CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Step 1 at any breakfast buffet: Seek out the make-your-own-omelet station.
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Buffets: Good or Bad?
- Thread starter SplashJacket
- Start date
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
Admittedly, there are a few buffets we enjoy in Orlando. We often stay at hotels that include breakfast. While the food isn't often all that exciting, the time savings is often very helpful.
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
We used to really like a few (non WDW) hotels that had breakfast buffets included, and the buffets all had omelet stations with impressive chefs cooking the omelets. I applaud anyone who can masterfully cook 3 omelets at the same time.
I'm hoping to return to one of those hotels later this year.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
Isn't that the best? You show up in a hotel dining room not knowing if breakfast is going to be good or just barely enough to keep you from starving to death, and you find the guy in the back absolutely slinging eggs with all sorts of tomatoes and peppers and actual cheese, maybe some homemade salsa.
Smiley/OCD
Well-Known Member
We ate at Biergarten and Cape May in December…Biergarten I wasn’t a fan of…(dinner for the Candlelight Processional) one and done BUT, the shrimp at CM were big and outstanding. I LOVE Pooh’s puffed French toast at Crystal Palace so we eat there every trip but I was disappointed that they no longer make omelettes there.
TalkToEthan
Well-Known Member
A few years back Ohana did something like this but less flagrant:
Went to unlimited steak house, carve-and-drop-to-plate style.
Immediately after we sat 4 unrequested dishes are put on table: french fries, mashed potatoes, caramelized bananas and an unknown 4th dish. All extremely cheap food cost items cluttering our table.
I just as fast told server take these off of table as I don't want to eat them nor look at them and we have very limited space being it was a small two- seater table.
Without verbalizing my mind was thinking "Nice try but all you did was waste food while trying to save food cost."
Went to unlimited steak house, carve-and-drop-to-plate style.
Immediately after we sat 4 unrequested dishes are put on table: french fries, mashed potatoes, caramelized bananas and an unknown 4th dish. All extremely cheap food cost items cluttering our table.
I just as fast told server take these off of table as I don't want to eat them nor look at them and we have very limited space being it was a small two- seater table.
Without verbalizing my mind was thinking "Nice try but all you did was waste food while trying to save food cost."
Smiley/OCD
Well-Known Member
At least you don’t see the sous-chef doing that in the kitchen as they’re picking up your entree off the floor…lol
Smiley/OCD
Well-Known Member
As I said in another post, I was VERY disappointed that CP did away with that when we were there in December.
Coaster Lover
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- No
I've never been the type to eat a lot of food in one sitting, so I rarely feel like I can get my money's worth at a buffet. And while my kids will eat a bunch, I KNOW what their go to foods are (noodles for lunch/dinner... pancakes/French toast for breakfast.... i.e. I know it's basically impossible for them to eat their "value" worth when eating foods like that). We used to have a buffet near us that had unlimited grilled to order steak and I was fine going there with just my wife (because we would basically just spam the steak with minimal other sides), but I just cringe at the thought of spending $32 for one of my kids at Boma ($54 for my 11 year old) when I know they're just going to fill up on macaroni and cheese, bread, and pasta with marinara.
eliza61nyc
Well-Known Member
we've never been big fans of buffets, no matter where. I went to Cancun in November and the resort had a buffet. pretty much routine stuff. one of my main problems is that I don't like "lukewarm" food. We would do the buffets at wdw when the kids where small for the characters.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
For me, part of going out to eat is the whole service portion of it.
Not to mention many buffets are less that sanitary. WDW's are OK in that regard, but they cannot police it 100% and there are an abundance of children at WDW that like to touch everything.
I'll go to them if others want to, but I do not seek them out. There are a few that do have certain foods I like (Biergarden, Boma, and for a while Akershus which was a blend of table service and buffett)
Not to mention many buffets are less that sanitary. WDW's are OK in that regard, but they cannot police it 100% and there are an abundance of children at WDW that like to touch everything.
