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

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

Post by BillyGr »

storewanderer wrote: January 19th, 2021, 5:58 pm Retailers are going to need to make some decisions. And part of the bigger question here is how long do you keep a fixture present that is not being used? I am seeing idle previously self serve food bar, salad bar, moochi bar, underutilized bakery cases, in many stores. At some point you cannot keep this equipment idle forever and need to make some decisions. Be it converting to full service, prepackaged, or just removing the equipment and putting more stuff in the space that will actually sell, we are approaching a year of these fixtures being not used, and this is not sustainable.
For the most part, stores here have continued using them (one did remove a salad bar, but the store was being remodeled anyway and every case was changed out). They just put pre-packed items in the place of bulk (olives in boxes rather than a big tray, chicken wings in small plastic boxes on the hot section rather than empty boxes and wings in bulk pans, and even in some places extra types of deli items pre-sliced and packed to cut down on lines for service deli).
So, at least in this area they've found ways to make the cases still useful, even if not in the original format (but they can be returned to that format easily enough when it makes sense - for instance the hot section has a plate over the slots where the bins would normally go to hold the pre-packed items, but take that plate out and you can have bins of bulk wings again.)
storewanderer wrote: January 19th, 2021, 9:37 pm The other thing that continues on as self serve is the coffee/soda at convenience stores. Just like before. A number of those machines are touchless though (cup against lever for ice, cup against lever to dispense beverage) but many do have a button to push to dispense product.

In some places in California there is an odd local regulation since April or May, that requires the cashier of the store to give you the cup, lid, and straw... this is great... right after they handle cash they give you all these things then you go over and fill them up. I get that having these items self serve and the customers "touching" them may not be great but having the cashier put the loose lid down on the counter as I am dealing with the payment machine (that counter isn't cleaned between customers) is not great.

One particular location I have visited multiple times with that local regulation put the cups back at the drink machines for the customer to take (I guess it was too hard giving the customer a choice between a plastic or a foam cup and having all those behind the register, also there was an issue giving the cup to the customer through the plastic shield at the register) but then you still have to get the lid and straw from the cashier. I really don't like that, as it exposes the drink to open air while you are walking around in the location. I'd rather cap the drink ASAP.
Never figured out why that was popular in some places, but NY never had issues with it staying as normal. One local NY chain did offer to make your coffee for you if you wanted, but still allowed people to do it themselves.

For the most part, things in stores are designed to be low touch anyhow (like a stack of cups, so you only grab the top one you are using, not touching others - same for lids). One chain did change from loose coffee stirrers to ones that are wrapped like straws, but another didn't (again not as bad as it sounds - you only touch the top end of the stirrer, and then use the other end to stir with, so any others you might hit grabbing one are the end not going in the drinks) - though said chain also has wrapped straws someone could use if they were really concerned.

I know there was quite a bit of complaint from customers in other nearby states (via the Facebook pages of chains that cover both areas), as those states required the stores to serve the coffee, and due to that some stores only made coffee at busier hours, which upset those visiting at other times.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by Brian Lutz »

One thing I have seen recently is that Coca Cola Freestyle machines have added a feature where you can scan a QR code on the machine which will direct you to a webpage that will let you select and dispense a drink from your smartphone without touching the machine. It worked pretty well on the couple of times I used it, but it's still less convenient than just using the touchscreen.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by storewanderer »

Brian Lutz wrote: January 20th, 2021, 11:12 am One thing I have seen recently is that Coca Cola Freestyle machines have added a feature where you can scan a QR code on the machine which will direct you to a webpage that will let you select and dispense a drink from your smartphone without touching the machine. It worked pretty well on the couple of times I used it, but it's still less convenient than just using the touchscreen.
Those machines need to be gone. They are difficult to clean and unsanitary for numerous reasons. A recently remodeled McDonalds last year did not get one of those machines, and another McDonalds that had the machines took them out sometime last year. Are other chains still doing new installs of those machines? Jack in the Box seemed to go all in with them.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by Brian Lutz »

Another interesting one I saw today: One of the local tribal casinos (which aren't subject to the same statewide restrictions as other places, and thus are able to offer indoor dining) has leased out their (apparently now former) buffet space to a local Mexican restaurant which is now operating from the casino, and is thus allowed to offer indoor dining when they wouldn't otherwise be able to do so. Based on how it's described on the casino's Facebook page, it sounds like the intent is to bring in local restaurants on a rotating basis.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by jamcool »

You do know that CV is spread by inhalation, not by ingesting something... the acid in your stomach would neutralize the virus.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by storewanderer »

jamcool wrote: January 23rd, 2021, 12:11 am You do know that CV is spread by inhalation, not by ingesting something... the acid in your stomach would neutralize the virus.
Ultimately the customer will decide the future of buffets, salad bars, and self serve. Customers will either move back to these formats or they won't. Some customers were not comfortable with these formats in the first place, and that number is probably going to be larger in the future than it was in the past.

