Odd restaurant policies?!?

[JethroB]

I am hoping for a similar outcome. We opted for a single set to start as we do not print a high volume of pages and I want (relatively) fresh consumables. Thanks for sharing your experience.

If you can live without color printing consider a laser printer. Far cheaper per page and way way less troublesome. An ink cartridge may be good for 250 pages while a high volume generic laser cartridge can print 2500 pages. Higher upfront cost but cheaper in the long run per page. I’ve bought a couple dozen of low end $100 Brother lasers over the last 15 years for work with good success.

 

[Bird]

I致e owned restaurants, as a side business. Food cost has little do do with the menu price. Try to keep it under 30%. Good luck!

Oh and btw, you don稚 own a restaurant, it owns you!

Many restaurant owners I know are hard hard workers, but not rocket scientists. I was both in the rocket science business and owned restaurants. I did ok with one restaurant but failed miserably with the other 2.

If the owners would tell you the truth most will say they own a 60 hour a week job and they barely get by, and work their *** off.

You guys think what you do is tuff? Not even close!

I've had nothing to do with the restaurant business, and know practically nothing about it, but over the years I've told a number of people that the restaurant business would be the last business I'd want to be involved in. NO ONE cooks well enough to satisfy EVERYONE. So you're bound to have some unhappy customers. And I would think it would always be a bit uncertain; never really know how much business you're going to have, how much food to buy or have ready. I'm glad that there are good restaurants; just glad I'll only be a customer, never an owner.

 

[kenmbz]

Have/had friends in the business-seen quite a few lose houses etc. trying to keep them going.
I wanted to be a chef at one time until I worked with a few and saw the hours and work needed and no job security in any way.

So 2 restaurants come to mind that were very odd, both in Ohio
A restaurant that was based on a roadkill theme including the menu!

A restaurant that had very specific unprinted and unknowable guidelines on how to enter, go through to order and be seated.
We went in and could not figure it out and finally just left.
We had gone in the wrong door it seems, though it was marked "entrance".
There were ropes like in a theater to (mis)guide you, and even people sitting still looked confused- somehow they had made it, maybe they jumped over the ropes?

 

[Fuddy1952]

Thought I'd throw in a restaurant funny.
Not far is a restaurant my wife and I used to go to almost every Saturday night for the all you can eat spaghetti special. In 1972 it was $2.95, now $9.95 spaghetti, salad, bread, iced tea.
I have this friend Bill 6'5", 400#...a BIG eater. Years ago I could eat three platefuls (1 now), but we take Bill and watch in amazement as he downs seven plates. As waitress heads back plate #8 Bill yells "And this time pile it on". Bill finishes that and manager comes over saying "that's it!" Bill says but the sign says all you can eat! Manager says for $2.95 eight plates IS all you can eat.

 

[Thomas]

Thought I'd throw in a restaurant funny.
Not far is a restaurant my wife and I used to go to almost every Saturday night for the all you can eat spaghetti special. In 1972 it was $2.95, now $9.95 spaghetti, salad, bread, iced tea.
I have this friend Bill 6'5", 400#...a BIG eater. Years ago I could eat three platefuls (1 now), but we take Bill and watch in amazement as he downs seven plates. As waitress heads back plate #8 Bill yells "And this time pile it on". Bill finishes that and manager comes over saying "that's it!" Bill says but the sign says all you can eat! Manager says for $2.95 eight plates IS all you can eat.

You should take Bill to one of those Golden Corrals restaurants buffet all you can eat for one price lot pick from...not bad.

 

[Jstpssng]

My restaurant funny... we were working down in NH and went out to supper. The other guys got their meals first, with servings so generous we were joking about them not being able to finish. Then my order of fish and vegetables came out... I almost said "Is that all!? The fish was tiny, there were about 6 short pieces of string beans on the plate, and a small dollop of potato. I did my best to make it last but finally finished and left because I was considering mugging one of them for their leftovers.
They came out and I said I was going to go get something to eat... when I pulled into Subway at 8:50 they saw me and turned out the lights. I ended up at McD's buying a complete meal all over again... if you can call what they serve food.

 

[Big Barn]

You should take Bill to one of those Golden Corrals restaurants buffet all you can eat for one price lot pick from...not bad.

Are buffets even operating as such these days?

 

[Fuddy1952]

Buffets here are, but with this covid we don't go, but will go to a cafeteria.
Some buffets are like a zoo, kids scooping up food, etc.

 

[Big Barn]

I stopped doing buffets quite a while ago. Undisciplined children were bad but the gluttonous adults are what really put me off.

 

[JethroB]

Are there any Shoneys restaurants left? I remember those breakfast buffets. Go about 10am before they closed it then skip lunch.

 

[dragoneggs]

I stopped doing buffets quite a while ago. Undisciplined children were bad but the gluttonous adults are what really put me off.

