Have you been to an Old Country Buffet or Ryans lately and noticed the absence of the Stir Fry station? This is now gone from the Buffets Inc. owned buffets after some locations went through construction to install a permanent station for what was to be a regular offering at the restaurants. An anonymous, inside source at Buffets Inc. tells me that this is only temporary and has been done due to poor overall earnings in the past quarter. It was implied that cutting out the stir fry would save on employee salaries and other expenses related to the stir fry area. An email survey sent out to some OCB customers on their email list makes me suspect that they have other plans.
The survey asked about having breakfast omelets available all day. These would include a variety of omelets containing your choice of a number of ingredients. To further enforce that this is likely going to happen, at a local OCB where a special area was constructed - taking away already limited table space - for the stir fry. That sign above that is now gone and a sign for omelets has taken its place. I am sure that area has been used all along since its installation for omelets for the breakfast buffet but suddenly this very large sign was put up over it. An earlier similar survey had asked about baby back ribs and those made an every night dinner appearance on the buffet several weeks later.
I am, frankly, not surprised that the Stir Fry is gone. It was very dependent on the skills of the people cooking at it, and that there was actually someone assigned there - and not that someone wandered over eventually when someone came up to the grill which I observed at several OCBs. The other problem was the ingredients. While the chicken was passable, the beef always looked like dried out scraps of left over roast beef and more than once I heard people ask with a face, "What is that?" pointing at the beef in the tray behind the counter. It was quite unappetizing in appearance.
So far, no omelets yet. But I suspect that you will be seeing them soon at an OCB, Hometown Buffet, or Ryans near you. Will I try one? It will depend upon how they are being cooked and what the ingredients look like. I have not been to an OCB for breakfast so I do not know how the omelets are made. If they are cracking fresh eggs then I will try one. If they are pouring an egg mixture from a pitcher, then no, I will stay clear.
Showing posts with label stir-fry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stir-fry. Show all posts
Friday, September 27, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Mongolian Stir-Fry at Old Country Buffet and Ryans PART 2
See our article of March 22, 2013 for PART I
PART II
The next visit was the night I would try it, but when I went up and that the young man who was being trained was gone but a very personable young lady was there in his place. I went up and she smiled - so rare at an OCB from many employees with very special exceptions. I asked for chicken with noodles and vegetables. She filled a large ladle with noodles - thin lo mein style noodles which OCB had previously been using when serving Lo Mein on the buffet. The noodles went in the pan and another large ladle of chicken went on top, followed by a large ladle of vegetables. On top of that a very small ladle with teriyaki sauce went on top and the frying pan went on the cooktop. As it heated she started stirring with a spatula. She mixed and stirred. Steam came up as it cooked and the noodles turned to a light golden color from the sauce. She asked if I would like it spicy and I told her no. There was a large bottle of hot sauce on top of the counter. You bring your own plate up to the counter and hand it over when the stir-fry has finished cooking. She filled my plate - still smiling. The plate of food smelled very good. It tasted good too!Alright! When properly made this had possibilities and an addition to the buffet that was worthwhile.
My next OCB visit was to Levittown. I wondered if this would be just as good. I did not even bother to try it there. There was a small crowd around the corner of the dessert counter where the stir-fry is. I went over to look at how the food looked coming out of the pan. It was consistently a deep dark brown. They were putting in way to much sauce. I watched as they poured ladle after ladle of teriyaki sauce into each pan. Instead of a pleasant smell coming from the pans, you could smell the sugar coming from the cooked sauce and you could see the dark brown liquid pouring out with the food onto the plates. This was nothing like what I had enjoyed at the other OCB. This was not appealing at all.
I wondered if my stir-fry plate in Bay Shore was a one time experience. The next visit that we were at Bay Shore I tried again. This time the young women who cooked my food was not there, but a new young man was there. He was very pleasant also and had a good sense of humor and attitude as he worked. He was personable and chatted with the guests as he cooked. I asked for the same thing I had the first time. He followed exactly the same process as the young woman had and produced a plate that looked just the same. Then he offered me an egg roll on the side - a light flaky crust, fried roll with vegetables inside. That was a nice compliment to the stir-fry and it was fairly good. Another visit here found the same good preparation and enjoyable plate - this time with two egg rolls on request.
