These days, you can find a lot of restaurants offering buffet meals with a set price. It makes good business sense because buffet restaurants normally would only need fewer employers compared to regular restaurants as there’s no need for servers and wait staff.
Diners are often all too eager to eat in a buffet, with the impressive food choices that supposedly give you better value for your money. But this is not always the case. Some people end up eating less than their money’s worth, while others eat too much that they end up with a stomachache afterwards.
The best way to enjoy a buffet is to eat sensibly. In this guide we share tips to help you make the most of your buffet experience.
1. Don’t go to a buffet starving.
If you’re planning to eat well at the buffet, make sure you are properly hydrated (drink lots of water) and have eaten a light snack or meal a few hours prior. Going to a buffet hungry will cause you to eat large portions quickly, and as a result, you’ll be too full to try out the rest of the food items on display.
2. Navigate the buffet first and take mental notes.
When arriving at the restaurant, you shouldn’t grab a plate right away. Instead, check the buffet and look at everything on display so you can decide which ones you’ll get, and which ones you’ll skip. You might be too full chomping on those salads when you discover there’s prime rib.
3. Take small portions.
Most buffets have unlimited refills but that does not mean you should keep coming back for the same food items. Take small portions so you’ll have enough room for everything that you’d like to eat.
4. Choose foods that you would not normally cook or serve at home.
Choose lobsters over fried chicken, smoked salmon with caviar over lasagna – you get the idea.
5. Eat slowly.
Eating fast will make you feel full faster. Use a little restraint, take a few deep breaths before going back to the buffet table.
6. Don’t keep going back to the beverage dispenser.
Gulping down big glasses of soft drinks will make you full faster. Don’t do it.
7. Clean your plate.
It’s bad manners to fill your plate and not eat everything you took, which is why you should choose carefully. Besides, some buffets charge a fee if you don’t everything on your plate.
8. Be picky with desserts.
Most buffets have small portions for their desserts, which is great. The problem is that a lot of people attempt to sample all the desserts. These things have so much sugar and fat, you can’t imagine the amount of calories they have. So take only 2-3 of and if you can find fruits or yogurt, opt for those instead.
You can find many different kinds of buffets and you can find them in hotels, casinos and restaurants. Casino buffets seem to offer the best value for your money, as they’re usually cheaper and have an excellent selection of food. Hotels usually offer breakfast buffets to guests, but you get better value from luxury hotels and resorts compared to cheaper ones. Bellagio is one of the most popular hotels offering buffets and it’s definitely a must-try for anyone who’s visiting Las Vegas.
Restaurants offer buffets too and one of the most popular would be Asian buffets which have good value as they’re relatively inexpensive and the offerings are also healthier compared to Western menus. Other kinds of buffets are pasta buffet, pizza buffet, BBQ buffet, seafood buffet, ice cream and so much more.