I’m not a huge fan of buffets, but that has more to do with the fact that I don’t tend to eat enough to make the price worth it.
As for the food, I usually find it good but never great, and I do my best not to think about all the ways it could go terribly wrong from a food safety standpoint.
That doesn’t mean I’m not morbidly curious, though.
And when the owner of an All-You-Can-Eat buffet decided to open himself to questions on Reddit, it seemed I’m not the only one.
1. Unsurprisingly, many people specifically asked about how the food is prepared.
Also unsurprisingly, it turns out many of the dishes are prepackaged and frozen. But, at least the meat dishes are made in house.
2. “What is the largest amount of food you have seen/heard about someone eating at one sitting?” — aaronthenia
Certainly, anyone worth mentioning in the answer to this question got serious value out of the cost of the buffet.
Now that’s just underestimating people.
Whether they shouldeat more than two pounds of food is one thing, but I know a lot of people who believe that they need to get their money’s worth and will eat long past feeling stuffed.
3. Continuing the theme of gluttony, other users wondered about how much money is lost on expensive items.
Sure, the seafood and meat dishes may cost more to make, but most people fill up on noodles.
4. “As a fan of American-Chinese food, I have to ask, Hot and Sour Soup. My absolute favorite but it is never the same place to place,” asked thehungrydrinker.
“Some is ok, some is amazing, never had one I hated, what is the story on it?”
I’m not sure what I’d prefer, my soup being thinner than usual due to fewer eggs, or the restaurant opting to substitute cornstarch.
I mean, it would make the soup the right thickness, but it just wouldn’t be the same.
5. “What is one item you would advise people to stay away from at an all you can eat buffet?” — hacks_podcast
You know, I thought I’d be more surprised at the sushi being safer, but his logic about stricter standards makes sense.
6. “Why do the deserts always look so delicious but taste like stale cardboard covered in colored sugar?” — ld43233
I’d take this a step further because I don’t even think the frosting tastes like sugar, just food coloring.
Honestly, as much as I love sweets, I just skip dessert when I’m at a buffet.
My one exception is at a local sushi place where the dessert options include red bean ice cream, which is the best.
7. The sushi may be okay, but stay away from those oysters.
“From groceries and fisheries past their prime”…yuck! Like, it’s not even that they’re sitting in the buffet trays for too long. They’re bad before they even arrive!
8. “Is your restaurant menu fairly standard, or do you try new menu items regularly to mix things up?” — samwisep86
I hate it when my favorite dish disappears from the menu, but his explanation makes a lot of sense.
9. Of course, we all want to know why our favorite dishes never seem to be available.
His explanation makes a lot of sense, though. Having to hand-dip each chicken wing would take a lot longer than dumping sauce into a bowl to cover a bunch at once.
Why not just toss all the wings in a big bowl of sauce?
Well, they’re messy enough already. Do you really want sauce all over the spot you’re meant to hold? And it would be much harder to control how much sauce was on each.
10. Got more than one question? No problem. He’s happy to answer them all.
The pests answer is most interesting to me, in that it puts my concerns about cleanliness to bed.
11. “What’s the best sauce you’ve found over your life that would make most things taste a lot better?” — solutionsfirst
Really, are we surprised by this answer? That red sauce with the rooster on the bottle makes everything better.
12. I knew the profit margin on fountain drinks was large, but wow!
It makes sense, though. One container of flavor syrup can fill a ton of cups before needing to be replaced.
13. If you’ve ever wondered whether people try to scam the all-you-can-eat: they do.
Luckily, people apparently tend to leave the cheap stuff, like noodles, on their plate, rather than the protein.
Whenever my family goes to a buffet, it boggles my mind to see how much food my father piles on a single plate.
I’m more of a multiple servings girl. Then my food is still warm when I’m finishing a plate of it.
14. Sometimes, his answers to questions of gluttony or waste sound like a dare.
I don’t know, I’ve seen remarkable amounts of protein get eaten at buffets. You almost want to try it just to prove him wrong.
15. The issue of homelessness is tough for businesses, but this guy does it right.
Not only do they let people work for food if they need it, but some have even gotten permanent jobs!
16. Continuing the trend of proving that this guy is a good dude, he gives discounts to the elderly or disabled.
I think a lot of restaurants would just shrug at a person who literally can’t eat a full-sized meal and just charge them full price.
17. Dumplings FTW! Eat all the dumplings!
My heart would have broken if he’d revealed the dumplings were unsafe to eat. Dumplings are my happy place, and you should never mess with my happy place.
So here’s my takeaway from this whole thread:
Avoid the oysters and crab legs, enjoy the sushi, and eat all the dumplings. And sriracha is the greatest sauce on the planet.
