storewanderer wrote: ↑February 21st, 2024, 11:41 pm
The Mandalay Bay buffet made some changes since COVID. Price is still low-ish there by edge of strip standards (better with a buy 1 get 1 free, at lunch). Drinks became self serve and they don't even have brewed iced tea (just fountain one). I think even the coffee may have been from a concentrate, I don't quite recall. You also go in with a self checkout which seemed to have been expanded from before (they used to have more). I think since I had a coupon I had to go to the register or thought I did.
I haven't noticed any Asian buffets close and many of them did to go/by the pound the entire COVID.
The reopening in AZ is interesting, how many units do they plan to reopen? Hopefully they can staff it and food cost doesn't kill them. From some people I know involved in fast food I heard Tucson was one of the better markets for staffing throughout this whole COVID thing, as in locations there didn't have the staffing problems that Phoenix area had (and nothing even close to the staffing mess in Reno that is slowly getting better).
Mandalay Bay buffet is gone. At least the "Bayside Buffet." I think one of the other restaurants does a brunch buffet? Bayside Buffet has been gone for a while now, we stayed there last fall and it was walled off. A couple of weeks ago it was being gutted.
Bacchanal is just fantastic... If someone else is picking up the tab.
storewanderer wrote: ↑February 21st, 2024, 11:41 pm
The Mandalay Bay buffet made some changes since COVID. Price is still low-ish there by edge of strip standards (better with a buy 1 get 1 free, at lunch). Drinks became self serve and they don't even have brewed iced tea (just fountain one). I think even the coffee may have been from a concentrate, I don't quite recall. You also go in with a self checkout which seemed to have been expanded from before (they used to have more). I think since I had a coupon I had to go to the register or thought I did.
I haven't noticed any Asian buffets close and many of them did to go/by the pound the entire COVID.
The reopening in AZ is interesting, how many units do they plan to reopen? Hopefully they can staff it and food cost doesn't kill them. From some people I know involved in fast food I heard Tucson was one of the better markets for staffing throughout this whole COVID thing, as in locations there didn't have the staffing problems that Phoenix area had (and nothing even close to the staffing mess in Reno that is slowly getting better).
Mandalay Bay buffet is gone. At least the "Bayside Buffet." I think one of the other restaurants does a brunch buffet? Bayside Buffet has been gone for a while now, we stayed there last fall and it was walled off. A couple of weeks ago it was being gutted.
Bacchanal is just fantastic... If someone else is picking up the tab.
It looks like where I was at after COVID, was actually the Luxor Buffet. Mandalay Bay Buffet doesn't appear to have reopened since COVID or if did, it wasn't open for long. That explains why I thought it was different... shows how engaged I am with these places. I'd have rather eaten at a McDonalds to be honest.
storewanderer wrote: ↑February 21st, 2024, 11:41 pm
The Mandalay Bay buffet made some changes since COVID. Price is still low-ish there by edge of strip standards (better with a buy 1 get 1 free, at lunch). Drinks became self serve and they don't even have brewed iced tea (just fountain one). I think even the coffee may have been from a concentrate, I don't quite recall. You also go in with a self checkout which seemed to have been expanded from before (they used to have more). I think since I had a coupon I had to go to the register or thought I did.
I haven't noticed any Asian buffets close and many of them did to go/by the pound the entire COVID.
The reopening in AZ is interesting, how many units do they plan to reopen? Hopefully they can staff it and food cost doesn't kill them. From some people I know involved in fast food I heard Tucson was one of the better markets for staffing throughout this whole COVID thing, as in locations there didn't have the staffing problems that Phoenix area had (and nothing even close to the staffing mess in Reno that is slowly getting better).
Mandalay Bay buffet is gone. At least the "Bayside Buffet." I think one of the other restaurants does a brunch buffet? Bayside Buffet has been gone for a while now, we stayed there last fall and it was walled off. A couple of weeks ago it was being gutted.
Bacchanal is just fantastic... If someone else is picking up the tab.
It looks like where I was at after COVID, was actually the Luxor Buffet. Mandalay Bay Buffet doesn't appear to have reopened since COVID or if did, it wasn't open for long. That explains why I thought it was different... shows how engaged I am with these places. I'd have rather eaten at a McDonalds to be honest.
I am surprised they waited so long to demolish it. At least that is what appeared to be happening. Now that it seems buffets are showing signs of life I wonder if they will start at least extending the hours of the existing ones back to normal, and then possibly reopening others. I do think the modern food court concept is going to replace most of this, as can be seen at Aria. They basically turned the existing buffet into a food court, each station now it's own restaurant, with central kiosk ordering. During big events like the Super Bowl they turn it into an AYCE concept where you pay a buffet price and then you can order whatever you want from every kitchen.
Brian Lutz wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2024, 9:59 am
I'm pretty sure everyone in Utah has some vomitous variation on the Chuck-a-Rama name (In our family it was "Upchuck-a-Rama", my wife called it the "Barf-o-Rama") but the same is probably true for a lot of buffet places.
What’s funny is that my family loves “Upchuck-a-Rama”! We were there last year around President’s Day, and got snowed in at Salt Lake. Chuck-a-Rama and Kneaders became our go-to places for almost 3 days.
That being said, Golden Corral is very hit and miss. We don’t go to the one in Ogden, Twin Falls is OK-ish, and don’t go to the one off Watt in Sacramento.
Brian Lutz wrote: ↑February 22nd, 2024, 9:59 am
I'm pretty sure everyone in Utah has some vomitous variation on the Chuck-a-Rama name (In our family it was "Upchuck-a-Rama", my wife called it the "Barf-o-Rama") but the same is probably true for a lot of buffet places.
What’s funny is that my family loves “Upchuck-a-Rama”! We were there last year around President’s Day, and got snowed in at Salt Lake. Chuck-a-Rama and Kneaders became our go-to places for almost 3 days.
That being said, Golden Corral is very hit and miss. We don’t go to the one in Ogden, Twin Falls is OK-ish, and don’t go to the one off Watt in Sacramento.
I don't know why they opened that Watt unit. But I've heard it is actually extremely high volume. There seem to be some issues with that location/neighborhood and it is unfortunate because it is so "central." That hotel near-ish there at Madison offramp which has had a few flags (old Holiday Inn, then Crowne Plaza, think it is now some other brand) should be great for its central location, but the area is just... not. But that GC has stayed open, so it must work... bet they'd do even better at an offramp...
There is a Golden Corral in Concord, California. It opened up after a previous HomeTown Buffet closed. It is one of the only chain buffets in the area. People pack the place like crazy. It is small and crowded. The place is hot and stuffy. It is so dirty and the restrooms are a mess. The food is mediocre with raw chicken and customers touch the food with their dirty hands.
For some reason people still go there. It is about $19.99 for dinner and $14.99 for lunch. They have to-go for $8.99 a pound.
This place attracts a rough crowd and there have been violent incidents. I wouldn't go there.
People go there because they just don't know of any better buffets. The commercials for this place probably influence them.
Sweet Tomatoes one city over used to be very popular. That place had a nicer customer base and was much safer. Now there is very little buffet competition.