I would love to say that this is how it always is - but I cannot. Another visit to Bay Shore found a long line at the stir-fry counter. So long that by the time I had finished my second plate from the buffet - after soup and salad - there were people still on the line that had been on the line when I went up to get on it. It was the same personable young man - but he did not seem to be cooking. He was out of multiple items that he needed to cook - and much of the time these people on the line were waiting with him for these things to come out of the kitchen so that he could do his job and fill their plates. This is not a good thing.
One thing is that this is not like a Mongolian stir-fry that you would find at an Asian restaurant or buffet. There the meat and the vegetables start raw and only cook on the grill where it is served to you. There you choose and assemble the dish yourself and hand it raw to the cook who cooks it for you. Here it is all pre-cooked and if something runs out - and there is not much kept on hand at the cooking counter - the whole operation stops until trays are refilled. Whoever at Buffets, Inc. came up with this process had no idea of its pitfalls.
Has it struck you that the Mongolian Stir-Fry is a weak attempt to come up with a comparable feature as the Seafood Saute at Golden Corral? And that feature is one of the worst ideas that Golden Corral ever came up with because the process of cooking to order like this in a buffet has the potential to back up the entire buffer serving area. At Golden Corral this backs up the steak and meat grill as the Saute shares that space. Lines for both intersect into long waits and confusion of guests who cannot figure out where to stand or what line to get on for which one. Here, at Old Country Buffet, that started to happen on the night at Bay Shore where the line never moved - for lack of ingredients at the stir-fry to cook with. The line started to stretch into the long space blocking a buffet server and access to the buffet area from the dining room next to the stir-fry counter.
At best, I can say that the Mongolian Stir-Fry at Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet, and Ryans is inconsistent. I can be very good if the people cooking are well supplied and know what they are doing - and following the recipe that has been set for this by corporate. It can be the opposite in the hands of cooks that are doing their own thing. The other problem is that there needs to be one or two employees assigned to do the job of cooking the stir-fry and nothing else. They cannot be called away to fill serving trays on the buffet, bring out plates for the buffet, or get ice for the ice machine. In a chain of restaurants that have cut back the number of employees that are necessary to properly maintain the buffet and maintain the dining room, a feature food that needs full attention is certainly not a good combination.
Before trying this feature - even in the same location - stop and watch what is taking place as it is cooked. See if they are doing it as it is supposed to be done - and from what I have seen and had come out successfully from the pan is a ladle full of noodles or rice, a ladle full of meat (avoid that odd beef), and a ladle full of vegetables, topped with ONE small ladle full of teriyaki sauce. If you want it hot, ask and they will add hot sauce - but from comments that I have heard by those who had the hot sauce added, don't let them put too much unless you really like to eat things impossibly hot. (Again, I get this from comments of those who thought it would be good.)
So - the Mongolian Stir-Fry is hit and miss. Hopefully, you will find more hits than misses. I have come across more misses than hits.
PART II
The next visit was the night I would try it, but when I went up and that the young man who was being trained was gone but a very personable young lady was there in his place. I went up and she smiled - so rare at an OCB from many employees with very special exceptions. I asked for chicken with noodles and vegetables. She filled a large ladle with noodles - thin lo mein style noodles which OCB had previously been using when serving Lo Mein on the buffet. The noodles went in the pan and another large ladle of chicken went on top, followed by a large ladle of vegetables. On top of that a very small ladle with teriyaki sauce went on top and the frying pan went on the cooktop. As it heated she started stirring with a spatula. She mixed and stirred. Steam came up as it cooked and the noodles turned to a light golden color from the sauce. She asked if I would like it spicy and I told her no. There was a large bottle of hot sauce on top of the counter. You bring your own plate up to the counter and hand it over when the stir-fry has finished cooking. She filled my plate - still smiling. The plate of food smelled very good. It tasted good too!Alright! When properly made this had possibilities and an addition to the buffet that was worthwhile.
My next OCB visit was to Levittown. I wondered if this would be just as good. I did not even bother to try it there. There was a small crowd around the corner of the dessert counter where the stir-fry is. I went over to look at how the food looked coming out of the pan. It was consistently a deep dark brown. They were putting in way to much sauce. I watched as they poured ladle after ladle of teriyaki sauce into each pan. Instead of a pleasant smell coming from the pans, you could smell the sugar coming from the cooked sauce and you could see the dark brown liquid pouring out with the food onto the plates. This was nothing like what I had enjoyed at the other OCB. This was not appealing at all.
