Will we ever look at Buffet restaurants the same way again?

[Under The Radar]

even Cafeterias, there is a lot of breathing, coughing and sneezing in those lines near your food, multiple people touching the trays and utensils.....
Doesn’t that sector recover from this? Without a vaccine for Covid-19 for another year, I don’t see them recovering.

[SheltieLover]

1. Absolutely not for me

Doubt I'll eat in or get take out from a restaurant anytime soon. Like never. 💔

[MineralMan]

2. Haven't been in one for years.

You described why.

[lpbk2713]

3. Some people lick their fingers after eating fried chicken and such.

Then go back for seconds and use those same hands on the serving utensils.

[Under The Radar]

6. Correct- it seems so unsanitary now but not a view months ago

[dalton99a]

17. +1

[msongs]

4. my name is John and I will be your waiter tonight....

?w=553&h=541

[mr_lebowski]

7. Roll up for the Mystery Tour ... (nt)

[klook]

9. It's Mrs. Creosote!

Just one little after-dinner mint...

[volstork]

10. But, Sir,

it's waaah-fer thin!

[Frasier Balzov]

12. Better get a bucket.

Oui. A bucket for madame.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

19. I remember that photo

Forgot where I saw it.

[Totally Tunsie]

24. Bet she orders a DIET Coke to go with her meal.

[Celerity]

30. ... RIP Terry Jones

[grantcart]

49. I don't think I ever realized what a huge production that was

[totodeinhere]

5. "Again" is a long time. I think that eventually they might come back but not for a

long time.

[mr_lebowski]

8. US? No.

Other people?

Of course they will.

It won't take long, in fact, there's people where the Buffet will be their first freaking stop when restaurants open back up.

[madville]

11. They'll hire servers to dip your portions

Cafeteria style, like Morrison’s or Perkin’s cafeteria restaurants were, just point to what you want.

[Rorey]

13. Buffets have been a big "no" for me for many years

They're just gross.

Honestly, I don't miss restaurants being closed. I'd rather cook for myself anyway.

[AirmensMom]

14. I haven't eaten at a buffet

Since we went to the midnight buffet on a cruise over 25 years ago. Seeing people pick food up and return it to the buffet containers was enough for me to never want to go near one again.

[GulfCoast66]

15. I haven't been to a buffet in years.

Now, I have a way different view of an honest to goodness Southern, Louisiana or Mexican cafeterias where the guest don’t have access to the food. Not many good southern ones left.

[Blue_true]

26. There is a southern style "whiskey" cafe in my town.

Never been there, but it seems popular. A lot of people buy "southern" food from the convenience store delis that Indian shopkeepers set up, my oldest brother does, the food looks good and looks like definitely classic southern.

[GulfCoast66]

28. Nothing against Indian owned convince stores.

But that is not what I’m talking about.

If you’ve never been to a rural Louisiana quick stop in real Cajun country you can’t know.

Imagine older Cajun women cooking up the best gumbo, smothered pork and vegetables, crawfish and all the other greats. Along with Boudin and biscuit with cane syrup. And way more. Ponce, Andouille, stuffed turkey wings and anything you want.

In what would be a 7-11 where you are from.

It’s a different place. If you’ve been to New Orleans you really haven’t been to Louisiana.

Same with Mexican markets. Soups, stews, unbelievably good tamales all served by the women who made them.

I’m in Florida now so can’t do the Louisiana thing. But there is a gas station/convince store not 10 miles from me where Mexican ladies have all the greatest hit of Mexico in the back of the store.

[Blue_true]

50. You make points. I was born in the country, but on the outskirts of a large town.

When I travel, it is only to population centers. So there is a lot that I have never seen in regards to food. Also, I am not really an adventurous eater by nature, so that adds to the situation.

[alphafemale]

57. Those are certainly more sanitary

Choice of an entree, 2-3 sides and a choice of bread.

Sometimes run out of a church kitchen and usually by African American women.

I'm not a fan of overcooked veggies. Except for collards, of course.

I saw those all the time in GA. As well as BBQ set up on Saturdays in church parking lots, usually by African American men.

All good.

