IKEA JULBORD RETURNS!

 The annual Julbord -  Christmas smorgasbord - at IKEA has been gone since the start of Covid. This year it has returned and we were there last night! There are, two seatings - 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm and 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm.  We were at the second seating at the IKEA in Hicksville on Long Island in New York.

The price has gone up considerably - but so have the restaurant prices at the IKEA restaurant - and even the snack bar.  The cost per adult was $19.99 IF you have an IKEA Family Card - which is free to get and there are kiosk machines all over the IKEA store to get one from. Without the card the price was (I believe) $25.99 for adults. The children's price was $10.99 - again with the family card. 

Tickets were on sale at the restaurant in advance in November and into December. They also had a "reservation" system which enabled one to reserve tickets online and pay for them when they arrived -  BUT the reservation did not guarantee you would get in. It only put you ahead of any possible walk ins that could take a chance that after all ticket holders came in and were seated.  According to the IKEA website the second seating - 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm was sold out but there were people there with reservations and there were people there looking to walk in.  Ticket holders were put in one line. There were two other lines for the other two.  It did look like everyone did get in and even during the course of the evening they were selling tickets and seating arrivals.  We bought our tickets three weeks in advance. 

We arrived at 6:10 pm and there was already a line of ticket holders. We were in the first quarter of the line and the line grew after that.  The Hicksville IKEA restaurant was renovated and re-decorated in the past three years.  The room was rearranged and there were door enclosed refrigerated cases added to the serving counter where there previously were open cases.  We were not really sure how much of the smorgasbord, how it was served, or how seating would be knowing the room now was very different. When we bought the tickets there was a sign that talked about the menu and that some items would be served to you by staff. 

We were let in at about 6:50 pm and we quickly looked around the room and headed to one of the tables for four near the center of the room.  While I had not noticed the band set up in a different place this year from previous years, it turned out that we had a great view of the band that entertains throughout the night.  We were glad to see that the same Food Service Manager was still there. He has always been very friendly and very nice.  He announced that the buffet table would not be open yet but to be seated and if you wish go up to the soda and coffee machines and help yourself while waiting.  The tables were each set with a red or white large paper napkin, with a knife and fork on top, and a glass with another napkin of the opposite color at each seat. 

The biggest change was that there was only one buffet serving table.  In the past there had been two -  both with the same foods and set up to walk down one side and have reach of what was on both sides - so that they could sent a line down each side of the table for people to serve themselves from the many dishes of Swedish foods.  At first we wondered if this was going to result in a longer wait when you got on line to go to the single buffet table but it really did not slow anything down. 

When the announcement was made that the buffet table was now open, tables started emptying with hungry diners heading for the buffet.  The line moved fairly quickly - yet no one was rushed. There was a dish cart with an employee who was handing each diner a dish - which is what they always have done.  She was very friendly an smiled with a "I hope you are hungry! Enjoy!" as you were handed your plate.  Then you were directed to go down either side of the buffet table. At the very start of where the line formed which was at the usual restaurant counter, there was a man with bottles of Glogg and Sparkling Apple Cider (both non-alcoholic) pouring and handing you a cup of your choice.  This led you to the lady with the plates and the food.  To the side of the buffet table was a small table with two servers. We wil get back to that later! 

On the buffet -  at the start of the table there were three different types of Swedish meatballs - one the regular meat meatball in cream gravy, another a plant ball with a chili sauce on them, and the third was a vegetable ball in cream sauce.  Following that there was a large bowl of Potatoes Gratin. This is potatoes made hash style and baked with a  brown crust on top. Following that were bowls of boiled red potatoes.  Two platters of thick sliced baked ham follow followed. Beyond that one on each side of the table were platters of herring - one in mustard sauce and the other dill.  Following there were two large bowls of chopped smoked salmon. There was also a large bowl of a cream sauce with what seemed to be potato salad - or it might have been a sauce to pour over the smoked salmon (I did not take any so I do not know for certain).  The best in my opinion followed- two large platters of very large slices of gravlax - cured smoked salmon - like lox but more seasoned with a very pleasant seasoning (not spicy - not "hot").  Last on the table was a tray of smoked salmon in a lime sauce. There was a basket of round hard "bread".  

From past years, was anything missing.  The only thing that they have had intermittently in the past were small "pinsky" sausages. There were none at this buffet. There was also no green salad which had been in past years - though, why fill up on salad with all of these great dishes to try and enjoy! 