I wondered if my stir-fry plate in Bay Shore was a one time experience. The next visit that we were at Bay Shore I tried again. This time the young women who cooked my food was not there, but a new young man was there. He was very pleasant also and had a good sense of humor and attitude as he worked. He was personable and chatted with the guests as he cooked. I asked for the same thing I had the first time. He followed exactly the same process as the young woman had and produced a plate that looked just the same. Then he offered me an egg roll on the side - a light flaky crust, fried roll with vegetables inside. That was a nice compliment to the stir-fry and it was fairly good. Another visit here found the same good preparation and enjoyable plate - this time with two egg rolls on request.
I would love to say that this is how it always is - but I cannot. Another visit to Bay Shore found a long line at the stir-fry counter. So long that by the time I had finished my second plate from the buffet - after soup and salad - there were people still on the line that had been on the line when I went up to get on it. It was the same personable young man - but he did not seem to be cooking. He was out of multiple items that he needed to cook - and much of the time these people on the line were waiting with him for these things to come out of the kitchen so that he could do his job and fill their plates. This is not a good thing.
One thing is that this is not like a Mongolian stir-fry that you would find at an Asian restaurant or buffet. There the meat and the vegetables start raw and only cook on the grill where it is served to you. There you choose and assemble the dish yourself and hand it raw to the cook who cooks it for you. Here it is all pre-cooked and if something runs out - and there is not much kept on hand at the cooking counter - the whole operation stops until trays are refilled. Whoever at Buffets, Inc. came up with this process had no idea of its pitfalls.
Has it struck you that the Mongolian Stir-Fry is a weak attempt to come up with a comparable feature as the Seafood Saute at Golden Corral? And that feature is one of the worst ideas that Golden Corral ever came up with because the process of cooking to order like this in a buffet has the potential to back up the entire buffer serving area. At Golden Corral this backs up the steak and meat grill as the Saute shares that space. Lines for both intersect into long waits and confusion of guests who cannot figure out where to stand or what line to get on for which one. Here, at Old Country Buffet, that started to happen on the night at Bay Shore where the line never moved - for lack of ingredients at the stir-fry to cook with. The line started to stretch into the long space blocking a buffet server and access to the buffet area from the dining room next to the stir-fry counter.
At best, I can say that the Mongolian Stir-Fry at Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet, and Ryans is inconsistent. I can be very good if the people cooking are well supplied and know what they are doing - and following the recipe that has been set for this by corporate. It can be the opposite in the hands of cooks that are doing their own thing. The other problem is that there needs to be one or two employees assigned to do the job of cooking the stir-fry and nothing else. They cannot be called away to fill serving trays on the buffet, bring out plates for the buffet, or get ice for the ice machine. In a chain of restaurants that have cut back the number of employees that are necessary to properly maintain the buffet and maintain the dining room, a feature food that needs full attention is certainly not a good combination.
Before trying this feature - even in the same location - stop and watch what is taking place as it is cooked. See if they are doing it as it is supposed to be done - and from what I have seen and had come out successfully from the pan is a ladle full of noodles or rice, a ladle full of meat (avoid that odd beef), and a ladle full of vegetables, topped with ONE small ladle full of teriyaki sauce. If you want it hot, ask and they will add hot sauce - but from comments that I have heard by those who had the hot sauce added, don't let them put too much unless you really like to eat things impossibly hot. (Again, I get this from comments of those who thought it would be good.)
So - the Mongolian Stir-Fry is hit and miss. Hopefully, you will find more hits than misses. I have come across more misses than hits.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Mongolian Stir-Fry at Old Country Buffet and Ryans PART 1
This article has been in the works for almost a year. My first encounter with what has now become a widespread feature at Old Country Buffet and Ryans restaurants - and Hometown Buffet was in April 2012 in a Ryans in Hagerstown, Maryland. There the Mongolian Stir-Fry was being prepared at the steak grill with a sign in front showing what it was and how to order. As I noted in an article about that restaurant at that time, there was no one ordering it.
Just about the beginning of the summer, Buffets, Inc. (parent company of OCB, Hometown Buffets, and Ryans) sent out an email to their email list customers announcing the Mongolian Stir-Fry and that it was available at many of the buffets.
