The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

mbz321
Assistant Store Manager
Assistant Store Manager
Posts: 747
Joined: March 11th, 2010, 7:52 pm
Has thanked: 96 times
Been thanked: 54 times
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by mbz321 »

The Amazon Fresh store that just opened near me in PA has a full salad bar open and a hot bar with some limited choices on it, also a sanitizing station with gloves available for use. Unfortunately, it seems the middle-of-the-road grocers in my area (Giant, Acme) have not brought their salad bars back as of yet. (Giant tended to have a pretty decent bar at a good price--and from my brief time working for them, it was also a clever way of getting rid of some 'ugly' produce that wouldn't normally sell.). I haven't been to Wegmans in a while to see if their (vastly overpriced) food bars have returned.
storewanderer
Posts: 14379
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 3:54 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 298 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by storewanderer »

mbz321 wrote: September 22nd, 2021, 7:56 pm The Amazon Fresh store that just opened near me in PA has a full salad bar open and a hot bar with some limited choices on it, also a sanitizing station with gloves available for use. Unfortunately, it seems the middle-of-the-road grocers in my area (Giant, Acme) have not brought their salad bars back as of yet. (Giant tended to have a pretty decent bar at a good price--and from my brief time working for them, it was also a clever way of getting rid of some 'ugly' produce that wouldn't normally sell.). I haven't been to Wegmans in a while to see if their (vastly overpriced) food bars have returned.
From what I am seeing, at the few stores that have reopened the self serve food bars, the items are not selling very well at all (salad bars or hot food bars) and the assortment is not the same as before, nor do the items look as fresh as before.

Self serve bakery with loose donuts, bagels, etc.- people do seem to be buying that stuff again. I am not comfortable with that just yet. Every grocer in my area has gone back to loose self serve bakery except Wal Mart who is still prepacking all the single items.
Alpha8472
Posts: 3929
Joined: February 24th, 2009, 8:55 pm
Been thanked: 79 times
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by Alpha8472 »

Safeway is terrible about this. The bagels and bread sit out uncovered. Flies could crawl all over them.
steps
Receiving Clerk
Receiving Clerk
Posts: 132
Joined: February 24th, 2009, 9:05 pm
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by steps »

Alpha8472 wrote: September 23rd, 2021, 2:19 pm Safeway is terrible about this. The bagels and bread sit out uncovered. Flies could crawl all over them.
It was like that pre-pandemic. There has always been a small gap in the cases for flies to get in. I'm not sure if this is a design flaw or if it's intentional. Maybe its to keep the breads "fresh" with air circulation to let heat out if the bread is still warm when it's put into the case?

The Pavilions in my area keep their "artisan" breads in the open but it's not self serve.
storewanderer
Posts: 14379
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 3:54 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 298 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by storewanderer »

steps wrote: September 23rd, 2021, 5:50 pm
Alpha8472 wrote: September 23rd, 2021, 2:19 pm Safeway is terrible about this. The bagels and bread sit out uncovered. Flies could crawl all over them.
It was like that pre-pandemic. There has always been a small gap in the cases for flies to get in. I'm not sure if this is a design flaw or if it's intentional. Maybe its to keep the breads "fresh" with air circulation to let heat out if the bread is still warm when it's put into the case?

The Pavilions in my area keep their "artisan" breads in the open but it's not self serve.
No, at NorCal Safeway the bagels and rolls literally sit out in open air bins. This is the format that the bakeries were remodeled into during the lifestyle program. I thought Safeway did that everywhere in the US- I've seen it in OR, WA, East, Vons, CO, TX, Dominicks, Genuardis... (but not in Canada- they used "drawers" there for this stuff). There are no doors, shields, or anything else, for the bagels and rolls. It was to keep the rolls "crusty." Also they could fill the cases with hot product (whereas if you fill a closed door plastic bin as they used to use for bagels and rolls with hot product, the plastic bin will get wet, product starts steaming, and mold may start forming)