There was a constant stream of kitchen staff replacing platters on the table. It was not until much later in the evening that I noticed anything not being out any longer and that was the chopped smoked salmon. 

Had this been one of the Julbord tables of the past - and this being a very new approach to the buffet set up- and not having the ablility to walk past to see everything on the table before I started taking anything - which I do at any buffet.   I took more than I would normally take on the first plate.  I took two meat meatballs, a large scoop of the Potato Gratin, a smaller sized red potato, a slice of ham - which I took from the plate at the other side of the table as the pieces in the plate in front of me were very large, two pieces each of the two herring, a lot of the gravlax,  a large spoonful of the chopped salmon, and a piece of the smoked salmon in lime sauce and headed back to our table. 

I tried a little of everything on my plate first.  It was all delicious.  I then proceed to eat it all! (It has been three years since the last IKEA buffet we had been to and I love the food served at these.) Between the mustard herring and the dill herring I liked the dill herring best - but the mustard was good too - and the sauce was not overly mustard in taste. The gravlax was exceptional and I did not regret taking as much of it as I did.  The ham was good. The meatballs were good. The ham was good - and nice piece of ham with a crust on the outside that was not sweet.  The Potato Gratin was excellent! The red potato was a plain boiled red potato - tasty in itself - and a nice taste!  We took our time and enjoyed what we were eating while listening to the band made up of an electric organ, an accordion, and a drummer. With other instruments picked up and played as the songs called for them. The music was a combination of classic Christmas songs, songs from Sweden, and Swedish Christmas songs. The woman at the organ/piano had a lot of humorous patter between songs - and they even set up a camera put their performance live on YouTube.  They also started calling children to come up and join in dancing, and toward the end of the evening they dressed children up to do the Swedish custom of Santa Lucia -  with (electric) candles on one little girls head who was Santa Lucia while the two of the band played the song Santa Luci and the woman marched the children around the room.  The kids loved it - as did everyone watching. 

Of course, first dish now empty, it was time to go back up. For me it was more of some of what I took first -  and at this point the chopped smoked salmon was gone. I took gravlax, of course!  I took the salmon in lime sauce. I took meatballs, Potato Gratin, another red potato, more dill herring, and with a full plate headed back to the table. 

My picky eater wife who is still a picky eater decided she would try one of the vegetable meatballs - she had taken the usual meat meatballs first - and she said she really could not taste any difference from the all meat meatballs. 

I did go back for a third dish - dill herring, gravlax, Potato Gratin, and now there was out a soft flat bread that I took a piece of.  As I ate it occured to me that were I to go down to the food section where IKEA sells all of these Swedish foods - were I to buy a small jar of the herring and a package of the gravlax it would have cost more than the $19.99 I paid for the smorgasbord.  And other than at a buffet, they are well out of my ability to afford them (even in a supermarket or restaurant)

 By then Santa came out to greet all of the children - carrying a yellow IKEA shopping bag full of small stuffed toys which he handed out to the children.  Sometimes at these Julbord dinners it is hard to tell who is in the Santa suit but we were pretty sure this was the Food Service Manager. 

Oh yes, that small table next to the buffet table with two servers at it -  this was one of the best changes this IKEA made this year. This was the dessert table. On the table was a large bowl of Swedish  rice pudding, chocolate and coconut covered balls (with a mocha filling), almond/chocolate/caramel cake - a crunchy cake, and there were a stick of cake that was green with each end dipped in chocolate (possibly marzipan???).   I had to have some dessert and asked for a scoop of rice pudding and the chocolate/coconut covered ball with mocha inside. Each served to a plate and handed to me - and that is what was so good as opposed to other smorgasbord dinner here in the past.  In the past the desserts were served buffet style from a small buffet server.  Before most were even finished with the main course, diners would go lto the deserts and pretty much empty it all out. More would be brought out and again it would be emptied in no time.  This was the first time at one of these dinners - and not just the Julbord Christmas one - I had a choice of all the desserts because they were all remaining.  The rice pudding was excellent.The chocolate ball was good but a little too sweet for me. 

From what was said - by the band at the end of the night. There will be a summer smorgasbord coming in 2024. There used to be three - one at Easter, one in the summer, and this one.  This past summer there was one at this IKEA but when read the sign about what would be served it talked about meatballs but did not talk about the various fish dishes - and we decided we would not go and hope for the Julbord to come back - which it did and here it was!

