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 Super S »

One of the casinos has been running TV ads for all you can eat Dungeness Crab. I would guess it is brought to the table as needed, like how Red Lobster does Endless Shrimp.

I have not been to any area casino since before the pandemic started, and do not know the status of the buffets at any of them.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by SamSpade »

Self service food bars and buffets were allowed to open in Utah again under updated phased guidelines, but based on all the restrictions, if I were a restaurant owner I would probably pay 1-2 people to operate and plate the servings and bring them to diners tables.
Self-serve buffets can start up again in Utah - with restrictions

If I were a grocer? Keep them closed and figure out a way to serve the food from behind the deli counter. These rules would be too challenging.

On 24-hour establishments (not sure who is even trying for this right now):

The guidelines also address restaurants that are open 24 hours.

These operations must close for cleaning and disinfecting twice a day — morning and evening. “Cleaning and disinfecting includes all tables, chairs, door handles, floors, bathrooms, and any high-touch surfaces.”

All restaurants in Utah must continue to limit tables to groups of no more than 10, preferably limited to members of the same household.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by storewanderer »

I think grocers need to give up on self serve. It seems to be allowed again in Nevada based on what I've seen the past week (I've seen open bulk foods and open loose donuts/bagels/rolls at multiple grocers). It just does not seem safe.

Pack the stuff up into 2 packs and be done with it. It isn't really economical to sell one donut or bagel at once unfortunately.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by BillyGr »

SamSpade wrote: August 1st, 2020, 4:26 pm Self service food bars and buffets were allowed to open in Utah again under updated phased guidelines, but based on all the restrictions, if I were a restaurant owner I would probably pay 1-2 people to operate and plate the servings and bring them to diners tables.
Doesn't seem too hard - people enter, grab sanitizer, employee hands them a plate, they fill it and exit. Not quite sure what logic the change utensils is, since everyone touching them just cleaned any germs off with the sanitizer...
SamSpade wrote: August 1st, 2020, 4:26 pm On 24-hour establishments (not sure who is even trying for this right now):
The one that comes to mind is a place like a truck stop, where they might have food available at all times, as drivers are on different schedules.
storewanderer wrote: August 1st, 2020, 5:44 pm I think grocers need to give up on self serve. It seems to be allowed again in Nevada based on what I've seen the past week (I've seen open bulk foods and open loose donuts/bagels/rolls at multiple grocers). It just does not seem safe.

Pack the stuff up into 2 packs and be done with it. It isn't really economical to sell one donut or bagel at once unfortunately.
The benefit to those self serve items is not just getting one at a time, but when (like one of our chains does frequently) they offer bagels or donuts 6 for $x, with self serve you can get a variety of flavors/types, while now they just pack them in 6 packs of the same type.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by mbz321 »

I've noticed Giant supermarkets (PA) have returned to self-serve, non-individually packaged bakery donuts and muffins and such.

I also saw a picture in another group of a ShopRite that opened up their self serve salad bar again...I wonder how long that will last.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by architect »

A couple of Tom Thumb locations in my area have resumed self serve at their donut cases and soup counters, with social distancing markers placed on the floor in front of each.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by Alpha8472 »

Safeway has donuts in plastic bags with twist ties. There are some bags of single donuts, and some bags of various numbers of mixed donuts. This is somewhat dangerous in that everyone still has to touch the dirty door handles on the donut case. Then what if someone opens up a bag of donuts and takes out some donuts and puts them in another bag. You never know who touched these donuts with their bare hands.

Safeway put all of their bulk items into small clear plastic containers. You have to buy a 6 ounce plastic container of items such as almonds, candies, seeds, etc.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by BatteryMill »

From what I've seen, Wegmans has dismantled all their self serve bars for the time being. Out of these, only the mediterranean bar has made a return, now being manned by those working in the cheese department. Another bar had been repurposed into a stand for their new "Danny's Made in Buffalo Wings" product; however, the wings were eventually moved to the "Tastes of Mexico" station that had shuttered back in March. Oddly they have released some of their bakery items out of the boxes and back to a self serve format recently.

Harris Teeter and Giant, at least seem to have simply emptied and cleaned their salad bars, while leaving them in their place. Sometimes they may place some products or decor on top of the fixtures.

I've enjoyed the self serve bars Wegmans has offered. I haven't really eaten from anywhere else, but I do hope at some point the fears are at a more controllable level. I say the demand for bringing these functions back is a 50/50 between customers' and corporations' beliefs in the practice.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by SamSpade »

From the Business Journals -
I stumbled in while reading something else.
COUNTRY BUFFET SHIFTS ITS MODEL
The operator of brands such as Old Country Buffet, Furr’s and Sushi Zushi has reorganized into a new company that is relaunching the former buffets with a table-service model as well as introducing a new distribution concept it's calling ToGo Kitchens.

San Antonio-based VitaNova Brands consists of restaurant chains that formerly belonged to Food Management Partners and subsidiary Ovation Brands. The company’s name comes from the Italian phrase meaning “new life,” referring to its model of acquiring and growing underperforming restaurant brands.

VitaNova President Jason Kemp, previously chief financial officer for FMP, said the new company was formed during the pandemic by recruiting some equity holders of FMP and new investors.

Kemp said the new company is optimistic it will see long-term growth with its strategy despite the challenges that forced many of its restaurants to close this year. “All of our team members, every staff member, we all see that this is the model that's going to help us grow,” he said.
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Re: The Future of Buffets, Salad Bars, and Self Serve?

Post by Alpha8472 »

Hometown AYCE Marketplace is the most bizarre name for a restaurant ever. It sounds like a hardware store or perhaps an indoor flea market. Their new restaurant model is as follows: sit down and order all you can eat. You do not leave your seat and you cannot help yourself to any food or drinks.

Hometown Buffet used to pack crowds of people inside. There were long lines to get inside. They made money by having as many customers as they could pack the restaurant. Now they have to limit the number of people to social distance. In some states you cannot even have indoor dining.

If you sit there and have employees bring you unlimited amounts of food, how does the restaurant make money?
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