The end of the buffet and other prognostications
Today Pocket decided I just might be interested in an article called “Is This the End of the Buffet?” And they were correct; it’s actually a topic I’ve pondered before.
After all, buffet restaurants are probably especially likely to close during the COVID lockdowns, unless they pivot to takeout dish-by-dish models like other restaurants. But why would anyone want to order a single dish (or two or three) from a buffet restaurant, when there are so many other choices of restaurant from which to order, and when a buffet restaurant was previously frequented mainly because of the enormous number of choices for a single fee? Once those extra choices are gone, why bother to patronize the place?
And secondly, how can the genre of restaurant survive, even post-COVID? Won’t people’s attitudes and mentality have changed, and won’t there be much greater wariness of buffets in general?
The article didn’t really shed much light on any of this, so I’ll skip discussing it. But perhaps yo’re wondering why I think that anyone should care about buffets. My answer is that I see buffets as a canary in the post-COVID coalmine. My gut feeling is that we will never be able to go back to “normal” – that an exaggerated fear of infection will remain in a lot of people and taint all sorts of social interactions, and not just buffets.
I don’t see this as a good thing. I imagine it could particularly affect children brought up in this atmosphere of fear and distancing, although perhaps children are more resilient than that. I certainly hope the vast vast majority of them are. I’m not so sure about the adults, though. And I strongly believe that the folks in charge – be they governors, mayors, health commissioners, the CDC, and/or the like – will want to periodically assert the powers to which they’ve grown accustomed.
Only expensive, African-American buffets in wealthy, white, liberal neighborhoods will survive.
The thrill will be delicious. The restaurants will be franchised and named “Taboo.”
We had a small chain of buffets in the Northwest called Izzy’s that was really good it was kind of a pizza buffet but had many other things like salads of all kind and at this time last year they would be packed most days for lunch. Well, they of course were shut down by our King and when he threw the restaurant industry a bone and allowed them to reopen we went to Izzy’s and it was a sad experience. The staff would now go get your food after you tell them at the table.
After about a month of this they sadly went out of business. It was probably a good move because His Majesty would have shut them down again anyway.
What will happen with the Vegas buffets? They were as much an attraction as the slots.
neo wrote, “… how can the genre of restaurant survive, even post-COVID? Won’t people’s attitudes and mentality have changed, and won’t there be much greater wariness of buffets in general?”
You just told me that Big Bill Gates is burning the whole thing down. https://www.thenewneo.com/2020/12/31/just-call-him-bill-phaethon-gates/
I’m going to Luby’s (https://www.lubys.com/), and heading right to the desserts.
The primary reason I go to Ruby Tuesday’s and order their triple prime burger (which is really good) is so I can make two trips to the salad bar, one before and one after the burger. It’s a really good burger- but lots of restaurants make really good burgers today. (Note- Five guys is most assuredly not one of them….) None of the others have a well stocked salad bar.
I’m less worried about small children becoming overly fearful than I am about their parents particularly their mothers. An obvious generalization but I think this entire thing has been driven by women in the approx. 25-50 year old range. Seems like just about every crazy ass story you see in a store or on the street involves a woman in this range.
They are the ones to fear because they are very busy screwing up their children on a daily basis.
AppleBetty …
2 of the Lubys in my area will be closing soon.
The one time we went back to the above mentioned Izzy’s there were about 10-15 customers during the lunch ‘rush’ and I would say that at 51 years old I was probably the youngest customer by about ten years which I thought was very telling.
I wonder how much weight buffets carry in some local economies. It might be either more or less than I think. I’m thinking, for example, of that full-time Asian buffet in downtown Ithaca that seems (seemed?) to be quite a happening place for a lot of people. But then there are the ‘part-time’ buffets such as those featured for weekday lunch at most Indian restaurants; their absence would have a different sort of impact.
As for the fear, in a funny sort of way, it wouldn’t surprise me to find that the hypochondriacs and nervous Nellies of the world are in a certain sense made paradoxically more comfortable by the events of the past several months, as they may feel justified in their worldview in a way that they couldn’t have been as much before. That’s my speculation only. That bothers me a little, as I don’t like the idea of having to justify going out and living life to them; not that I’d qualify as a big life-liver in the eyes of the real fast-lane types. For this reason, Neo, I suspect you may be right about the lingering persistence of fear in some. The problem will be, of course, that the democratically (do we need scare quotes around that word now?) elected tyrants will draw strength from such people.
