Do you think that buffet-style restaurants will return? —Ted L., St. Louis
The short answer is that some buffet-style restaurants may survive if they successfully adopt a new business model; the self-serve buffet as we know it may not. Regardless, there are a lot of possible survival ideas floating around that are worth mentioning, but the cards seem to be stacked against the buffet model in a post-COVID world.
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
The FDA has suggested discontinuing self-service areas that require guests to use common utensils or dispensers, such as salad bars, self-serve buffets, and condiment and beverage stations. In response to the restrictions, earlier this month, Souplantation (known as Sweet Tomatoes elsewhere) announced the permanent closure of its 97 restaurants. The restrictions also affect buffet operations for casinos, cruise ships, and independent restaurants.
Buffet restaurants tend to be large-footprint, volume-based operations, a model adversely affected by current limited seating mandates. Common-use plates, spoons, and ladles have been the norm on buffet lines, which flies in the face of new customer safety standards.
Some buffet restaurants were struggling even before the epidemic hit, as health concerns have become more important to diners and those who value food quality over sheer quantity. Slumping sales were surely affected by the rising popularity of food delivery and online ordering—and then came the pandemic and now-ubiquitous curbside pickup.
Like every other restaurant model, buffet-based operations will either close or adapt. One of the most popular chains, Golden Corral, has chosen to remodel its remaining locations to attract a new customer base. And it’s not alone. Eater Las Vegas reports that the granddaddy of buffet-style restaurants—the $100 million, 25,000-square-foot, 600-seat Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar’s Palace—is planning to spend more than $2 million to remodel the food counters, service equipment, ceiling, and floor finishes.
The pandemic will likely force the genre to shift from a self-service model to attended service. At the very least, expect to see more robust sneeze guards and a staffer assigned to monitor plates and dispense gloves. There could be a shift to single-service tongs and spoons to be collected after each pass through the line.
Another possible scenario is a complete redesign of the buffet line, with staffers plating individually prepared or cooked-to-order items behind plexiglass barriers, either in one location or at different stations, similar to the scenario at upscale Sunday brunches or wedding receptions. (The downside to owners is that extra staffers increase labor costs, which negatively affects buffets’ low pricing.)
Long known for its Sunday brunches, Vin de Set just announced a shift in focus from self-service to a mix of family-style and plated entrées (priced at $26.99 per person, plus tax and gratuity), which goes into effect May 24.
Grocery stores have changed up their salad and soup bars as well, pivoting to prepackaged items rather than self-serve. Dierbergs in Warson Woods cleverly turned its salad bar into a booze buffet, filling the aluminum pans with different mini-bottles, so customers can pick and choose.
With increased labor and service, the hallmarks of buffet restaurants—low price, variety, and convenience—may be gone forever, but, more important, the buffet model will only survive if customers feel safe returning to that environment.
Follow George on Twitter and Instagram, or send him an “Ask George” email at [email protected]. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
