bkemp1984Part2 t1_iy87fk8 wrote on November 29, 2022 at 2:05 PM

I was reading up on some of them recently to go with a friend, since I haven't been to one since 2019 or maybe earlier, and the recent reviews were really bad for several. I didn't cover all the buffets out there, but the ones I saw had lots of recent reviews about cold food, half the spots on the bar being empty, mostly only having fried foods, etc. One place had only 1 star reviews the past several months despite having fine enough reviews (for a cheap buffet) previously.

Weirded me out about going to one for a while. I imagine their price/profit economics are all screwed up right now.

fractalflatulence OP t1_iy8mwgf wrote on November 29, 2022 at 4:00 PM

I did the same analysis and reached a similar conclusion but I also recognize there is inherently a bias in online reviews. Outside of people who routinely review restaurants online most people who have satisfactory experiences aren't running to make reviews whereas the likelihood someone would leave a bad review over a cold item in the buffet is far higher leading to potentially an overrepresentation of bad reviews.

Kinda why I started the thread.... in any event they're always a bit of a gamble.

bkemp1984Part2 t1_iy8o6cs wrote on November 29, 2022 at 4:09 PM

Right, I'm down with all that. That explains why buffets tend to not get really high reviews in general, not so much why they got worse recently. Doesn't automatically mean it's an issue with the buffet in the case of the latter, sure. Could be people have way higher standards and bitch more about perceived issues now; customers have been particularly awful as of late. Still, there's SOMETHING going on recently. This is one of the few times I've taken online reviews seriously, because of the timing. Just wasn't worth the risk since my friend can't get out the house a ton with a new baby. I'd risk it for myself though.

fractalflatulence OP t1_iy8ripq wrote on November 29, 2022 at 4:32 PM

>This is one of the few times I've taken online reviews seriously,

I also think people tend to think, whether based in reality or not, that buffets are more prone to food safety issues... and at the very least food quality issues - maybe a touch of prejudice for some folks as well.