“I see buffets as a canary in the post-COVID coalmine.” neo
In that they, along with restaurants serving affordable fare and a plethora of former small businesses are the venues that once employed 80+ % of Americans… yes.
Back in late April, I thought that the benefit of flattening the curve had to be balanced against the obvious damage to the economy.
Call me slow but it wasn’t until recently that I concluded that creating massive damage to the economy was the sole object of the lockdowns. Nor do I now think that the primary goal of the lockdowns was to get Trump. As they had that already in the bag, given them being able to manufacture as many fraudulent votes as needed.
Confirmed by the recent revelation by mass murderer Cuomo that contract tracing in NYC had revealed that only 1.74% of infections were traced back to restaurants but 74+% were traced to homes. So the lockdown spreads the disease, which allows them to ‘credibly’ call for more lockdowns into the “foreseeable future”.
“I strongly believe that the folks in charge – be they governors, mayors, health commissioners, the CDC, and/or the like – will want to periodically assert the powers to which they’ve grown accustomed.”
That is of a certainty. As well as the ‘assistance’ that China’s biological factories can be counted upon to provide.
Assimilate this: overall, more Americans died in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 than did in 2020.
“Mysterious Disappearance of Flu in San Diego Prompted Call for Audit of COVID Records” 12.28.2020
https://21stcenturywire.com/2020/12/28/mysterious-disappearance-of-flu-in-san-diego-prompted-audit-of-covid-records/
Perhaps the Covid-19 scammers sees no major benefit to fearmongering in S.A. nations? Whereas Western Civilization is where the action is… ya think?
But boy are we lucky that the Covid-19 virus ate all of the other flu bugs! Think about how much worse it could have been had the Covid-19 virus not been cannibalistic? And, since the eminently trustworthy ‘Doctor’ Fauci currently opines that we’ll have this problem for the “foreseeable future”… I sure hope that virus doesn’t decide that bacteria are more tasty. (Sarc/off)
San Francisco’s Lockdown and Quarantine Has Been Extended ‘Indefinitely’
https://sf.eater.com/2020/12/31/22208293/san-francisco-lockdown-quarantine-shutdown-outdoor-dining-sf
So essentially, San Franciscans are under a mayoral ‘order’ of “indefinite” house arrest.
But at least they can venture out to the grocery store.
Of course their overlords may yet mandate online ordering and delivery of groceries.
Hey, think about it… pay online, food dropped off at your door and no human contact whatsoever upon delivery! That’ll flatten the curve for sure! Not to mention a huge reduction in vehicular traffic resulting in a massive reduction of CO2!
Why hasn’t Newsome thought of this? Any patent lawyers out there? Can I patent this idea and make some coin from it?
https://morethanthecurve.com/one-local-business-reported-by-montgomery-county-to-the-state-for-violating-indoor-dining-prohibition/
They are determined to destroy the whole restaurant business, many will not make it in a field that have to struggle to barely stay open. Most of the restaurants I worked at building them are no longer around.
Eva Marie, one of the most popular eating venues at Mohegan Sun was the buffet. Now closed indefinitely. Many people came to the casino for that buffet. Unlike buffets that are more independent it will reopen at some point being under tribal control.
I’ve got to admit I never thought about the future of the buffet in post-Covid America. That’s one of the reasons I come here, Neo — you get me to think about things I don’t think about on my own.
But the killing off of the buffets brings to mind another question — did those in power target buffets, or is it just happenstance that they were destroyed by the policies they have put in place? And if they did target buffets, why? And what other retail businesses are next?
I’m going to guess that there is no design in this — that its is a random result of actions Governor Newsom took that he thought would benefit Californians. Having instituted those actions, he was caught up by his ability to control the little people, and beyond to expand his efforts. Which makes one ask, what next? What can he mandate next that will kill off another industry?
Aside from the French Laundry, of course.
In Virginia, where restaurants have been open at 50% capacity since perhaps June, I have been to a hot foods buffet. Patrons wore masks and kept social distance.
At the chain China Panda – I don’t know how widespread it is – if you go inside, you walk along a pseudo-buffet behind plexiglass. You point to an item and a server behind the line adds it to your plate. With masks and distancing, I don’t know why this type of pseudo-buffet couldn’t survive.
The Golden Corral buffet restaurant reopened in my town and almost all of the places with salad bars have reopened their salad bars. They seem to be doing okay. But we didn’t have a complete lockdown where I live so that might make a difference. Restaurants closed voluntarily for a few weeks then most opened for curbside pick up. Most drive up fast food didn’t close at all.
I really miss the salad and hot bars at the various Whole Foods in the area.