I have never enjoyed buffets... even as a hungry young single man. Always felt like I was shoveling food from a feed stall and the flavors always seemed bland.

Pretty sure there are none currently operating in Washington state at the moment due to COVID. My wife and I went out to lunch locally today for the first time in I can't remember how long, and visited a Thai place. There was one other couple in the place and we were seated as far from them as possible. I really feel sorry for restaurant owners and workers these days.

 

[Frankenkubota]

Are buffets even operating as such these days?

I think Golden Corral, GC as we call it, announced bankruptcy last month. Meaningless unless you are owed something.

I noticed the GC in my area is open but, I couldnt go to a buffet now if I had to. I致e quit my gym membership after 40 years. This virus creeps me out.

2 quick GC stories.

I needed a big time litigator lawyer SOB years ago and was sent to see this lawyer gal, don稚 remember her name. She ran and lost for judge years later. Her husband was one of the founders of GC. Mr and Mrs were both....big people. In high school in the 60s I was 5 ft 10 and 285. They didn稚 refer to me as big, if memory serves. Now 160 for years.

I worked for a tech co in southern Italy, there are couple, maybe! We would prepare MRI imaging suites prior to setting the machine, we called them magnets. I did the testing blah blah but they sent 2 technicians from the factory to do the install.

If you have been to Italy you learn they serve food very differently. They call them plates. Basically you get your salad on a plate, eat it and they bring you your veggies on 1 plate, all by them selves. You eat them, then they bring you a plate with a piece of meat or fish, all alone, you eat that and out comes anothe4 plate. The way to keep score is, how many plates?

It was time for lunch so I took the Italian technicians to GC.

Talk about kids in a candy store. They didn稚 understand you could go back so they loaded up their plates, it was great. I think we went to GC 4 of the 5 days they were here.

I read a few years ago that Mississippi had the most buffets for under $5.99. I guess somebody keeps track of that stuff?

 

[2LaneCruzer]

FWIW, I prefer my own and Sharn Jean's cooking to 90% of what you can get eating out. I do like a good Chinese restaurant of a "GOOD" seafood restaurant, but what I really miss is a good cafeteria. I can recall when a cafeteria was always within easy driving distance; now there are none in the OKC metro area that I'm aware of.

 

[jmc]

Thought I'd throw in a restaurant funny.

I have this friend Bill 6'5", 400#...a BIG eater. Years ago I could eat three platefuls (1 now), but we take Bill and watch in amazement as he downs seven plates. As waitress heads back plate #8 Bill yells "And this time pile it on". Bill finishes that and manager comes over saying "that's it!" Bill says but the sign says all you can eat! Manager says for $2.95 eight plates IS all you can eat.

Well, that triggered a flashback:

Homer Sues All You Can Eat Buffet - The Simpsons - YouTube

(3:20, but ya get the point in about the first minute.)

 

[Big Barn]

I stopped doing buffets quite a while ago. Undisciplined children were bad but the gluttonous adults are what really put me off.

I hope no one interprets my post as fat shaming as it was not my intent. Human behaviour is what I was highlighting and certainly NOT physical characteristics.

 

[Fuddy1952]

In the early 70s we took Big Bill to this bar we would frequent in a sleazy part of town...the entertainment was amazing . When everyone sees him they thought "oh...s***". To serve beer the place had to serve food also (some strange law), but it was just a beer joint. Someone said "I bet that guy could eat a large pizza in 5 minutes!" Someone said "four!!!". Then everyone's around our table placing bets.
Bill's hollers "seventeen seconds!!!!!".
You could hear a pin drop. Someone unplugged the juke box.
Soon the "cook" walks out from kitchen, sets a large pizza on table.
Some guy is looking at his watch...says "ready-set-GO!"
I'm still amazed after all these years...Bill folds it in half, half again, again until it was like a cone...then shoves it down his throat! He barely chewed it. The watch guy yells "13 seconds!!!".

 

[Thomas]

Are buffets even operating as such these days?

Yes in our area...note some restaurants have chosen not reopen the buffet lines.

 

[Big Barn]

Yes in our area...note some restaurants have chosen not reopen the buffet lines.

Interesting. I thought Covid might have caused the demise of buffets forever. Obviously I was incorrect.

 

[Thomas]

We look forward going to dinner church would put on also breakfast...darn good home cooking and chatting with others.

 

[/pine]

What I liked about going to places like Golden Coral was being able to eat in courses at one's own leisure...appetizer/soup...salad/rolls...then hit the main courses and side dishes...and of course desert...

Before COVID "country style" dining was popular around here... seating was either family or common tables and they would bring out all the different dishes to be passed around...usually several different meats and many sides...many of them are/were farm to table establishments and the food is/was outstanding...