Anyone besides me dislike buffets?

[emmabemmainc]

Then don't go. It's not hard.

Please. That makes it easier for others who DO like them to get ressies.

 

[Art 1]

Seeing someone lick their fingers then use the common fork or spoon to fill their plate up usually keeps me away anymore. Too many people push and shove as if they have not seen food in a few days.

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

I once saw a kid at a local, brand name buffet lick the cheese from the macaroni spoon, then returned it to the tray. GROSS! (yes, it was brought to the attention of the server, and was taken care of). Combined with a string of bad experiences, I hate standard buffets. I still go once in a blue moon to make DW and the kids happy.

The only thing that really makes me cringe at Disney is Chef Mickey's habit of twirling napkins. I just picture all those flying food crumbs...

Saying that, though, I have no problem eating Disney buffets. There was a time, right after free dining started a couple years ago, when the quality of the buffets we ate suffered (CP, CM, 1900). But, in both trips this year, the quality was excellent.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

My wife and I for the most part do not like buffets. The only buffet we ever eat at is Boma. We like to split meals at most restaurants.

 

[Tara922c]

Normally I will not eat at buffets. Well, I wont eat at MOST buffets, I will eat at CiCi's, and the buffett at my local pizza place. I will eat at buffetts at Disney. I like the variety, and thought overall, the food was pretty good. I have only eaten breakfast there, but this time we will try dinner.

 

[Uncleromulus]

Can't recall the last time we ate at a dinner buffet.
We will do breakfast buffets now and then.

 

[Micca]

As a rule, most buffet food just isn't that good. It's fun to find the rare buffet where there is good & fresh food.

 

[Redwitch]

Other than an Indian Lunch buffet, I can't recall the last local buffet I visited.

Occasionally we do Boma or Tuscar House at WDW. Being germ mindful (not phobic) we keep antibacterial gel on the table and clean up after each visit to the buffet line before touching our utensils. I try not to think to hard about what others might have done to the food, but try to time my visits to opening so few individuals are ahead of us.

 

[Pumbaa_]

I have to say I am enjoying this thread.

So many I don't like/do buffets....well except for ......

 

[purpliequeen]

Buffets are great in that immediately after being seated by a hostess, you are free to get as much a you want, and whatever you want. But other than that, I really can't see that many advantages to them. However, I will agree with previous posters that WDW buffets are nice in that the food (for the most part) is better and that there are most choices than other buffets outside of the World- albeit standards do seem to be going downhill at some Disney buffets. Plus, a lot of the buffets come with a chance to interact with the characters with them coming directly up to the table.

As a current college student, I will add that now as germs are becoming more serious and present, eating at a buffet has definitely made me more aware of the hygiene factor. Yes, you never really know how safe the food is even when it's ordered a la carte, but at buffet restaurants the thought of multiple people touching the serving utensils (or even just using their hands) to get food grosses me out.

 

[imLissy]

I like them ... too much.

I love food. I love all different kinds of food. Buffets for me are like heaven.

But that's why I avoid them. I stuff my face. I've seriously impressed people with the amount of food I can eat. You wouldn't believe how little I am.

 

[DizneyNutz]

I have never found the food to be an issue...however, I have found that the lines are so LONG and it's difficult to get back through. We ate at Boma's one year, had a very early reservation, was called before our time, seated, made one pass, having never eaten there before, I wasn't sure what to try, picked a few things, returned to my table, ate what I wanted out of the selections I'd made, and while I found the food very good, could NOT make it back through the line to try anything else. The line honestly wound through the restaurant to the entrance, and this was before 5:30! So, if you're going to a new place to try out a different type cuisine, and it's buffet, keep in mind, it could be a long wait! I have found that there isn't a meal there outside of HDDMV and Spirit of Aloha worth missing a night in the parks. Hope this helps.

 

[ReneeA]

I really, really dislike buffets. Our children are allowed to pick one or two restaurants to eat at every trip. DS8 loves nice quiet adult meals, so he picks a sit down place. DD6 likes character meals, so she picks Chef Mickey. Every trip.

 

[drenalin'junkie]

buffet=

Why on earth would I eat there when for the same price or a little more I can eat real food not food being touched,picked thru,breathed on and who knows what else by a horde of ravening strangers who's personal habits and hygiene are unknown to me?Just sayin...
Not that eating food that's hot and moist on one side and dry and cool on the other in bulk quantities doesn't appeal to me it's just I have a delicate constitution.Piles of bacon and sausage nearly floating in thier own grease look appetizing but once again my stomach lets me down.I am actually jealous of folks with ability to stretch a nickel so far you could read thru it,but my inabilty to eat anything of questionable origin keeps me seeking food not reminiscent of the Navy boot camp chow hall fare I endured as a young man.
But really I have been known to aquiesce to a child's desire to have a charachter meal every so often.

 

[jdisnut]

I avoid all buffets besides Boma, which remains a notch above the others. I like the pacing of traditional table service meals. When I sit down at a restaurant, I expect to spend an hour or so enjoying myself. Buffets feel rushed and impersonal, particularly the big character destinations like Crystal Palace and Chef Mickey's.

 

[sweetpeakaris]

I hate buffets! The food quality is not great, I always end up with a stomach ache after, the bathrooms are always stinky, everyone touches the same serving handle, food gets mixed or dropped in other food at the station, people are talking and coughing around the buffet, just all around NASTY!

 

[Little Monkey]

I avoid buffets at all costs. I don't like having to grap onto the same serving utensils that everyone else has been grabbing. The older I get the more of a germ-a-phobe I become. I rather have a sit down meal brought to me than to do a buffet meal any time.

 

[MommytoaSweetie]

I'm not a huge fan of buffets in general, but we definitely do them in Disney World! We didn't really before we had kids (anywhere, including WDW), but we find them a better value now with our little ones. The only buffet we do in "normal" life is Cici's Pizza, and that's for the value, definitely not the quality. Like a WDW, our two kids are FREE at buffets currently (DD1 will soon change that, so our opinion may change then ), they can get what they want with lots of options, there's no waiting for food to be brought out so we can easily prevent crankiness, and there's a definite reason to GET UP during the meal and kid's can get a chance to move if they'd like. So yes, for now, we enjoy buffets at WDW (and I try to not think about the germy issue!!), but that may easily change as our kids age.

 

[So_Money]

I dislike them. I especially dislike them if I'm next in line after a toddler or small child who has sneezed on, coughed on, and then touched every bagel in the basket.

 

[44Majestic]

Don't do Buffets anymore. Most of the reasons stated here remind me why. Food is ok. It is the thought of too many people picking through, touching, etc. Sweaty people looking over the food was the last straw.