Where I live, all the veggie salad/soup bars are shuttered: Sweet Tomatoes, Fresh Choice and Soup Plantation
I assume they are permanently gone
” . . . assert the powers to which they’ve grown accustomed.”
This is what scares me more than the virus itself.
First, that many in power have gotten a taste of more or less unrestrained power through the use of executive orders and will not willingly give it up.
And, second, too many sheeple have gone along for the sake of “safety.”
Heaven help us if those same sheeple re-elect those same power-hungry jerks.
Granted, I live in a rural type area. A large number of retired live here and the numbers swell by about 30,000 in the winter when the snowbirds arrive. I am concerned our peninsula will soon be paved over with RV parks and subdivision. However, no one wants to give up the local buffet with home made type country food. We’ve been there, they require masks and have vinyl gloves so no one goes near the food uncovered. They will survive. I doubt the Golden Corrals and that type will survive, I’ve always looked askance at them before the Rona hit.
Griffin, Philip Sells —
I think the covid hysteria (deliberate choice of word) is absolutely being driven by middle-aged white women, who are far more hypochondriac than the average.
Among the women I know ages 35-60, the number complaining of “fibromyalgia”, “chronic fatigue”, “chronic pain”, etc., approaches 90%, and in every case they have a long sob story of how they can’t get male doctors to pay attention to how very very real their condition is. (Why they don’t go to female doctors instead I’ll never understand. Also, I don’t doubt that said conditions are real things, just that they’re not that common.) Not to mention “gluten sensitivity”, nonspecific “food allergies”, etc. etc. etc.
I think they embrace the current panic because it forces the rest of us to validate their worldview.
Also, I don’t go to buffets much if ever, but what cheeses me off is that the bulk spices display, where you scoop your own from big jugs into plastic bags, has disappeared from the local grocery stores.
And last, I’m pretty much done with sending money to our local goth nightclub (community center for the subculture and living room away from home), because (a) I’ve Done My Bit already, and (b) I don’t think it has a chance, because the politicians and the Karens that support them (including many goths) will just keep moving the goalposts.
Bryan Lovely, I was once skeptical that sugar causes inflammation but after self experimentation I discovered that it does contribute to my sinus congestion. To the point that after avoiding “ real cokes” and lots of sweets for a few days, if I have a relapse and I drink a real coke or eat a bunch of cookies I can feel my sinuses swell in just a few minutes. Some of these women may need to lay off the sweets and get some exercise. But you can never tell them that. lol.
Bryan Lovely,
Yep and ‘long haul COVID’ fits right in with chronic fatigue and the like. I have seen a few stories about long haul COVID and it has always been a woman in her 30-40s and in a couple the woman has never even tested positive for COVID but still claims she has long haul COVID.
The ramifications for the response to this thing will be studied for decades.
Griffin —
But we’ll only hear the results of those studies if, as Ann Althouse says, they make women look superior.
I grew up in a county seat town with a country club where the folk in our church, who were members, like my family, would race to beat the other churches out to the buffet at noon on Sunday. That was mostly my experience with buffets. As the years have gone by I have been invited to a lot of lovely buffets, both for fun and work but never as my choice for a place to eat by myself or with my family.
I eat more than I need to eat but not all at one time, I am usually the last to clean my plate in most any setting. I have known for years that the, “all you can eat place”, would not be a good value for me and as I have become a better cook I know, for sure, I can cook a much better meal at home than I could ever afford eating out. I am both old, cheap and smarter now.
Tonight, I cooked a lovely meal for our daughter and her husband who live here in our town, Boerne, Texas, and I did a great Greek dish, leg of lamb seasoned with, from my garden fresh thyme and rosemary added to a lots of garlic and olive oil, then served with sour cream, cream cheese, horseradish, and capers for a sauce. Of course being in the South we had black eyed peas that were prepared with caramelized onions, fire roasted tomatoes, bit of ham and the peas themselves started at 2:30 pm and cooked until served at 7:00 pm because everyone should know those peas should be cooked down real long and slow and Happy New Year to All, etc.
That was preceded by a grilled quail for each and a large dish with various olives, grilled peppers, anchovies, smoked oysters, sardines, French bread in small slices with warmed Pita bread with the main course of lamb.
Why would I ever want to eat a bunch of semi-hot, kind of dried out, over cooked food when I can make a decent meal at home. At this time I am an old man with nothing but time on my hands to spend cooking for wonderful people who I love.