NorCal has done a few remodels (Truckee, South Lake Tahoe, Reno old) recently and the cases have doors and these items are behind the doors so not exposed this way. Then they turned around and opened new store in Reno 4 months ago and this new Reno Store has the old Safeway style fixture that is completely open air for the bagels and rolls... could not believe it.
Alpha8472
Posts: 3929
Joined: February 24th, 2009, 8:55 pm
Been thanked: 79 times
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by Alpha8472 »

I have noticed that Golden Corral has gone back to self serve buffets. However, the drinks and utensils are not self serve. There is a 35 to 45 minute wait to get into the building. People are using their hands to touch the food. It is very unappealing. It is simply not worth the recently increased prices.
Last edited by Alpha8472 on October 3rd, 2021, 7:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
mjhale
Shift Manager
Shift Manager
Posts: 429
Joined: October 2nd, 2016, 4:02 pm
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 47 times
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by mjhale »

Alpha8472 wrote: October 1st, 2021, 5:06 pm I have noticed that Golden Corrale has gone back to self serve buffets. However, the drinks and utensils are not self serve. There is a 35 to 45 minute wait to get into the building. People are using their hands to touch the food. It is very unappealing. It is simply not worth the recently increased prices.
I have a friend who loves buffet type restaurants. Personally I like the variety of Golden Corral. However, even prior to the virus, I found the cleanliness of Golden Corral questionable. Children going from food tray to food tray, adults using any old utensil to get food, things spilled around the steam trays and not cleaned up.... The parking lot of the local Golden Corral has been busy to packed since they reopened with full buffet service. I'll go back at some point just to see what it is like now but for now I think a more healthy mode of eating is going to be better.
Bagels
Assistant Store Manager
Assistant Store Manager
Posts: 823
Joined: August 20th, 2018, 11:54 pm
Has thanked: 1 time
Been thanked: 12 times
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by Bagels »

storewanderer wrote: September 22nd, 2021, 11:29 pm
mbz321 wrote: September 22nd, 2021, 7:56 pm The Amazon Fresh store that just opened near me in PA has a full salad bar open and a hot bar with some limited choices on it, also a sanitizing station with gloves available for use. Unfortunately, it seems the middle-of-the-road grocers in my area (Giant, Acme) have not brought their salad bars back as of yet. (Giant tended to have a pretty decent bar at a good price--and from my brief time working for them, it was also a clever way of getting rid of some 'ugly' produce that wouldn't normally sell.). I haven't been to Wegmans in a while to see if their (vastly overpriced) food bars have returned.
From what I am seeing, at the few stores that have reopened the self serve food bars, the items are not selling very well at all (salad bars or hot food bars) and the assortment is not the same as before, nor do the items look as fresh as before.

Self serve bakery with loose donuts, bagels, etc.- people do seem to be buying that stuff again. I am not comfortable with that just yet. Every grocer in my area has gone back to loose self serve bakery except Wal Mart who is still prepacking all the single items.
I think a lot of it varies by location. In SoCal, Albertsons brought back a very limited selection of self-service donuts. The bagels remain in sealed packaging. Walmart is still selling all baked goods in individual packaging. But when I was in Utah last December, both Walmart and Albertsons had their full selection available via self-service.

Ralphs removed the bulk good casings from their stores, and I’d be surprised if they come back. Salad bars remain, although with prepackaged salads. Kroger has removed salad bars from most of their store fleet over the past 10+ years, so I assume they weren’t profitable to begin with. SoCal might be different, but no more. Pavilions pulled their salad and hot bar recently and replaced it with a HUGR selection of heat and serve entrees and sides. The Coca Cola freestyle and fountain machines (at Vons) are being removed, which I found interesting.

Amazon Fresh did indeed introduce a large selection of self-service hot foods, and Whole Foods has restored theirs as well.
storewanderer
Posts: 14379
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 3:54 pm
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 298 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by storewanderer »

Bagels wrote: October 3rd, 2021, 12:01 pm
I think a lot of it varies by location. In SoCal, Albertsons brought back a very limited selection of self-service donuts. The bagels remain in sealed packaging. Walmart is still selling all baked goods in individual packaging. But when I was in Utah last December, both Walmart and Albertsons had their full selection available via self-service.