I  understand that not all IKEAs serve the same way for the smorgasbords - some have no music - and some have you go up to the counter and be served.  The IKEA near us is just as I have described in this article. As we were leaving, my wife said to me "Yes!".  I asked yes what? She said - yes about the music when we were coming here you asked me "do you think there will be the music and that band again?".  So the answer now was - YES!

SHADY MAPLE SMORGASBORD - 2023

 It has been awhile that we have been able to travel to Pennsylvania and have a chance to go to one of the Pennsylvania Dutch buffet restaurants. We choose Shady Maple for two reasons - one that it is the latest open buffet of any of the buffet restaurants in Lancaster County and two because it has been one of the leading buffets in this area that we have visited many, many, many times over the years and since the start of this site. We were only in the area for one night and this is where we dined.

It was a Wednesday night in early August. We arrived at about 5:45 pm which is very early for us to get to any restaurant for dinner, but because we did not know for sure what we would find in terms of crowds and the earlier hours of closing, we wanted to be sure - since we made the trip - that we would get in and have the time to enjoy the meal without being rushed because of their new hours.  They stop letting diners in at 7:30 pm. This is one half hour earlier than their regular hours have been for years when they closed at 8:00 pm.  They recently announced that they would serve until 45 minutes past that time. (Which is not bad - considering the others are open until 7:00 and seem to shut down at that time.)   I had not expected a line as when they send out emails trying to increase business. There was a line when we arrived. Two lines at two cashiers (as always you pay when you enter) and the lines went back from the cashiers to the entrance doors. We waited on line at least ten minutes to pay. (They now are using the "Shady Maple Rewards Card" that their supermarket uses and the card is free - apply on their website". You hand the cashier the card and it is scanned and you earn rewards money with payment for your meals.  If you have reward money coming to you, you are asked if you want to use it for the meals you are paying for. As always at Shady Maple, the tip is included in the price of the dinner. You do not tip at the table. After we paid we then went to the dining room and there was a another line to wait to be seated. That line was also long and it took another ten to fifteen minutes before we were at the front of the line and were seated at a table.  (This all takes away from dining time when there are shorter closing hours - and while it was not as much as an issue here than it could have been - for those buffets closing at 7, it would make a difference.) 

While "officially" Covid is considered over, there has been an increase in Covid cases so far this summer - equivalent to numbers a year or so ago. Some employees were wearing masks. Most were not. No one dining that we saw was wearing a mask (we were not) and the large dining rooms were crowded. They still put out disposable gloves to take - if you want to - to put on your hands when you handle the serving pieces. This is a good thing considering the number of people that are there and handling the serving spoons and clippers, etc. We saw no one wearing any. We thought about it and did not. 

One of the reasons the buffet restaurants have all shortened their hours is that they cannot find new employees to work since Covid started and this has continued not that it has "ended". There seemed to be a good number of table servers, those at the grills, and those putting out refills at the buffet tables. I recognized a number of employees that I had seen in past visits - before Covid. 

The grills were busy and crowded. The buffet tables were crowded with diners and at times it was hard to move down the aisle.  Many did not look (or act) local though there were local people there as well and I saw two Amishmen at the buffet tables filling their plates. The day that we were there was the last of three days with dramatically different weather from the severe storms that this area has been having weekly since the start of July - these three days were sunny and cool in the 70s without high humidity. That is one of the reasons why we picked this day to go - and our visits to local places during the day - we saw the same large crowds. Apparently a lot of people decided to take this opportunity to go there. (Following days were to go back to hot and stormy!)

We started the meal with a cup of Chicken Corn Soup. This is a chicken stock soup with noodles, corn, and pieces of carrot.  The soup tasty but it was salty  - more so than it should have been or has been in the past here. 

The Wednesday night grill special is Prime Rib.  I have not had Prime Rib since before Covid started three years ago. I have looked forward to coming on a Prime Rib night at any of the buffets here that serve it one night a week and that was the first thing I went to get when we had finished the soup. You can ask for how you would like it done and they are carving from different pieces to slice you what you ask for. I always want beef rare and I got as a nice sized slice of rare Prime Rib rare.  I ladled some Au Jus gravy from the hot container on the counter. I added to my plate some dried corn and baked apples with dumplings from the buffet tables. Then I tried to make my way through the crowd who were meandering between the grills and the tables.  I was really looking forward to that slice of Prime Rib. 

