Can Buffet Style Eating Make a Comeback?

I am sure a majority of us have been to an all you can eat. The most popular buffet restaurants always had the longest lines. Before COVID, we had no problem standing in long lines just to get our chance to grab an empty plate to pile heaping amounts of food onto it. The best part about buffet style restaurants was that we could sit there for hours and eat until our bellies were content. Then, if we had a pocket of room left to eat one more thing, we had to get the ice cream with numerous toppings. 

Of course, COVID has changed the way some of us feel about buffet style eating. No matter how pricey or inexpensive the buffet, germs and illnesses will be one of our first concerns. I am not so sure I am ready just yet to eat at one of these establishments, but I am not completely ruling it out forever. I am sure the buffet owners have it all figured out and are taking preventative measures to control overcrowding and utensil handling, among other necessities. I never did like touching those big metal utensils anyway and would wash my hands before I ate. That was a family rule.  

I loved going to Amish Country in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to eat buffet style. They always had quite a spread and everything tasted homemade. The food was absolutely delicious and I enjoyed every morsel. It was only an hour away from my hometown. I remember one year, my mom rented a limo to have a driver take the four of us to go celebrate my dad’s birthday. My dad is a big foodie like me and he enjoyed making several trips back to the buffet station. The driver waited for us outside while we indulged in every eye-popping morsel of food. That was one of my favorite memories. 

I highly recommend visiting Amish Country in your travels. There are regular restaurants too, if you are not quite ready just yet, to resume buffet style eating. You are not alone. Just know that lots of people are having trepidation about returning to a normal Post COVID lifestyle. I do hope that buffet style eating will survive. Only time will tell. I am sure the hardest part for an all you can eat restaurant owner is whether to stay in business or close their doors. It will take a while to bounce back because of the virus. We all have to do our part in staying safe. Imagine the stress restaurant owners have to endure just to keep us safe and healthy, while trying to recover from the effects of being closed due to COVID.  

Can Buffet Style eating make a comeback? Some will survive and unfortunately, some will not. We should all try and support our local business owners and do all that we can to support our favorite food establishments while accepting the rules that the owners have been mandated by their state to follow. At the end of the day, remember that we are all in this together. Good food is here to stay, before COVID and Post COVID. Enjoy Yourselves!

1 thought on “Can Buffet Style Eating Make a Comeback?”

  1. There was an amish buffet in colorado we used to visit and you are so right, every eyepopping morsel was to die for.
    thank you for this article.
    id do see that the sizzler is open for salad bar in grants pass, oregon. not too sure i walnt to go there yet.

    Reply

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