This past summer I saw the Mongolian Stir-Fry being offered at an Old Country Buffet in Alexandria, Virginia. There, this was set up in a corner of the dessert counter with two hotplates set up next to a few trays of the ingredients. I watched to see who was ordering this - no one was. At this point the way the sign read about how the stir-fry would be prepared, the meat and vegetables would be cooked in a sweet sauce or a hot sauce. Neither appealed to me so I passed it by - along with everyone else, apparently.
The feature soon appeared in one of the two OCB's local to me, the Levittown, NY OCB. Just like in Alexandria, there were two hotplates, that here were conduction stove burners, with a few trays of ingredients stuck at the end of the dessert counter - taking away dessert items that once had been served there. When I first saw this here, again, no one was having it. I wondered why. Surely, it must appeal to someone. I went over on one visit to look at the ingredients - there was cooked, cold chicken - much like is served at the salad bar - and there was a brown, dried looking meat very unappetizing. Apparently, this was the beef. It may have been overly cooked roast beef but it barely resembled that. (On a later visit, a customer asked the young man behind the counter who was the cook for the stir-fry, "What is that?" - pointing at the brown meat. The answer was "Meat.") Again, the sign talked about sweet or hot sauce and I passed it by - with everyone else.
There is another OCB not too far away in Bay Shore, NY and they did not have the Mongolian Stir-Fry. When we were there on Thanksgiving a section of the dining room opposite the buffet servers was under construction. They took out tables to do this and a serving station appeared to be what was being constructed. On a later visit we saw that this was going to be the Mongolian Stir-Fry station. As it developed two conductive cook burners were put into place along with set in trays for meats, vegetables, and sauces. Also around this point Buffets, Inc. was focusing their advertising on the Mongolian Stir-Fry feature - served every day at lunch and dinner at Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet, and Ryans.
When the station finally opened in Bay Shore there was still little interest in the stir fry. Interest only started to pick up, at both Long Island OCBs, when the the television advertising became frequent. Then there was some interest in ordering. Just about the same time the sign changed which no longer said sweet or hot sauce but dropped the mention of sweet sauce and talked about adding hot sauce if you wished. The beef, however, still looked the same - crumbled and dark pieces of something - and still unappetizing. They did add small shrimp as another choice.
I decided that I would try it. Not in Levittown where the employees at the cook tops did not seem to know what they were doing - when there was someone even there to cook, but in Bay Shore - but still where was the cook? This was a couple of months ago and they had not put someone at this new station to just take care of the Mongolian Stir-Fry - which is essential. Eventually, they caught on and they started assigning someone there. Here is how my first attempt - yes, attempt - at having the Mongolian Stir Fry went - and this is not present, but as I say, a couple of months back. There was a young man behind the counter and he was not really interested in being there. I first watched how the stir fry was being made. An amount of noodles or rice was added a fry pan and meat and vegetables were put on top. A measured amount of teriyaki sauce was added and the pan was put on the conductive burner and stirred while it cooked. It smelled good. I stepped up to the counter and asked for chicken the stir fry with chicken and noodles. The young man asked me if I wanted vegetables. I did not realize that this was an option but said yes, I would like vegetables. He looks at me and says, "There are no more vegetables.", and then he stared at me. I glanced down where the vegetable tray was and it was just about empty. The vegetables are a variety of mixed vegetables including broccoli, onion, peppers, snow peas, etc., and they are apparently also pre-cooked. OK, I looked at the cook and said, "Are you getting more vegetables?" This was not late in the dinner service. Unless he was planning on shutting down the stir fry, there would need to be more vegetables. Again, he stared at me. I tried again, "Will there be no more vegetables tonight?" With hesitation he finally said, "Well, I guess I could go and make some." And then there was more hesitation and some mumbling. I decided that this was not my night to try the stir fry feature and just said forget the whole thing and I walked away. That also pretty much ended the stir fry for about an hour when just as we were leaving a tray of vegetables came out.
All right. Was I ever going to get to try the stir-fry? A few more visits to the same OCB and again, no one was there cooking at the stir fry and when there was they were called away frequently to do other things. This was as it was all of the time at Levittown - and still is. Then there was a night that we were there in Bay Shore when the manager was with a young man behind the stir-fry counter training.
End of PART I
Just about the beginning of the summer, Buffets, Inc. (parent company of OCB, Hometown Buffets, and Ryans) sent out an email to their email list customers announcing the Mongolian Stir-Fry and that it was available at many of the buffets.