I haven't seen this in SC as much, but I live the HHI area so there are probably more ordinances.

But this is also a Geechee Gullah heritage area so you know some old style cookin' is available.

[at140]

16. I got lucky eating in the very nice buffet restaurant 5 days in a row

The cruise ship Carnival Ecstasy sailed on Feb 24th and wife and I had lunch every day at the crowded buffet and Guy Fieri's burger joint.
And at dinner we sat with 6 other passengers on a table for 8. Almost all crew was from SE Asia & China. Disembarked on Feb 29th, and probably covid-19 was not yet ubiquitous. But I won't be surprised if I had asymptomatic covid-19 infection and have anti-bodies.

[Blue_true]

27. You live dangerously my friend. nt

[at140]

31. Yeah, me and James 007 Bond, but we have the most fun haha....nt

[Baclava]

18. You dont get it from food, you get it from PEOPLE. Sit down restaurants would be much worse.

Packed bars and restaurants would be the last places I would ever go to now.
Shivers

[Ferrets are Cool]

20. Yes, BUT hundreds of people touch the same serving utensil

and cough and sneeze while in line to fill their plates. I have eaten hundreds of meals at buffets, but those days are over. Never again.

[Baclava]

21. yeah, but i dont see restaurants/bars coming back for a long time, waitresses touching glasses, ick

[alphafemale]

55. One wait person as opposed to 200 people touching the same serving utensil before you?

Buffets have always been disgusting.

Buffet has been a never for me for years.

[Baclava]

58. I see your point, but yeah, I haven't eaten buffet for years, restaurants on the other hand

[Ms. Toad]

22. Oddly enough, I ate in a buffet restaurant the day all restaurants were shut down

I had my hand sanitizer with me - filled my plate, sanitized my hands, ate, filled a new plate, sanitized my hands, ate . . .

Since you are correct about the contamination coming from utensils, I just sanitized after I touched the utensils, before I took my first bite.

Until I COVID 19, I wasn't that extreme - but my personal hygiene has been enough to limit my colds to perhaps one mild cold every other year, and the flu once (total) since 2009.

So - yeah. I'll eat at buffets again.

[at140]

32. Unless people around you are are coughing, you won't catch it that way

by just sitting next to them. How you will get the infection is touching the same surface they have touched,
and then you touch your face without washing hands with soap. My cruise ended on Feb 29th, ship was sold out and packed, but by washing hands often we avoided getting infected.

[Baclava]

33. One infected bartender/waitress touching your glass/silverware could infect hundreds a day

You dont know where their hands have been, its still person to person contact

[at140]

34. In my opinion the virus has difficulty penetrating tough skin on your palm & fingers

but you scratch your nose or rub eyes or touch mouth or penis to pee with contaminated hands, and the virus has easy entry in your body.
The wet and mucous surfaces of your body are very vulnerable. Even wearing a mask does not protect eyes or your penis.

[Baclava]

37. Well yeah, its not burrowing into your skin, its a respiratory virus, it gets into your lungs

[at140]

38. The virus can easily attach to wet surface inside nose, and make its way to lung

via blood flow. I heard a doctor who is treating covid-19 patients every day say that simply avoiding touching his face has kept him infection free.

[Baclava]

39. Yes, we know all that, but its not infecting your PENIS, its not AIDS, not any mucus entry will do

[at140]

40. Right, it is not STD, but virus can get entry via wet urethra.

It does not infect the penis itself, it can use that as an entry point in your blood stream via mucous membranes in urethra.
Best thing to do is wash your hands BEFORE peeing in a public rest room. The door knob to enter rest room has been touched by many.

[Baclava]

41. NO. Is your penis attached to your lungs? It doesnt get in your blood, its a respiratory virus

[rusty fender]

44. 🤣😂🤣😂

I think you’ve got something there

[at140]

45. Virus cells get in the blood! That is how anti-bodies are created.

Every cell in your body MUST HAVE BLOOD ACCESS through which it gets nutrients and oxygen. Not a single cell can live without oxygen and that comes in via blood capillaries. There are blood vessels even inside our bones! In fact red blood cells are created in the bone marrow.
The blood in your cells lining the urethra is where the virus can enter the body and travels to where it likes to settle down.
A respiratory virus likes to settle in lungs. Virus breathed in through air gets attached to the mucous lining in nose and trachea,
The mucous lining is sticky on purpose to trap invading matter, and body tries to expel it with a sneeze or cough before it reaches lungs.

