Yoders of New Holland, PA Has A New Look

Yoders Restaurant in Lancaster County, PA is one of several supermarket located buffet restaurants in this area. The restaurant has always had a coffee shop appearance with long rows of wooden booths filling the room. In 2014 the restaurant renovated its dining room and removed all of the booths and replaced them with tables for four with the walls surrounding these with booths. The restaurant has taken on a completely new look and it is very much for the benefit. The walls are still being decorated with mural sized photographs of the farm that is Yoder's dairy. These photos are being taken by season and the Spring photo is missing at this point because with the odd weather here this year, photographic Spring has not really begun yet even though I am writing this a week from June.  It is all very nice and very pleasing.

We went there for dinner tonight. We went in about 6:30 pm on the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend. This is not a tourist destination restaurant and it was not busy. We were seated at a table immediately. We sat for about five minutes before our server appeared. In the meantime servers for the tables around us were visibly there. Where was ours? She finally did appear and we ordered the buffet and our soft drinks. Prices have gone up. Monday, Tuesday, Saturday dinner is $14.99. Wednesday and Thursday dinner is $13.99. Friday night is seafood buffet and that will set you back $19.99 each. Soft drinks - refillable by your server - are $2.29.

We have always liked the food at Yoders. This past year and on this visit, some of the food has been disappointing. The feature on the Thursday dinner are BBQ Smoked Brisket and BBQ Baby Back Ribs. The brisket was dry and while I was offered to top it with more BBQ sauce by the carver, I declined that and shouldn't have. The ribs were OK - a little fatty but tasty. They were not dry and did fall right off the bone. There was a tray on the hot buffet of thin sliced Prime Rib.  I took a small slice and it had a watery taste - beyond that it was tasteless. I tried the Salisbury steak in brown gravy and it was dry but very tasty. Ham balls were good. Mac and cheese with a nice crust is excellent. Buttered noodles in brown butter were over buttered but tasty. They always have baked oatmeal as a side and it is always good and was tonight. The meal was good but there were disappointments.

Service was just fair. The server would appear every so often to take away the plates on our table and she did offer drink refills twice. She was never visible in the dining room other than these brief and spread out visits.

I have noticed what I am about to say on other visits but it surprised me on this night that it involved the dessert bar. This restaurant closes at 8:00 pm and they mean it - even though they are still letting people in close to that time. It was just 8 and I noticed one of the workers closing down the dessert bar - emptying all of the trays into one large scrap tray and taking it all away. Had we waited five more minutes to go up for dessert that section of the dessert bar would have been completely gone.

I was asked this past year why Yoders did not make the list of best or top buffets - this is why. I want to see things get back to what they once were again. I really like this buffet and we will go back but they are not at their best for some reason.

I still recommend Yoders. The new look makes it a new experience. You might choose just the right things to eat and come away feeling this is an excellent buffet - and it can be. Consistency is important and that seems to be what needs attention there now.

Yoders  is located at Yoder's Supermarket or perhaps, more properly, Yoder's Country Market, Route 23, New Holland, Pennsylvania. The phone number is (717) 354-4748. There is a website posted at the side of this page.