There's a good chance you haven't been to a buffet in a while, and suspiciously sticky
utensils aren't the only reason.
So many people are skipping buffets that the entire sector of the industry is declining.
According to Forbes, buffets are shutting down all over the country.
We've said goodbye to Sizzler's buffets, and all-you-can-eat options like Ponderosa, Bonanza,
and Big Boy are also closing their doors.
Why?
Here's the real reason buffets are disappearing.
Photo faux-pas
It's easy to underestimate just how important Instagram is to the food world.
Top hashtags include ones like #foodie and #ilovefood, and it's filled with the beautiful,
the delicious, the decadent, and the super-healthy.
That said, you can probably guess what the problem is.
Buffets just aren't as Instagram-friendly as the little independent cafe that's making
their menu based on what they found at the farmers' market that day.
Bon Appetit says no one should underestimate the influence Instagram's heavy hitters have:
the biggest accounts have hundreds of thousands of followers and can drive loads of traffic
to a restaurant just by posting a photo.
Do you know where these people aren't going for their foodie photos?
The all-you-can-eat buffet.
Let's face it, food prepared in bulk quantities and served in large metal warming trays are
not usually photogenic.
Germ service
If you've ever wondered about how sanitary buffets are, you're definitely not alone.
The truth is, you probably should worry about it, and knowing that isn't going to improve
business for buffets.
Even if buffets follow all food safety regulations, there's still a huge problem: serving utensils.
You're using the same tongs and forks to pile food on your plate as everyone else.
Couple that with Tonic's report that only about 66 percent of Americans wash their hands
the right way after using the restroom, and sharing that serving spoon looks even less
appealing.
Is it any wonder people are going elsewhere?
Generation gap
Millennials are going to be running the world one day, and when it comes to the food industry,
they're already pushing some major changes.
In 2018, Business Insider reported that their impact was about to become even greater, as
they pass the baby boomer generation in terms of pure spending power.
"Sales are down across the board.
But mostly, we're failing to connect with a group called… 'millennials.'"
That means the food industry is going to have to change with them, and they're not looking
for the same kind of food experiences their parents and grandparents enjoy.
They're not impressed with the casual dining restaurants or the buffets — instead, they're
opting for take-out or fast-casual restaurants like Chipotle.
"Chipotle.
What are you gonna do, go to Taco Bell?"
Those types of restaurants are about as far from buffets as you can get, and that's causing
a big problem for businesses that bank on all-you-can-eat enthusiasts.
Overeating is out
Healthy eating is getting more and more popular, even fast food chains are creating healthier
options.
That's a problem for buffets.
Buffets were built on a simple idea: you pay a set price, then gorge yourself until you
can't move… then you wait a few minutes, and go back for dessert.
Sure, there are always going to be people that want to do that, but an increasing majority
of people are watching their calories and their waistlines, and buffets just aren't
a good place to do that.
Even Harvard Health says buffets can be a health-conscious diner's worst nightmare,
and it's not just the type of food.
It's the tendency to overeat, the difficulty in judging portion sizes, and the lack of
posted nutritional information.
No service
The restaurant business is always changing, and so are people's attitudes about how food
gets to their table, specifically, they don't want to do it themselves.
A customer feedback research group took a look at what impact that's having on what
customers see as their ideal restaurant experience.
It turns out that diners want to know not just what's in each dish, but how it's prepared
and how it's sourced.
With no real staff present in buffets, that's an experience diners definitely aren't going
to get.
Many diners aren't just content to pile mystery dishes on their plates and chow down.
Money rules
In order to make money, buffets need to subscribe to a pretty restrictive business plan.
It's a delicate balance.
Price your buffet too high, for example, and people won't come.
Too low, and they won't come, either, because they'll be suspicious about the quality of
food they're getting.
Plus, they are limited by the economies of scale: they need to offer food that's filling,
but still cheap, such as rice.
That limits what they can offer.
Buffets have so many money-making rules that it's tough for them to break the mold, do
something new, and lure in new customers without devastating their bottom line.
Bankruptcy
In 2006, Buffets, Inc merged with Ryan's, creating a powerhouse of all-you-can-eat chain
restaurants including HomeTown Buffet, Old Country Buffet, and Ryan's.
It hasn't worked out.
"I… declare…
BANKRUPTCY!"
When the Star Tribune reported on the sudden shuttering of a number of locations in 2016
following a bankruptcy filing, they noted that since 2008, more than 400 locations had
closed.
The closings left a massive hole in the buffet-style dining industry, which might be a big reason
it's hard to find a good buffet these days.
Sizzlin' out
More than one chain of buffets has struggled lately.
Remember Sizzler?
Their woes go back to at least 1996, when The New York Times reported they closed 136
locations and filed for bankruptcy.
Part of their problem was their buffet.
It seemed like a great idea to give their target customers the variety they wanted,
but it didn't work.
Sizzler tried to partner buffets with steak, but when presented with either a pricey steak
or a wide expanse of buffet food, too many customers were opting for the lower-priced
buffet.
Buffets also take up a lot of space, and according to restaurant consultant Ron Paul, the average
Sizzler was around 10,000 square feet too small for buffet tables.
That took away from the number of people they could seat at once, and all that combined
to mean the chain was headed for disaster.
Looking at bankruptcy, they decided to rebrand.
They eventually staged a comeback, but they did it without a buffet.
Vegas buffet bust
There was a time the $1.99 All-You-Can-Eat Buffet was as much a part of the Vegas landscape
as any casino.
Those super-cheap buffets are gone now, and it's not just a matter of rising food prices.
They were never meant to make a profit, they were meant to get potential gamblers in the
door.
According to Time, there are a few reasons why this scheme's largely disappeared.
You can blame foodies for a big part of it.
People are more demanding than ever as to what's on their plates, and they're willing
to pay more for top quality, and these buffets weren't fitting the bill.