Another Old Country Buffet

I had an opportunity to have dinner at a different Old Country Buffet and though I eat at OCB often, I decided to see what happens at another location. I went on Memorial Day night to see this OCB on a night when the day would have been busier than normal. As it happened there was a carnival going on in the parking lot that day and night right outside the restaurant so business that day was good.

We went in, paid our $10.99 each plus the now additional $1.69 for beverages, and sat down. Immediately, looking around the dining room, the floors were clean. If there had been spills or things dropped during that busy day, and their must have been, they certainly had been cleaned up promptly. As soon as we were seated our server came over quickly and greeted us. Asked if if there was anything we needed and invited us to go up to the buffet. Now, this is a scene that takes place thousands of times at buffets everywhere, but this was certainly different for me at an Old Country Buffet. I watched as this same server went from table to table as people were eating, picking up dirty dishes almost as soon as they were put down, and asking the diners if they needed anything. Amazing!

We went up to the buffet and most serving trays were full enough and those that were low were being replaced by several people working at the buffet table area - in addition to the woman who was at the carving station. Throughout the rest of the night while we were there trays of food kept coming from the kitchen to replace what was "beginning" to empty out.

Even the food was prepared better. The pizza was not incinerated. The macaroni and cheese was not macaroni floating in liquid cheese. There were noodles in the chicken noodle soup. The Caesar salad had the proper amount of dressing on it.

When we went up for our beverages there was ice in both machines and not only were there plenty of clean glasses, there were also coffee cups as well. Why I am so surprised to even mention this? This is not something that I have often encountered at the usual OCB.

Now, I am not writing this to knock the usual OCB that I go to and I know a lot of you may take some of my other articles and say look, he is doing it again, but as I suspected all along it is not the chain - it is the location. And this pleasant meal at another OCB just goes to prove that. Perhaps refresher courses are required for some OCB restaurant management staff. A good manager trains good employees and makes a restaurant stand out.

I know that there are other OCB's out there just as good as this one. I have heard from a number of readers recommending OCB's all over the country. Again, it is not the chain, but the location.