Tonight we had a bit of champagne with our meal along some tastes of single batch bourbon and rye whiskey to go with my wife’s homemade cookies. I know that I am just and old man, but why don’t people just learn to cook at home then we can all, enjoy and celebrate, wonderful meals with our friends and family.
Now you’ve gone and done it, OldTexan.
That made me hungry, and it’s midnight here.
Next time I’m down in Boerne, I’m droppin’ by.
Happy New Year, y’all!
I came across this report while cruising the web, and it seemed germane.
Some of the names surprised me, some didn’t, a few I had no knowledge of.
Most of them have been in trouble for several years; Covid just provided the final blow.
Tad’s Steaks is on the list.
Some names are rather conspicuously missing.
https://explore.simpli.com/these-restaurant-chains-are-on-the-brink-of-disappearing-entirely-copy/69?utm_subid=4737297&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=819500&utm_template=infinite4&utm_term=NEWS_US&utm_content=news.yahoo.com
Some are hanging on, although just barely.
This one — a buffet — threw in the salad bar towel.
I think this is bigger than buffets. I think our ruling class are in bed with China and they are trying to have Americans become compliant to orders. The more they change the rules, the more people have to follow, and the more compliant we become. Flattening the curve was lest than a year ago. Wuhan citizens celebrated New Years Eve last night. Times Square was empty. We have ‘wackos’ running a large swath of the USA with D after their names. I would like to suggest to vote them out, but the elections are ‘rigged’.
This is worth a read:
https://www.theepochtimes.com/patrick-byrne-china-is-taking-us-out-from-within_3637007.html
“…..will want to periodically assert the powers to which they’ve grown accustomed.”
And, right there, is the root of the problem; nearly all of our other problems are ancillary to that one. I’m afraid that our condition will be perpetual should we not convince The Powers That Be whom it is they’re really working for, and I’m also afraid accomplishing that will require the application of a considerable amount of force, something for which Americans have demonstrated disdain; if we are unable to gently slap down the Woke and Politically Correct who verbally impose their will upon us, there’s little hope of mustering the will to cast off the heavier chains.
Once the restrictions are relaxed and ultimately eliminated (moderate assumption on my part given the way this has gone) people will return to pre-Covid normal behaviors. There will be a lag, but we’ll all get there eventually; aside from the previously mentioned subset of our population that forever lives in fear and hears ghosts. As people emerge, and don’t get seriously ill, they will push the limits of their interactions and we’ll all be hugging, shaking hands, and visiting buffets again.
At least that is what I hope for. ASAP.
I was never a really big fan of buffets, so having them close doesn’t affect me that much – but what I really do miss are the sample tables at places like Costco, and most especially at the “Cooking Connection” center in our big local HEB grocery stores. There are so many dishes that we had tried out, at the Cooking Connection, and liked them so much that we took a recipe card and duplicated at home. Sometimes just hitting the samples was a very satisfactory light lunch. Darn it, I want to try out the samples again!
Pre Covid I was working in San Francisco and would get a wonderful breakfast and lunch at one of the many buffets in downtown. Their business model was at risk pre Covid because of bums who would dart in and try to grab whatever they could before being chased out by staff. Like chased out with a broom! Of course, if they made it to the food, it was considered contaminated, at least by the witnessing customers if not the staff. People will be afraid to patronize them post covid and I am very sorry to see them go.
OldTexan, that sounded like a nice affair.
[edit: whoa, blog barfs up Greek characters! Okay, never mind….]
The concept of a buffet closing is small beans compared to so many diners in Michigan facing ruin because the Governess engages in random closure extensions, like bait and switch.
I recently drove to Florida and back.
Every state south of us has in door dining.
We love a buffet in Corbin KY, Dave’s Steakhouse and Buffet.
Hit it this time, but employees served the buffet line.
I actually like that concept more than multiple hands in the food or on utensils.
Yet business was still slower.
There are other forces at work here.
A general fear of going out?
I recently read about a couple local Golden Corral buffets that screwed themselves before the Wuhan virus had a chance to do so. The franchisee applied for some of the SBA loans and Federal aid for his restaurants. Then, rather than reopen the two restaurants, he got caught making big purchases like vehicles and 2nd and 3rd homes. Got into a bit of trouble with that.
He may have gotten away with it but like a lot of the morons who think they’re the smartest person in the room, he took pictures of all his new stuff and plastered the photos all over social media.
Not a fan of buffets my self, at least not anymore. When I was in college, I had the record in my circle of friends and acquaintances. We used to take a bi-weekly visit to the Ponderosa restaurant. My record was 8 (eight) full lates of food, then a small plate with desert. Never knew anyone who broke it. Or would want to I guess. The stupid things we do when we’re 19 years old.
