Dangerous bacteria, roaches, and more — Think dining at a buffet is a good deal?
Think again.
As it turns out, there's a lot of ways buffets can make you sick.
Here's what you should know.
When you first enter the buffet line all you're probably thinking about is where to start.
Should you go with the salad or head straight for the prime rib?
What you're probably not thinking about as you start piling food onto your plate is how
long the items have been sitting out.
This, however, should be the first concern.
According to Vice, it's not uncommon for a buffet to let food sit out for an hour or
more.
To avoid this problem, arrive at the buffet when they first open.
This ensures that what you are eating is as fresh as possible.
Also on that note, you should be wary of a buffet that’s empty of customers — unless,
of course, it just opened.
An empty buffet may sound like a food lover's dream, but it could be a warning sign.
More people at a buffet means the restaurant has to replace the food sitting out with fresh
food more frequently.
Without a steady flow of people, there's no telling how long the food has been sitting
there.
One of the best things about buffets are the affordable prices, but those deals can come
at a price — and we're not talking about money.
While the buffet may make it possible for you to gorge on pricey menu items like lobster,
it also increases the possibility of food poisoning.
"That bin of raw meat was very close to that piece of fish we found on the floor."
When food isn't kept at the proper temperature, it grows pathogenic bacteria like salmonella
and staphylococcus — and you can't smell or taste the problem like you would with spoiled
milk.
According to the USDA, all it takes is around two hours at room temperature for the bad
stuff to brew to levels that could make you sick.
Food in the danger zone — between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit — can see bacteria
levels double in just 20 minutes.
That's a whole lot of yuck.
Buffets do have a line of defense that aims to keep food at safe temperatures.
Hot food items are placed under heating lamps and cold food items are left on ice.
The problem is, maintaining temperature isn't easy.
If those heat lamps and ice trays don't work as they should, you could wind up being one
of the thousands of Americans that get food poisoning every year.
Do you ever wonder how clean those plastic cafeteria-style trays really are at a buffet?
Probably not clean at all.
A porous surface like plastic is the ideal breeding ground for bacteria.
So, just how germy are we talking?
The National Sanitation Foundation conducted a study to determine the most germ-riddled
public places, during which researchers swabbed 26 different sources for bacteria species
like E. coli and salmonella.
Next to a park sandbox, restaurant trays came out on top.
This is one of those weird issues the coronavirus pandemic may have actually improved, however
slightly.
The CDC now encourages communal dining facilities to put out hand sanitizer near dining room
entrances so patrons can wash up before grabbing trays, which cuts down on the bacteria that
are transferred from person to person.
Buffets have also upped their sanitization practices.
"Restaurants everywhere have changed the way they serve their customers because of the
coronavirus."
Even if the buffet you frequent is particularly lax, this is a problem a few anti-bacterial
wipes can solve.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
An aging raw bar that's been left out for hours is gross, but humans can be a whole
different level of disgusting.
Don't take it personally; a buffet has the tendency to bring out our worst hygiene habits.
For one, it's hard to keep track of children.
One poster on Quora waxed unpoetic about a child left unattended at a buffet who touched
the ice cream machine with snot-covered fingers.
It's safe to say that they were probably not the first kid to get bodily fluids on a buffet
spread.
"Achoo!"
"Bless you."
It's not just kids that are bad.
It's adults, too.
Surveys have shown that only about 66% of Americans actually wash their hands after
using the bathroom.
A further 70% admitted to washing their hands with water, not soap — which won't get rid
of fecal bacteria.
Luckily, in recent years, some buffets have adopted better hygiene practices in light
of the pandemic.
The CDC recommends nixing self-service in favor of individually plated meals.
According to Today, Golden Corral even started serving its dishes cafeteria-style using gloved
and masked workers, along with putting up plastic barriers to block sneezes and coughs.
"There's absolutely no guest contact directly with the food."
Similarly, Whole Foods swapped out certain self-serve options with staff service at some
locations.
Have you ever noticed the mess of dirty dishes that pile up on buffet tables?
It's easy to assume those dirty dishes are stacking up because the staff either doesn't
care or doesn't have enough time to keep up with the hoards of gluttonous eaters.
