Posted on 05/07/2023 3:57:37 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
The Covid-19 pandemic crushed all-you-can-eat buffets.
The owner of Old Country Buffet and Furr’s Fresh Buffet filed for bankruptcy in 2021. About the same time, so did Cicis and the owner of Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes. Operators cited occupancy restrictions, bans and health concerns. But now buffets are making a comeback.
In March, visits to three leading buffets — Golden Corral, Cicis, and Pizza Ranch — were up 125% from January of 2021, according to data from Placer.ai, which tracks foot traffic at restaurants and stores.
That figure outpaced the growth of visits to fast-casual chains and full-service restaurants during the period, according to Placer.
“The higher quality concepts that stuck it out are reaping some rewards, like Golden Corral and Pizza Ranch,” said Jonathan Maze, the editor-in-chief at trade publication Restaurant Business Magazine.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
125% from the death freeze of Jan 2021 is not exactly a sufficient recovery.
I have left the soup plantation.
Inflation has pushed more middle-class and lower-income customers to buffets, analysts say.
“It shows that people are looking for value,” said R.J. Hottovy, the head of analytical research at Placer.
Yessireebub, nothing like watching geezers fork-duel over the last desiccated pork chop at the Early Bird in the Golden Corral. Old Country Buffet was another good one. Or so I heard, uh, from a friend...
The Cinzetti’s Italian buffet just north of me is amazing, but their hours suck.
That doesn’t make sense. Buffets aren’t exactly cheap, it’s just that you can eat more for the same or slightly higher price you might pay for a normal entree at another restaurant. But Americans don’t exactly have a problem with getting enough food; quite the opposite.
When I was younger max calories per dollar was what I looked for in a restaurant. The local Chinese buffet was great for that.
Over the decades my metabolism has gone down and my bank account gone up, so I haven’t been to a buffet in quite a while.
I love Cinzetti’s, but haven’t been there in a long time. The only location in this area (Denver) is clear on the other side of the metro area.
“Furr’s Fresh Buffet”? Nope. I would have chosen a different last name for the cafe. It wouldn’t matter if I came from a long line of Furrs. I wouldn’t want to be thinking about some animal”s furr while I was eating vermicelli and sauce.
Chris (Mr. Creosote) Christie smiles.
That’s the one I was referring to. They stopped doing their lunches after covid hit.
Having a Pranch is a symbol of achievement for small midwestern towns. Good, too.
I’m saved!!!! I was starting to go sub 300 pounds which scared me. I’m like what’s wrong with me? The idea of walking without a cane terrifies me. I could fall and not get up! It’s safer to stay in the extra wide wheel chair. I’m working on getting it modified to have a toilet mounted underneath the seat. That way I can take a dump in Wal-Mart and not slow down in the snack and cookie aisle. But I’m getting off track here. But, yeah these all-you-can-eat places are the bomb. But they better have a good dessert counter. That’s important.
Stacy Abrams smiles through her 2 inch gap
When I was in college, a friend of mine who was about 6’6” and 250 lb would eat his only meal of the day at a local buffet restaurant. After a while I think they eighty-sixed him.
Like you, I don’t do buffets anymore, though I would if I found a good Chinese one.
I don’t eat enough to worry about buffets
I get full from just the something on the appetizer menu
My sis’ friend always wore his raincoat back in college
She said he had the greasiest pockets in Boston
He could easily miss a few meals
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.