[Totally Tunsie]

23. Cruise ships will have to serve in "Noro-mode" from now on.

Some of the worst offenders are in ships' buffet lines.

[at140]

35. I am coming close to 3 dozen cruises since 1988

and never had a single noro-virus problem. And I do indulge at the buffets.
Only problem I had on cruise ships was getting mildly sea sick 2 times when the ship ran into extremely stormy seas.

[Blue_true]

25. I don't use self serve places. Haven't for a couple of decades.

In Florida, half the men leaving restrooms don't wash their hands, according to my undcientific observations. I don't want to take a chance with that type at a Buffett.

[at140]

36. I have noticed that and have gotten sick after eating in restaurants, but never on

any of my 3 dozen cruises so far.

[Demovictory9]

29. right now, the management of that category of food service is figuring it out.

[EllieBC]

42. You know, norovirus was a thing forever.

This is why I personally would never eat at a buffet.

People not washing their damn hands after using the bathroom and spreading stomach virus particles that they are still shedding 2 weeks later has always been a very real thing.

[MurrayDelph]

43. The last time I went to a buffet, you know what I got?

Haggis.


Between bariatric surgery (which limits my intake) and esoteric food intolerances, I enjoy casino buffets, not for the massive amounts of good-not-great food I consumed in my youth (which necessitated said surgery), but for the ability to sample lots of different things without paying a la carte prices.

Until this is over, I'm not making any prediction as to whether I'll go back. It depends on how (and if) they come back at alli.

[Aristus]

46. I haven't been to a buffet restaurant in years.

Olde Country Buffet, Golden Corral, none of them.

The clientele remind me of the imminent downfall of the human race. And that's not good for my appetite...

[In_The_Wind]

47. Many years ago I loved a good chinese buffet.

Not now.

[MissB]

48. I've had norovirus recently

Like two years ago, on my birthday. Dh had it a few days before me, and I didn’t take any particular extra precautions other than washing my hands like normal.

I lasted about four hours before I had him take me to the ER. I broke blood vessels around my eyes and my lips were blue. I could not stop puking and that was only half the problem if you know what I mean. Most of the ER cases that night were norovirus related- it was running through town.

That was one miserable experience.

No buffets. No cruises. No children’s museums. Nope, not ever.

[WestLosAngelesGal]

51. I'm going to miss Golden Corral (buffet) restaurant

Such good food. Never got sick from eating there. Super clean.

[Retrograde]

52. I miss the Indian buffet lunches

that a lot of places around here used to have. I expect they'll be the last things to come back once things start re-opening sometime this summer.

[ProfessorGAC]

53. How About In Schools?

Eventually schools will resume. There aren't a lot of options in schools.
Everybody can't bring a lunch, because a lot of kids are on free or discounted food programs and the food isn't there at home to pack a lunch.
It's an issue.

[DashOneBravo]

54. Well I'm just going to say

That when they open and I know they’ve done everything they can as a precaution. I’ll be there. I have to travel a lot.

I’m lucky and don’t have any health concerns.

[Marrah_Goodman]

56. I haven't gone to one in well over a decade for this very reason

I believe it is one of the reasons that viruses spread so quickly on cruise ships.

[RobinA]

59. Never Would Eat

at a buffet, before or now. It’s not just the other people, it’s also the food itself. How long has it been sitting there? Is it at the right temperature. No.

But I always thought I’d at least try a cruise just in case I might like it. Now? No way. Between Noro, whatever the latest epidemic is, and worse, getting stuck out there and not being allowed to dock, No way. No FREAKIN way!

[Luciferous]

60. I don't eat at buffets

[HarlanPepper]

61. God, how I detest the doom porn OPs.

I won’t say they are worse than the disease but they are on par with canker sores and bad hangovers. Why do I click on them? Maybe I am an undiagnosed masochist.