Bottomless buckets of KFC! McDonald's hash browns and eggs for days! And Wendy's,
uh, fettuccine alfredo? Hey 1980s, it's 2023 calling…We want our all-you-can-eat buffets back!
The McDonald's Breakfast Buffet has become the stuff of legend. If you
search online for this near-mythical bonanza, very little hard evidence
shows up. But the people who remember are emphatic that the buffet existed.
"Good morning, America. Come join us for breakfast."
One Redditor swears McDonald's had a breakfast buffet in the early '90s, featuring limitless
sausage, hotcakes, square-shaped scrambled eggs, and hash browns. And another woman told Eater,
"I'm a little relieved that I didn't imagine the breakfast buffet since
no one ever knows what the f— I'm talking about when I bring it up."
She also recalled there being scrambled eggs, pancakes, hash browns, sausage,
and bacon. Another forum fan claims they read a post about an all-you-can-eat breakfast at
McDonald's for just $10 for a family of four ... yet the message mysteriously vanished.
Whether or not the McDonald's Breakfast Buffet actually existed,
one thing is for sure — no one will be mad about unlimited sausage if they ever bring it back.
While the Taco Bell all-you-can-eat buffet has never been officially confirmed by the chain,
people swear that the glorious taco haven existed in the mid-'90s. One Redditor recalled,
"They would roll out a 'self-serve salad bar' type thing and it would have all
the Taco Bell ingredients — beans, hard and soft [tortillas], flat tacos, beef, cheeses
etc. Basically, you made whatever you wanted out of the ingredients."
Another Reddit user claims their Taco Bell buffet existed in the '80s and had a quote,
"full bar and real beef." Someone else confirmed that they used to drive over an hour to get
there. One doctor who studied at Johns Hopkins told Eater that the Taco Bell Express located
in her dorm had an all-you-can-eat option that let her order as many tacos and nachos
as her heart desired without paying a cent — but the program vanished after a year.
Of all of the fast food buffets that popped up in the '80s and '90s,
the Wendy's Superbar might be the most well-documented of them all. Although
Italian and Mexican food isn't what first comes to mind for the burger chain, that's what it served.
"You know Wendy's Superbar is great for families because there's something for everyone."
You could find fettuccine alfredo, crispy garlic bread made from hamburger buns,
meat sauce, Spanish rice, refried beans,
and taco fixings. There was even a salad bar that had desserts like butterscotch pudding.
The craziest part? It cost only $3.69 per person. One TikTok commenter recalled,
"I would beg my mom to take me to Wendy's for the salad bar."
Back in 1992, Pizza Hut had already been expanding like crazy across America. That
summer, corporate decided to experiment with a dine-in experience despite the
fact that most of its growth was due to its delivery operation. Still, more than
2,000 all-you-can-eat buffets were opened across the nation.
"I have eaten all I can eat. I’m really going to be sick."
"Eat me. You know you want to."
Despite the ridiculously good deal featuring endless pizza, pasta,
and salad for a measly $3.99 per person, the Pizza Hut buffet just wasn't cutting it. The
entire nation seemed to be moving away from communal sneeze guards, and the restaurant chain
finally gave in. But we haven't forgotten all those fond memories. One fan tweeted:
"Every '90s birthday party at Pizza Hut was lit. Wrapping it up with the
ice cream buffet was god level. Simpler times."
Apparently, there's still one left in Sydney,
Australia — and it's the same as you remember it. One TikToker commented,
"It's like a person who keeps an old car in perfect condition."
Bottomless buckets of KFC fried chicken? It's still a reality somewhere! Many
believed the KFC buffet was nothing more than made-up nonsense, but as one Redditor said,
"I've had no luck searching on Google,
but I swear I went to one once a couple years back. Been thinking about it ever since."
Foodbeast reported finding one in 2012 in Southern California with towers of mashed
potatoes, drumsticks, gravy, mac and cheese, and biscuits. Another Redditor
confirmed their town had a KFC buffet until the pandemic caused it to close.
But YouTuber Tess Cooks 4u posted a video in January 2023 of a KFC buffet
in Pennsylvania. And a TikToker found a KFC buffet in Saskatchewan, Canada,
in October 2022. Another KFC buffet in Tokyo even offers an all-you-can-drink alcohol
option. But food reviewer Strictly Dumpling, who waited five hours to eat there in March 2023,
reported that the buffet was definitely missing something.
"There's this common theme of just dryness. I really wish this
KFC had mashed potatoes and gravy." Louisiana used to be home to the only
Popeyes buffet. The popular Southern chain had a few locations with buffets in the early 2010s,
but that dwindled down to a single Lafayette location, giving it the crown as the only
Popeyes buffet on earth. Local outlet NOLA Weekend advertised the restaurant as:
"The Only Popeye's Buffet in the World! It's right next door in Lafayette! Yes,
that's right: a Popeyes buffet. HERE."
You only needed to hand over a crisp $10 bill to enjoy unlimited helpings of its famous fried
chicken, biscuits, red beans, rice, green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy. It even used to serve
macaroni, spaghetti, and tacos. According to YouTuber Midnight Cravings who visited
the buffet before its demise, the chicken was spicy, crunchy, and was tossed in a tasty batter.
Even the legendary Anthony Bourdain was said to have frequented the fast food buffet. But
in December 2021, radio station Hot 107.9 reported the local favorite was finally
eliminating its buffet amid COVID restrictions. As the saying goes, nothing gold can stay.