When my son was 6 years old, the prospect of a trip to the area Chinese buffet could make him turn into an angel quicker than anything in our parental arsenal. He loved having “shrimps”, the abominable mac and cheese they served and red and green jello.
Never cared for the buffet myself. Too many nasty hands. No loss. Try not to eat out, unless I know the owner of the place. My wife can make a delicious meal ,out of almost nothing. I love PB and J sammiches . You have to stand over the sink to eat one I make. Save money eat at home.
I share your fears about the political motives behind this. At least Americans are discussing this. Here in Israel the country’s paternalist, socialist past can still be felt in the widespread compliance.
Rights are asserted, not granted. There is no other way.
Turning to the question of restaurants: the disappearrance of the (single paycheck) family means that food preparation will still be with us. I anticipate The Return Of The Automat.
We have already seen the automated future of sushi restaurants and burger joints.
I think the world will embrace the increasingly sophisticated Japanese-style vending machines for many business lunches and informal dining, combined with more deliveries.
And even in sit down restaurants more of the prep will be automated. This is just one more impetus.
Here in Israel most of the buffets and salad bars outside hotels are point-and-nod behind plexiglass. It’s technically trivial to automate this kind of service.
In automated sushi restaurants guests order by touchscreen and take prepared dishes that pass by on conveyer belts. A largely automated kitchen driven by take away and phone in orders. Swipe to pay.
That is the model i see for many restaurants.
Why should the restaurant industry be immune to the changes in retail caused by technology?
When my mother was hospitalized for a few weeks, I would visit and occasionally dine, er, eat in the hospital cafeteria where there was a salad bar. It was always good, but I quit eating there because it dawned on me that everybody there was associating with sick people, employees, cooks, servers, diners. That turned me off of buffets in general.
I decided the buffet model was gone when Souplantation / Sweet Tomatoes went out of business.
My prediction is that the automat model will return. Food will be presented in individual-serving dishes behind glass doors, and the diner selects what he wants. There may be a single-entry price that entitles the diner to all-you-care-to-eat, or items will be charged individually, perhaps with a total price cap.
At one of the Kaiser hospitals, I went through the cafeteria on my way to an appointment and I saw a 21st Century answer to the salad bar: It’s a robotic salad dispenser manufactured by chowbotics.com. It has a drum with 21 chambers, each of which holds a salad ingredient. The diner selects what ingredients and toppings he wants on his salad and the machine dispenses them into a disposable bowl.
So we may be seeing a lot more automated and contact-free food dispensing in the near future.
JHCorcoran on January 2, 2021 at 3:39 am said:
I think this is bigger than buffets. I think our ruling class are in bed with China and they are trying to have Americans become compliant to orders. The more they change the rules, the more people have to follow, and the more compliant we become.
* * *
Geoffrey posted these two links on the “no evidence of election fraud” thread, but I think they address JHC’s comment here.
https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/january-6-while-we-are-distracted-new-york-will-vote-on-a-bill-to-imprison-people-or-groups-of-people-with-communicable-diseases/
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2021/01/01/selective-enforcement-who-gets-crushed-by-joe-bidens-pending-covid-19-regulations/
Most of the ruling class is NOT in bed with the Chinese – but they are friends of the third kind (enemy’s enemy). Tho many are in bed, getting cash indirectly or very indirectly, often with no actual coordination needed – they’re in bed with those with cash, who happen to be Chinese.
The elites in power are getting drunk on power, too much power. Without enough pushback. Most deserve to be defeated in the next election.
But won’t be.
No awakening giant of anti-E voters sweeping away the incumbents.
Buffet / all you can eat will be back. But likely with less human mixing, more automation and protection.
Other restaurants will come and go – but fewer. More home delivery and maybe a little more home cooking, tho the extra work makes it almost as likely to have less home cooking, as there are more and cheaper deliver to home options.
COVID and the over dramatized reactions to it has destroyed a lot of what we used to cherish.
1) There appears to be exceedingly little evidence, if any, that Covid is spread by physical contact, including surface contact. This is distinct from “The Flu”, which is both airborne and contact. So, once again, the reactions are all wrong for the reality.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/12/11/covid-19-airborne-transmission-cleaning-surfaces/
2) At worst, I think the model goes to a server-based setup, kind of like a Moe’s or Chipotle, with people selecting what they want on their plate with the food items behind glass.