When I was growing up, going out to eat was a huge treat because it was something my family rarely ever did. I’m sure I could count on one hand the number of times we went out for dinner before I was ten years old, and that is not an exaggeration. We hardly even went out to eat on vacation. There was, however, a period of a few years when my dad did a lot of traveling, and when he was gone for several days at a time, my brother and I could sometimes expect a meal at Subway. This was very exciting for us. To this day, I still enjoy Subway because it seemed so magical when I was a kid.
Every once in a while when Dad was gone, my mom would skip Subway and spring for the Old Country Buffet. We would meet our friends there, whose dad also traveled, and make an evening of it. It was a big restaurant, and we always went on a weeknight, so the staff was happy to let us spend a couple hours playing cards in the corner while our moms talked.
Does anyone remember the all-you-can-eat buffets that were so wildly popular in the United States? My mom might be embarrassed to admit that she actually took us there, but we loved it. The mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and buttery rolls were something special to a 10-year-old kid. It was a miracle that we never got food poisoning. That might be because we preferred the carbs over the meat. For dessert, we were allowed to hit up the soft serve ice cream machine and choose an additional treat. Now THAT was living.
Based on the small amount of research I just did, Old Country Buffet and OldTown Buffet are no longer in operation. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen a similar restaurant in years. And our country is probably better for it. Do you remember when buffets were popular?
I didn’t know buffets had become unpopular. The ones in my area are going strong.
Golden Corral is still popular in the USA
I have never been to one. My family stuck to organic vegetarian food.
Did they live longer than the rest of us?
Haha yes, Shoney’s, Quincy’s and Barnhill’s come to mind. I still see a Golden Corral occasionally.
Oh yes! My grandparents would bring us to Ponderosa on special occasions when we were kids and we LOVED it. I remember my mom suggesting that my grandparents bring just us kids and I remember wondering why my mom didn’t want to go too😆 I have fond memories of the chicken wings and Oreo mousse!
In Michigan, we have a restaurant called Golden Corral that sounds similar to what you are describing. I have never eaten there personally, but it sounds like people either love it or hate it. I am totally with you on Subway, though! I remember my first time going and seeing all of the things I could get on my sandwich- I was in complete awe! The case looks so big to a kiddo!
We loved Old Town Buffett when our girls were little. They too especially liked the soft serve ice cream machine and the oodles of toppings to choose from. I sure miss those buffetts.
My family used to go to Old Country Buffet sometimes, often for a celebratory meal. There were also a lot of years that we went to Golden Corral for Thanksgiving.
Hi Ellie. I love buffets. I cannot eat that much but I love the choices. I have learned to take just a small amount to start and go back if I want more of an item. My husband and I go to Lancaster County twice a year for long weekends and they still have lots of buffets (smorgasbords). We go to Sight & Sound yearly and tour the Amish countryside. It’s a nice, peaceful and relaxing weekend with, of course, delicious food!
I do remember Buffet style restaurants, but not the ones you mention. Our family only went a couple of times to one that featured “steak”. I say that with quotes because it really wasn’t any kind of quality!
The whole idea of eating out has changed so much from being a special thing to a common place activity with such a variety of places, menus and price points.
We prefer to make our meals at home.
Eileen
I never liked buffets. You don’t know who mishandled the food before you… Glad they’re going going gone.
Here in Ohio, we have Der Dutchman. They have an amazing Amish buffet!! The only buffet I will eat 🙂
As a kid I loved to go to Bonanza…I got the steak which was a treat because I didn’t get it much. We hit the Chinese Buffets too…not sure if those are around anymore.
My 2 cousins and I would stop at the same diner with our grandparents after attending a revival with them. I remember a small juke box selector on each table. It was fun us girls selecting songs to play. I like Subway also. Than when all-you-can eat buffets came along I thought wow, you can walk around and pick the food you like. My hubby and I mostly eat at home since we begin to eat senior portions.