The beef was tough and hard to chew. There was grizzle through the meat and there was a hard coating of what was put around the outside of the Prime Rib when it was roasted.  I cut around the grizzle and removed that and the thick fat there was in the slice.  I looked for the grain that seemed to be going in different directions in the meat. I managed my way to get small pieces cut to put in my mouth that I could chew through - but I was not really enjoying it.  I had been expecting much better - figuring that Shady Maple's beef would be more tender than the closest thing I have had to steak in some time which has been sliced beef, a quarter inch thick served at a local Chinese buffet cooked on a flat grill at the Hibachi counter - which  is barely chewable.  While the soup had been salty, the Prime Rib needed salt and I added a little.  A lot of grizzle, fat, and hard outer shell was left over on my plate when I had eaten the meat that I had cut away from that.

The two side dishes I picked - the dried corn was good as it always has been here. The baked apples and dumplings are small slices of apple cooked in a sugar sauce with dumplings. In the Pennsylvania Dutch language this is called "Snitz and Knepp"- though Snitz are dried apples that are reconstituted before cooking these apples were more like sliced apples that were cooked.  The apples were very sweet and the dumpling I took was underdone and hard. 

Near the soup was a pot of Chicken Pot Pie - which is not the baked chicken pie you get in other areas that is in a pie crust. The Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch make chicken pot pie as a stew of boiled chicken and large, flat, soft, square noodles with potatoes and carrots and some herbs in the broth.  In the Pennsylvania Dutch language this is a called "Hinkel (chicken) Bot (pot) Boi (pie).  It is one of my favorite PA Dutch dishes. I filled a plate with it.  This was good. There was a little more salt than I would have liked but not so much that it put one off.  The chicken was tender. The bot boi noodles were soft and moist and the seasoning was classic for this dish. This was not a disappointment to me at all!  When I finished this plate I should have gotten more.

Another grill feature that now is on every night is New York Strip Steak cooked on the flat grills at more than one grill station.  Instead of getting more Hinkel Bot Boi,  I had my sights on a real steak! They are cooking raw and unseasoned steaks - as they would come from a butcher on the grills. Again - as always with their steaks - you can ask for it cooked as you like it.  Of course, I ordered a rare steak, I was given a thick and large steak served onto my plate. The steak was almost an inch thick. It was nicely charred on the outside off the grill and being as thick as it was I knew it would be rare inside - as it was - nice and red but not raw!  To the steak I added some stewed tomatoes to my plate and some mashed potatoes. 

I cut into the steak cutting around the small amount of fat. The meat was moist and I put a piece from my fork into my mouth and it was tough and chewy! (What the heck?!) It was tasty.  I managed to cut it small enough to chew and finished the steak.  But again tough and chewy steak was not what I have had at Shady Maple in the past! The mashed potatoes were good and fresh made, as were the stewed tomatoes. 

 My wife who does not like steak took some sliced ham and had looked for sliced turkey that was not out.  It was brought out later.  She - as always - is a picky eater- and is happy with not overdoing it at buffets.

I have gotten to the point not having been in many buffets for some time other than a Chinese buffet that is local that I can't eat like I could in the past - so I take care not to over do it.  The steak plate was it for my main courses. 

I went to the dessert buffet area and took a nice piece of chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. The cake was good but a few bites of the cake and suddenly my stomach felt very sick.  I took off quickly for the restroom and just made it in time and I was in there for a long time and had to find another restroom shortly after. Clearly I had food poisoning. What did it I am not sure. It could have been the excessive amount of salt in what I had eaten or the grease and fat in the beef. All I know is this was the worst experience I have ever had a Shady Maple and most of the buffets we have dined at.  My wife ate different things than I did and she was fine!

 It was about a quarter to eight when we were back in the car.  We could have gotten there a little later and not had any problem with the 8:15 closing time - and I heard an announcement that they would close at 8:30 but I could not hear if that was for the building or the buffet. There is a large gift shop on the lower level of the very large restaurant that used to close at 9 - so perhaps that was what the announcement was for. 

