TheGoldenChow

TheGoldenChow t1_jdtnt92 wrote

Finally, a question for my undervalued expertise!

Long time Pondo fan here. I'm not sure that's something to be admitting out loud these days, but one of my first jobs was at one and back then it was a decent place to grab an average steak and buffet. It has retained a soft spot in my Midwestern heart ever since.

It has changed through the years but there has been a drastic and unfortunate downturn in the already mediocre quality ever since the pandemic. We ate at the Butler location in December for the first time since covid hit and I doubt we'll go back. It wasn't a horror story or anything--the place was clean enough and they kept the food fresh--but the quality was just awful.

Most foods were bewilderingly bland. The buffet chicken wings, for example, were the most tasteless wings we have ever eaten. The desserts were the same. My partner's go to entree, the sirloin tips, used to come in with a decent amount of sirloin tip chunks, lots of onion slices and whole sauteed mushrooms. This time it was a far smaller amount of lesser quality meat with just a few onion slivers and sliced mushroom bits.

So no, it isn't a death trap or health hazard, but just a huge letdown. It's like having a craving for grandma's homemade mashed potatoes you remember from your childhood and ending up with Aldi instant potato flakes made with tap water.

110