I'll go to them if others want to, but I do not seek them out. There are a few that do have certain foods I like (Biergarden, Boma, and for a while Akershus which was a blend of table service and buffett)
gobstoper27
Well-Known Member
MickeyLuv'r
Well-Known Member
WDW has an amazing chef who usually goes by, "Chef TJ." (TJ Sudiswa). We met him a long time ago when he worked at Boma, and he worked there for quite a few years. Since then though he has kinda been all over WDW. I know he has worked at Poly, GF, WL and BC/YC. You might have met him if you have had a special needs diner in your party. He is especially adept at helping vegan/vegetarians. I'm not sure where he's working now.
If you have met him, you'd probably know it though. He brings out the most amazing edible creations, or at least has in the past. I mean he will make everyone at the table wish they were also vegan. He might bring out a dessert that is mostly fruit, but it will be fruit piled HIGH with chocolate sauce, and very special.
I wouldn't want to post photos of him without permission, but it is easy to find a few he has posted himself. He's a super sweet guy.
He is among the very best WDW CM's, and harkens to WDW being a magical experience.
If you have met him, you'd probably know it though. He brings out the most amazing edible creations, or at least has in the past. I mean he will make everyone at the table wish they were also vegan. He might bring out a dessert that is mostly fruit, but it will be fruit piled HIGH with chocolate sauce, and very special.
I wouldn't want to post photos of him without permission, but it is easy to find a few he has posted himself. He's a super sweet guy.
He is among the very best WDW CM's, and harkens to WDW being a magical experience.
erasure fan1
Well-Known Member
I used to be a fan of the buffet. But now food quality vs cost is so out of whack, I just can't justify it. I'd rather order a meal I like, for 1/3rd the cost. The breakfast buffets are an absolute no go. The average breakfast buffet will cost us well over $200. No thanks. Not for breakfast. We can go to Olivia's and get better food for well under half the cost.
We don’t usually eat at buffets at home but love on vacations whether Disney or non Disney when a hotel has a breakfast buffet. At Disney we always do Boma for breakfast and dinner. Our other favorite breakfast buffets prior to Covid were Crystal Palace, Tusker House, and Cape May.
NelleBelle
Well-Known Member
Very true. Disney has gotten somewhat better with serving vegetarian/plant-based offerings at their TS restaurants that we don't tend to have this problem as much. DH and one son will typically eat eat whatever's on their plate, unless it is truly horrendous. Myself and my picky oldest DS will not eat garbage so we have been in that situation where you leave the restaurant just as hungry as when you arrived (although with a good server, they have typically remedied the situation by bringing us sides that sounded good).
I can't tell you how many times I've been in a buffet line (WDW, DCL, etc) and seen kids AND adults go through a buffet line with a used plate.
And we wonder why people get sick from buffets...so gross!TalkToEthan
Well-Known Member
If people are serving themselves properly(which too many times they most definitely are not) then a used plate should not factor as to germ spread. At no time should a serving utensil ever touch a personal plate be it clean or used.
And this is not to excuse dirty plate holders whatsoever because going up to a buffet line with a used plate is beyond damn disgusting and if caught one should be thrown out of the restaurant.
mysto
Well-Known Member
Everyone pays the same price so those who eat less help pay for those who eat more. I don't eat that much, so I avoid buffets, Boma is an exception.
I do like the ability to try a little bit of a lot of things. At a nearby salad bar at home I can do that and pay by weight rather than all you can eat. Best meal in the city to be sure, my coworkers all seem to agree as thats where they always go. I usually wind up with a great meal for $6(dec 2022), plus a couple bucks for a drink, and it's plenty of food. I feel like it's kind of a miracle that it still exists.
I think it's kind of interesting that the poll overwhelmingly favors buffets, and the comments seem to go the other way. I want to stress that I feel food is one of the high points at Disney, buffets excepted.
I do like the ability to try a little bit of a lot of things. At a nearby salad bar at home I can do that and pay by weight rather than all you can eat. Best meal in the city to be sure, my coworkers all seem to agree as thats where they always go. I usually wind up with a great meal for $6(dec 2022), plus a couple bucks for a drink, and it's plenty of food. I feel like it's kind of a miracle that it still exists.
I think it's kind of interesting that the poll overwhelmingly favors buffets, and the comments seem to go the other way. I want to stress that I feel food is one of the high points at Disney, buffets excepted.