This was not the good review I anticipated writing before having this meal at Shady Maple. It is, without a doubt, the worst review I have ever written for this restaurant over the years.  Is it that everywhere beef has gotten so expensive that the quality of the meet that is available is just not up to what it once was and is tough and chewy?  Buffets are not fine steak houses with the best cuts at $50 to $100 dollars and more!   I am thinking so! If I had not had the Prime Rib and the steak would I have had a better experience on this visit? If I just had the Hinkel Bot Boi I know I would have. I just don't know about the beef or the large quantity of salt that was in the foods I ate!  My wife liked what she had. 

Go, don't go? It has been better. I has rarely been this crowded on any week night - even in the summer - but this has been a very unusual summer! I have rarely been disappointed in anything I have eaten here in the past! This buffet is the largest buffet in the world! That is true!  This site has awarded our Best Buffet of the Year award many times. It would not get that award - which we have not given in a number of years to any buffet - this year based on this meal.  Will I go back? Probably - at some time - but I will choose what I eat more wisely! BUT it will be a long time before I forget this experience and it may be a long time before I go back.

BUFFETS IN 2023

 Covid took its toll on buffet restaurants.  Many did not survive the pandemic. 

I will start with Golden Corral. Golden Corral has closed a number of its locations. Some were the result of Corporate's decsions. Others were the result of franchise holders who decided to close and never re-open their Golden Corral buffets. This is not to say that all Golden Corrals have closed. There are still Golden Corral buffets but they are much fewer and further between than they had been. 

One of the Golden Corral's we had been to many times is confirmed, gone forever. This was the Golden Corral in Freehold, New Jersey. It was closed by its franchise owner. It had been listed by Golden Corral on their website as "temporarily" closed.  I just learned that the building was sold and is being turned into a medical office facility. (As you will see as you read on this fate of buffet buildings is not that unusual.) 

This has all has effected the Pennsylvania Dutch buffets in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. While a few are closed, those that have remained open have cut their hours and some have cut the days that they are open. 

One of the buffets I have written the most about in Lancaster over the years is Shady Maple Smorgasbord. They remain open for business but they now close every night at 7:00 pm. During the pandemic when they re-opened, they were open until 8:00 pm as always before but only on Friday and Saturday nights.  Other weeknights were 7:00 pm closing.  Not too long ago they changed the hours for Friday and Saturday to a 7:00 pm closing. They state on their website that they remain open after the last dinner sold at 7:00 pm for 45 more minutes.  In the past, the buffet was out until almost 9:00 pm before they removed the food from the buffet servers. 

Yoders Family Restaurant and Buffet in New Holland, PA remains open 6 nights a week but closes at 7:00 pm Monday to Thursday and at 8:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.  This buffet has always  started to remove the food from the buffet tables right at 8:00 pm in the past. It seems that now with the nights it closes at 7:00 pm - it is really closing at 7:00 pm and you have to be ready to go. 

One of our favorite buffets in Lancaster has been the buffet at the Dutch Way supermarket in Gap, PA.  The restaurant is still open BUT the buffet is gone. It is menu dining only. The restaurant is still open until 8:00 pm - just no buffet. 

Dutch Way now has four locations with a new supermarket location in Ephrata, PA. This location does not have a full restaurant. It has a cafe with a limited menu. The only other of their locations that has had a buffet has been Dutch Way in Meyerstown, PA.  Meyerstown is not in Lancaster County. It is further northwest and a considerable drive from Lancaster. They still offer a buffet in their restaurant. They have maintained their regular hours with an 8:00 pm closing time Monday to Saturday. On Friday and Saturday dinner you can add an all you can eat prime rib buffet upgrade for an additional $3.99. If it was not so far out of the way, this would be pretty good. 

Bird-In-Hand Family Restaurant and Smorgasbord is closed on Mondays and the restaurant closes at 7:00 pm. In the past, when 8 pm was approaching the server would come to your table and announce that the buffet would be closing soon and if you wanted anything more you needed to go up to get it now.  I assume this still takes place. 

 Miller's Smorgasbord - a buffet that at one time was a favorite and then decided it would get "fancy" and attracted a lot of tourists. They are also the most expensive of the PA Dutch buffets. Many of the buffets we prefer have more local people than they have tourists (perhaps with the exception of Shady Maple - but Shady Maple will often have Amish families dining there). Miller's is closed Monday and Tuesday and is open until 7:00 pm Wednesday and Thursday with Friday and Saturday until 8:00 pm. They are open Sundays to 7:00 pm (the only PA Dutch buffet open on Sunday). 

