It is Not a Challenge

Buffet. Smorgasbord. Food Bar. Soup and Salad Bar. All You Can Eat! All of these refer to a quickly growing and fastly becoming popular form of dining acrose the United States. These restaurants come in many forms from the big chain, standardized establishments, to the small town family restaurant, to the quickly multiplying Chinese buffet, the Casino Buffet, and on and on. Twenty years ago you only found this type of dining in a few specific regions - the Pennsylvania Dutch Country, for one, Las Vegas, another. Now they are everywhere. The one thing that they all have in common is that they offer all you can eat. Now, did you notice the highlighted word in bold print - offer - it is an offer and NOT a challenge! The correct wording should be all you care to eat - but when the mentality is that MORE is better, then that ALL YOU CAN EAT becomes very appealing. We (my wife and I) have found that once you get past the idea that you have paid your ten dollars and now you need to eat everything in sight, you will enjoy these restaurants much, much more.

Stand in the lobby or just outside one of these restaurants and listen to the comments of the folks as they come out. "Oh, I am going to burst!" "The food was great, I am stuffed - I feel like I am going to throw up!" They got their monies worth- but do they really want to feel that way after a meal. If they do, then the buffet was the correct dining choice. If they don't they could still enjoy the buffet, but just need to approach the meal with a little more sense. I am not a health or diet nut. Far from it. I have walked out of a few of these restaurants and made the same comments - there are times when you just cannot resist going back for one more plate.

These restaurants are a lot of fun but there are a few unspoken "rules" that will make the experience a whole lot more enjoyable for you and everyone else dining there. As I go along in these articles I will share some of these "rules". I will also be reviewing some of the restaurants that I have visited in my travels. I invite all of my readers to comment. Tell us what you think - agree or disagree. And if you have visited a restaurant that I have not written about, please tell us about it.