Ralphs removed the bulk good casings from their stores, and I’d be surprised if they come back. Salad bars remain, although with prepackaged salads. Kroger has removed salad bars from most of their store fleet over the past 10+ years, so I assume they weren’t profitable to begin with. SoCal might be different, but no more. Pavilions pulled their salad and hot bar recently and replaced it with a HUGR selection of heat and serve entrees and sides. The Coca Cola freestyle and fountain machines (at Vons) are being removed, which I found interesting.

Amazon Fresh did indeed introduce a large selection of self-service hot foods, and Whole Foods has restored theirs as well.
One store where self serve everything is back is WinCo. Hundreds or maybe thousands of loose bulk food bins (these do have a dedicated scoop for every bin), loose bulk donuts (they have tissue paper for these), loose bulk bagels (which they have tongs for you to collect if you notice the tongs as there isn't even one tong per flavor more like one tong for every 2 or 3 flavors).

Wal Mart had one store in Carson City, NV who went back to single bulk donuts for quite a few months late last year/early this year then reverted back to pre-pack again. The Wal Mart locations I've been to in CA/NV over the past few months now sell the single donuts in small two pack boxes prepackaged/sealed as opposed to 1pk. The bagels are still single/prepackaged in a plastic bag.

Smiths has loose self serve donuts from some defrost/serve Utah provider called Madbrook (same donuts Maverik sells) at 99 cents each and sales look very slow, there are a ton left every night and there is always a handwritten "buy one get one free" sign up at night (not sure if it is there all day). I won't buy loose stuff like that so I don't care what they are trying. Smiths completely removed its bulk foods departments. Smiths has loose bagels and rolls again identical to what they were doing pre-COVID; extensive bagel program. Smiths actually added very small salad bars into a few stores about 3-4 years ago if a Sprouts was nearby but it seems those were removed before COVID happened.

I have yet to see salad bars reopened at the one Save Mart who offers a salad bar that I know of, and also Sprouts has never reopened their salad bars either.

Raleys has fully reopened salad bar at the ONE Store which actually looks quite good, and also the pathetic assortment self serve hot bar. Given how slow sales are, they were probably making more money with those fixtures closed.

Lately NorCal Safeway has donuts some days and not other days. They have signs posted about a "donut shortage." Some days there are donuts in the case even as this sign is posted stating there are no donuts due to a materials shortage. Other days no donuts.
Brian Lutz
Store Manager
Store Manager
Posts: 1425
Joined: March 1st, 2009, 5:51 pm
Location: Piedmont Triad, NC
Been thanked: 56 times
Contact:
Status: Offline

Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by Brian Lutz »

Digging up an old thread here, but it might be interesting to revisit some of this now. Back in Washington where we recently moved away buffets seem to be mostly a thing of the past at this point. A former Golden Corral in Marysville first tried to rebrand as "NW Trading Post" as a buffet, then as a regular restaurant, and when we left the property was being taken over and remodeled into a Buzz Inn (presumably the nearby location on State Avenue was moving there.). None of the casino buffets ever reopened either. The Mexican restaurant occupying the buffet space at Angel of the Winds casino is still there, and if that goes away my guess is that the space would get turned into either another restaurant or used to expand the recently added sports book. As far as I know Tulalip Casino never reopened their buffet, and Northern Quest Casino in Spokane has turned their buffet into other restaurants now.

Here in Utah where I'm temporarily living is a different story entirely. Chuck-A-Rama did close some locations as a result of COVID, but seems to have bounced back and the locations are as busy as I've ever seen them. They also seem to be a much better run operation than some of the now defunct chains like Old Country Buffet. My wife and I visited one near Downtown Salt Lake today, and I was impressed with how clean they kept the buffet lines and the restrooms. The food was also fresh (I'm sure the high volume helps with that) and nothing seemed like it had been sitting for too long. Then again, if there is anywhere a buffet like that can do well it's in Utah, where large groups are a common sight in these places(where else are you going to go if you need to feed 23 people on short notice?) I also know are some Golden Corral locations here as well, but have not tried one of these.
Post Reply