But just because these formats disappear now and maybe for the next few years, perhaps they reappear again in 5-10 years. Sort of like those bulk foods departments in the grocery stores- those were pretty common in the 90's, largely gone by the late 90's and 00's, then started to reappear in the past 5-10 years with a focus on the natural/organic bulk items.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by Alpha8472 »

In the San Francisco Bay Area many of the Burger King restaurants have switched to Coca Cola Freestyle machine in the past few years. McDonald's seems to stay with traditional soda fountains. AMC Theatres and Cinema West switched to the Freestyle machines a few years ago too. Regal Cinemas switched to Pepsi in 2020. AMC and Cinemark were self serve on sodas when I went there last time. It might have changed. AMC had rows of Freestyle machines. It was ridiculous and probably expensive too.

Cinemark was the chain that took over Century Theatres. Since then, Cinemark has switched to self serve concessions and soda in all of their new theaters. This was not so great as people would put their hands on all of the food and candy that was just lying around to take. So you end up being way too close to strangers grabbing food all at the same time and then you had to line up in crowded spaces to pay.

Regal never had self serve. AMC is mostly not self serve. However, they had some refrigerators at the concession stands where you could help yourself to bottled drinks and then pay when you got to the counter.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by mbz321 »

jamcool wrote: January 23rd, 2021, 12:11 am You do know that CV is spread by inhalation, not by ingesting something... the acid in your stomach would neutralize the virus.

Most people have zero clue about anything. I work in a popular warehouse club store and people are still going nuts over Clorox wipes and lysol spay (and the other ones buying up all our flood of random 'antibacterial' products we started stocking like Microban spray for instance (again, will do nothing against Covid, a VIRUS). Unless you are spraying that stuff in your mouth, the chance of it having any affect against Covid is slim-to-none. I could understand when the virus first started and there was a lot of unknowns, but we are almost a year in already.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by storewanderer »

mbz321 wrote: January 24th, 2021, 8:05 pm
Most people have zero clue about anything. I work in a popular warehouse club store and people are still going nuts over Clorox wipes and lysol spay (and the other ones buying up all our flood of random 'antibacterial' products we started stocking like Microban spray for instance (again, will do nothing against Covid, a VIRUS). Unless you are spraying that stuff in your mouth, the chance of it having any affect against Covid is slim-to-none. I could understand when the virus first started and there was a lot of unknowns, but we are almost a year in already.
It is all about perception. People perceive the need to keep clearing the shelf on the Clorox Wipes and Lysol Spray. This same logic will dictate whether or not people are comfortable enough to purchase from buffets, salad bars, or other loose self serve food options in the future. In terms of risk of purchasing from these buffets, salad bars, or other loose self serve food options, the risk at this time is no greater than it has ever been... if anything they may actually be safer now since things are being cleaned more often and flu season is very weak, more people are wearing masks who previously just coughed wherever into the open then touched these dispensers... there is just an increased risk perception. With all of that said, I would not currently purchase from a buffet, salad bar, or loose self serve bin at this time, but did frequently in the past.

But I do miss that salsa bar at El Pollo Loco... yes you can get the salsas by request from the employees, which come prepacked at the location level each morning, stored in a refrigerated bin that various employees are in and out of. Including the cashiers who go straight from the cash register with the same gloves on into that bin to grab cups of salsa out of it. And who knows what is going on when they portion the cups... trading one risk for another here in my opinion.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by cjd »

I just noticed looking online that the Golden Corral in the next town has transitioned to a sitdown restaurant called "GC Grillhouse by Golden Corral". It's been remodeled and added a bar area. There's no more buffet, only a salad and soup bar as far as self service. Apparently this happened in June, although I don't go that way much so didn't notice it.

I had not been to Golden Corral since considerably before the pandemic. Probably about 2015 in fact. My grandmother used to really like it, and always wanted to go when she visited. But since she passed away we had stopped going, and I used to go with friends, but we hadn't been in a while. Can't believe it had been that long!

This was always a well run location, with the same owners for 30 years. I've never been a big buffet person, I just would rather have one plate instead of multiple, so to me it was not worth the money to go to a buffet vs a regular restaurant. I did like some of their items though.
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