Dienner's Country Restaurant has always had early closing hours for their restaurant and buffet. This very much a restaurant frequented by Amish and Mennonite local people. It is in Ronks, PA. As in the past, Monday through Thursday plus Saturday they close at 6:00 pm. Fridays they now close at 7:00 pm (in the past on Fridays the hours were until 8:00 pm). Other than Fridays in the past this was always just too early to get for dinner. 

Litiz Family Cupboard is in northwest Lancaster, County. Up until two days ago this restaurant and buffet was going out of business. They were not able to re-negotiate their lease with the property owners and they were having problems hiring staff for the restaurant. They had announced their closing  a month or so ago. They are a nice buffet with some very authentic PA Dutch items on tier menu and buffet including pig's stomach on one night a week.  They have been able to renegotiate their lease and are currently hiring - they are not going to close down as announced.  They are closed on Mondays and open until 8:00 pm as they have always been. The buffet is available on al open nights. The menu dining is only on certain days and this may change as they get themselves settled again. 

The restaurant and buffet at Oregon Dairy is open but closed on Mondays.  Tuesday through Thursday they close at 7:00 pm BUT prior to the winter they were closing at 8:00 pm. That may go back to 8:00 as the summer approaches. They are open until 9:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.  They are open Sundays until 2:00 pm with a breakfast buffet and a soup and salad bar buffet. 

Now - the sad news.   Good N' Plenty Family Style Restaurant is one of the very long operating PA Dutch restaurants in Lancaster. County. This was all you can eat served in platters to a long table where you sat with others.  The platters were passed around the table and when they were empty they would be refilled. This was a restaurant that I went to with my parents on trips to Lancaster many years ago. Due to the pandemic the owners decided to retire. They were not able to hire staff as the pandemic wound down and could not keep running the restaurant on their own. They had hoped to sell the restaurant as a going business to new owners who would continue the restaurant as it has always been. They received no offers to buy the business and they sold the building at auction. The building will no longer be a restaurant - and will become a community health and medical center (as noted with Freehold Golden Corral - all you can eat restaurant becomes a medical facility).  This medical center will be a not for profit organization focused on the local community and it is in the heart of an Amish and Mennonite area. 

Another buffet lost is the  Hershey Farm Restaurant (and Hotel). This was located south of Ronks and north of Strasburg.  A fire destroyed the restaurant and the complete complex that included a hotel and gift shop. The fire was the result of a torch setting the roof of the restaurant on fire during repairs.  All buildings burned to the ground. News crews recorded the event and a number of fire companies responded to fight the fire including Amish men who were in some of the fire companies.  This was not a favorite buffet but it is sad to see it go! 

Going on to other areas where there have always been a lot of buffets. I have recently learned that there are no longer any buffets at the Las Vegas casinos.  With slow business during the pandemic and what one report claimed - they were not making the casinos' money, they have closed. 

Some of the Atlantic City casinos still have buffets. Prices are high. 

The two casinos in Connecticut - Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun - no longer have their buffets open. Whether this is permanent or will change is unknown to me. 

 What buffets seem to have been able to remain. For the most part, the Asian buffets are still in business and reopened back to their regular hours. Prices have gone up - but prices of everything have gone up.  We still go to a few of these- one fairly regularly. 

So what is going on and why are all of these buffets closing or cutting back open hours and open days?  The common answer each gives (and I have asked several with them not knowing who was asking) is that they cannot get employees to come back and work now that the pandemic is winding down. This makes no sense to me - but it is a reality.  

I keep hoping - in particular with the Lancaster buffets that they will see as this coming Summer gets near that they will see that they need to go back to the usual 8:00 pm closing and reopen the days they are closing.  This is a busy tourist area and they will get busy again and local people will be coming back as well this year. When visiting this area, with the number of people who typically dined at these restaurants - just two to three years ago - when you got there at 6:45 or 7:00 there were lines and you might not get seated until after 7:00 pm. With a 7:00 pm closing I see the need to be at the restaurant no later than between 5:00 to 5:30 pm. Local people who work don't get out of work until 5 - so if they want to go to the restaurant on a weeknight they rush home to get the family to travel then to the restaurant - it just does not work. And it will not work with visitors to the area either. The non-buffet restaurants are open. They have their regular hours. It is not like the buffets and all other restaurants are closing early.  If they don't go back to their usual hours and days it is going to hurt them even more than the pandemic hurt them.