prime, however, the ones that I tend to go to are very effecient on food rotation.

Some of the favs: India Palace Lunch Buffet, Jumbo Buffet, KFC Buffet on Taylorsville Road. Additionally, love the Sunday brunch buffet at Bristol and Limestone.
If life's a Banquet, what's with all the Tofu?

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Leah S

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by Leah S » Thu Apr 12, 2007 9:15 am

I'll chime in on the yes front too, but with a *. Breakfast buffets are quite usually good. Buffets are practical for lunch for many people who are on a limited timeline. I particularly like the soup, salad and dessert bar at Limestone, which works like a limited buffet and this idea might be the best of both worlds. Offer a reasonably extensive non-entree buffet/bar and then offer mains from the menu. Peple can just eat from the buffet/bar if they're needing to get in and out, or both buffet and menu if they are so inclined.

India Palace and Kashmir do a fine buffet, rotate the food appropriately, don't try to overstock the pans, etc. So it can be done.
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by Ron Johnson » Thu Apr 12, 2007 9:22 am

I like the idea of pizza buffets, although most are executed poorly. At lunch who wants to order a whole pizza? The buffet concept is similar to buying pizza by the slice like is popular in NYC, but with more flexibility. I like being able to have a couple of slices of very different pizzas for a quick lunch.
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by Aaron Newton » Thu Apr 12, 2007 10:40 am

In college we'd often eat at the Mr. Gatti's on Preston near Eastern Parkway. While I was never crazy about Gatti's pizza even then, you could almost always guarentee the food would be fresh. Almost too fresh, as we'd often spend time waiting at the buffet for the next pizza to come out, because they literally couldn't keep it stocked.

But at least it was fresh.
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Tina M

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by Tina M » Thu Apr 12, 2007 3:01 pm

I hate buffets. That many more people to sneaze on the food.

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