This past summer I saw the Mongolian Stir-Fry being offered at an Old Country Buffet in Alexandria, Virginia. There, this was set up in a corner of the dessert counter with two hotplates set up next to a few trays of the ingredients. I watched to see who was ordering this - no one was. At this point the way the sign read about how the stir-fry would be prepared, the meat and vegetables would be cooked in a sweet sauce or a hot sauce. Neither appealed to me so I passed it by - along with everyone else, apparently.
The feature soon appeared in one of the two OCB's local to me, the Levittown, NY OCB. Just like in Alexandria, there were two hotplates, that here were conduction stove burners, with a few trays of ingredients stuck at the end of the dessert counter - taking away dessert items that once had been served there. When I first saw this here, again, no one was having it. I wondered why. Surely, it must appeal to someone. I went over on one visit to look at the ingredients - there was cooked, cold chicken - much like is served at the salad bar - and there was a brown, dried looking meat very unappetizing. Apparently, this was the beef. It may have been overly cooked roast beef but it barely resembled that. (On a later visit, a customer asked the young man behind the counter who was the cook for the stir-fry, "What is that?" - pointing at the brown meat. The answer was "Meat.") Again, the sign talked about sweet or hot sauce and I passed it by - with everyone else.
There is another OCB not too far away in Bay Shore, NY and they did not have the Mongolian Stir-Fry. When we were there on Thanksgiving a section of the dining room opposite the buffet servers was under construction. They took out tables to do this and a serving station appeared to be what was being constructed. On a later visit we saw that this was going to be the Mongolian Stir-Fry station. As it developed two conductive cook burners were put into place along with set in trays for meats, vegetables, and sauces. Also around this point Buffets, Inc. was focusing their advertising on the Mongolian Stir-Fry feature - served every day at lunch and dinner at Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet, and Ryans.
When the station finally opened in Bay Shore there was still little interest in the stir fry. Interest only started to pick up, at both Long Island OCBs, when the the television advertising became frequent. Then there was some interest in ordering. Just about the same time the sign changed which no longer said sweet or hot sauce but dropped the mention of sweet sauce and talked about adding hot sauce if you wished. The beef, however, still looked the same - crumbled and dark pieces of something - and still unappetizing. They did add small shrimp as another choice.
I decided that I would try it. Not in Levittown where the employees at the cook tops did not seem to know what they were doing - when there was someone even there to cook, but in Bay Shore - but still where was the cook? This was a couple of months ago and they had not put someone at this new station to just take care of the Mongolian Stir-Fry - which is essential. Eventually, they caught on and they started assigning someone there. Here is how my first attempt - yes, attempt - at having the Mongolian Stir Fry went - and this is not present, but as I say, a couple of months back. There was a young man behind the counter and he was not really interested in being there. I first watched how the stir fry was being made. An amount of noodles or rice was added a fry pan and meat and vegetables were put on top. A measured amount of teriyaki sauce was added and the pan was put on the conductive burner and stirred while it cooked. It smelled good. I stepped up to the counter and asked for chicken the stir fry with chicken and noodles. The young man asked me if I wanted vegetables. I did not realize that this was an option but said yes, I would like vegetables. He looks at me and says, "There are no more vegetables.", and then he stared at me. I glanced down where the vegetable tray was and it was just about empty. The vegetables are a variety of mixed vegetables including broccoli, onion, peppers, snow peas, etc., and they are apparently also pre-cooked. OK, I looked at the cook and said, "Are you getting more vegetables?" This was not late in the dinner service. Unless he was planning on shutting down the stir fry, there would need to be more vegetables. Again, he stared at me. I tried again, "Will there be no more vegetables tonight?" With hesitation he finally said, "Well, I guess I could go and make some." And then there was more hesitation and some mumbling. I decided that this was not my night to try the stir fry feature and just said forget the whole thing and I walked away. That also pretty much ended the stir fry for about an hour when just as we were leaving a tray of vegetables came out.
All right. Was I ever going to get to try the stir-fry? A few more visits to the same OCB and again, no one was there cooking at the stir fry and when there was they were called away frequently to do other things. This was as it was all of the time at Levittown - and still is. Then there was a night that we were there in Bay Shore when the manager was with a young man behind the stir-fry counter training.
End of PART I
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
