All-you-can-eat Buffet
Gluttony may be a biblical sin but that hasn't managed to put a dent in the popularity of the "all-you-can-eat" buffet over the years. So well received are they, that it is hard to find a place in the country that they don't exist. Wherever you may be, there is likely a buffet nearby, ready to tantalize you with a vast assortment of food items, each of which beckon your attention.
The history of buffet dining goes all the way back to 18th century Europe, including the Swedish contribution, the smorgasbord. But while they have been a common fixture in America for many years, especially for events like wedding, the commercial buffet ball really got rolling in the early 80s, with companies like Sizzler enhancing their all-you-can-eat" fried shrimp entree with an equally unlimited salad bar. Eventually, the salad bar included much more than salad, with things like taco and pasta bars, dessert assortments, and items such as macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for the little ones. Their popularity proved that the buffet was here to stay.
Now, no mention of the buffet would be complete without honorable mention of the mecca of buffets, Las Vegas. To entice visitors with some moderately-priced restaurant choices, Sin City became famous for creating some of the most mouth watering and extravagant buffets ever imagined. Pricier items such as sushi, king crab legs, prime rib and tiramasu, offered in unlimited supply have tantalized overeaters by the millions. Some even divide the buffet into internationally themed sections, featuring Chinese, Italian, Mexican and American Cuisine all under the same roof. No more arguing over what type of food everyone feels like, and many as low in price as $20. After a long day at the video poker machine, it's just what the doctor ordered and if you cannot achieve enormous wealth, you might as well at least go to bed with a fully-satisfied tummy.
In recent years, entire restaurant chains have popped up, bringing unlimited buffets to every state in the union. Places such as Soup Plantation, Old Country Buffet and Hometown Buffet offer a wide variety of "home-cooked" entrees, accentuated by a full salad bar, desserts and refillable beverages. And the buffet trend is also popular with sushi bars, including such chains as Onami and Todai giving raw fish lovers an enormous assortment of traditionally expensive items for one low fee. Chinese, Indian, Thai, just about every cuisine is available if you look hard enough.
Make no mistake, the all-you-can-eat buffet is here to stay and growing stronger, and we have the waistlines to prove it.
The history of buffet dining goes all the way back to 18th century Europe, including the Swedish contribution, the smorgasbord. But while they have been a common fixture in America for many years, especially for events like wedding, the commercial buffet ball really got rolling in the early 80s, with companies like Sizzler enhancing their all-you-can-eat" fried shrimp entree with an equally unlimited salad bar. Eventually, the salad bar included much more than salad, with things like taco and pasta bars, dessert assortments, and items such as macaroni and cheese and hot dogs for the little ones. Their popularity proved that the buffet was here to stay.
Now, no mention of the buffet would be complete without honorable mention of the mecca of buffets, Las Vegas. To entice visitors with some moderately-priced restaurant choices, Sin City became famous for creating some of the most mouth watering and extravagant buffets ever imagined. Pricier items such as sushi, king crab legs, prime rib and tiramasu, offered in unlimited supply have tantalized overeaters by the millions. Some even divide the buffet into internationally themed sections, featuring Chinese, Italian, Mexican and American Cuisine all under the same roof. No more arguing over what type of food everyone feels like, and many as low in price as $20. After a long day at the video poker machine, it's just what the doctor ordered and if you cannot achieve enormous wealth, you might as well at least go to bed with a fully-satisfied tummy.
In recent years, entire restaurant chains have popped up, bringing unlimited buffets to every state in the union. Places such as Soup Plantation, Old Country Buffet and Hometown Buffet offer a wide variety of "home-cooked" entrees, accentuated by a full salad bar, desserts and refillable beverages. And the buffet trend is also popular with sushi bars, including such chains as Onami and Todai giving raw fish lovers an enormous assortment of traditionally expensive items for one low fee. Chinese, Indian, Thai, just about every cuisine is available if you look hard enough.
Make no mistake, the all-you-can-eat buffet is here to stay and growing stronger, and we have the waistlines to prove it.
