All-you-eat buffets are back in a big way

Buffet-style restaurants took in on the chin during the pandemic but are coming back now. “The media called buffets zombie companies — we didn’t know we were dead,” said Lance Trenary, CEO of Golden Corral, which operates 360 restaurants that offer unlimited servings of 150 different items for less than $20. “But we’re the comeback kids. Year to date, we’re running about 20 percent up.”

A New All You Can Eat Buffet Boom

In times of high inflation, analysts speculate that an all you can eat buffet sounds like a valuable bargain in times when food prices have shot up.

What’s surprising is how high-end restaurants in Las Vegas that charge $79.99 for an all you can eat buffet dinner are filling up reservations quickly with more than two-hour wait times.

It seems that the concept of the buffet has expressed the American culture’s penchant for “bigger is better” and excessive instant gratification.

According to the NY Times, in this time of resurgence, “Bellagio last month reopened its signature buffet for dinner, with 120 choices. The Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, the largest in Las Vegas, recently got a nearly $10 million face-lift and added two extra days to its brunch schedule.”

With waste being a critical issue, and loss of profit for businesses, the buffet at Caesar’s Palace has made the smart decision to provide smaller, individualized portions of many of their items, like their gyros.

Buffets also provide experiences, which is in line with the future of retail. Families also express that they can go out to eat in a buffet and feel that they have more control over getting their money’s worth, and each family member, adult or child, has an easier time getting the specific food they want from a larger variety of options.