The truth of the matter is, the buffet may actually want those dishes to stack up.
It sounds like a poor business model because a dirty eating area is less likely to draw
in customers, but that's kind of the point.
According to AOL, a survey found that if dirty dishes are left at a patron's table, they
are less likely to go back for more food, and the buffet saves money.
Buffets also design some of the furniture to be uncomfortable to discourage lingering.
Don't be fooled: Just because each food item is placed in a separate serving container
doesn't mean cross-contamination won't happen.
With various food items in close proximity, it's not beyond a patron to dribble bits of
food into other containers or swap the tongs from another dish.
While that may taste unpleasant, it also has the potential to make you sick if you have
a food allergy.
This is not something to be taken lightly.
According to the International Association for Food Protection, about 15 million Americans
have a food allergy — the most common being milk, peanuts, soy, eggs, fish, shellfish,
tree nuts, and wheat.
For those with allergies, consuming even the smallest amount of food can cause an immediate
reaction, such as a rash or stomach discomfort.
In the worst-case scenario, a severe life-threatening reaction such as anaphylactic shock can occur.
With the self-serve style enabling everyone to have access to the food option you choose
for yourself, there's no telling what food has been cross-contaminated.
If you do have a food allergy, it may be a good idea to skip the buffet and look for
a restaurant that can adhere to your dietary restrictions.
Do you prefer a fresh wedge of lemon or lime in your beverage?
I hate to break it to you, but you may want to skip that wedge because it is most likely
contaminated.
According to HuffPost, researchers discovered that some of the lemons used as a garnish
in restaurant drinks were contaminated with bacteria that could possibly lead to illness.
"You don't know if that lemon was ever washed or how many dirty hands touched that lemon."
One such study found that half of the lemon wedges that were sampled were contaminated
with human fecal matter.
Another study found that out of 76 lemons sampled from 21 different restaurants, 70
percent of the lemon rinds contained microorganisms.
Not exactly appetizing.
Researchers believe the contamination may be from not washing the fruits properly, or
from restaurant workers touching them with dirty hands.
Although your chances of getting sick may be relatively small, it's best to play it
safe and ditch the fruit.
Or bring your own pre-washed lemon wedges from home instead.
Buffets are great for so-called bad food — but what about those who are health conscious?
Sorry to break it to you, but you should steer clear of the buffet salad bar.
A little heartburn is a lot better than a foodborne illness.
A 1999 report from The New York Times found that the food in a salad bar is often food
that was left out, stored in the refrigerator overnight, and put back the next day.
Even if the food was actually fresh, employees sometimes didn't wash the containers.
They simply refilled them, mixing the old food with the new food.
Of course, we'd be remiss not to mention that buffet hygiene has improved over the course
of the coronavirus pandemic.
It's not the same as it was more than 20 years ago, and many buffet-style restaurants have
put a major emphasis on sanitization.
That doesn't mean the salad is totally safe.
Fresh produce and sliced fruit can harbor pathogens because they aren't cooked.
You can take steps to reduce your risk at home, but eating raw produce at restaurants
is inherently risky.
The very thing meant to limit bacteria from making its way into your food could possibly
be the biggest germ vector of them all.
According to Food Safety News, it's a requirement that any serving utensil in food preparation
be replaced every four hours.
If a serving utensil falls into the food, the entire dish has to be discarded.
Unfortunately, these regulations don't take into consideration public handling.
How many times have you seen a spoon or tongs slip into a tray while an overworked employee
had their back turned?
It happens, and it basically means that everyone who touched that spoon before you did has
now touched your food.
Thankfully, some buffets are better than others.
Many all-you-can-eat restaurants have nixed self-service in the wake of coronavirus.
The restaurant industry was hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
It wasn't just indoor dining restrictions and closures that impacted eateries.
Restaurants, already understaffed, had to deal with an onslaught of sick workers.
As Wine Enthusiast reported, restaurant cooks were more at risk than almost any other type
of worker during the first months of the pandemic.
What's a buffet to do when half of its staff is ill?
In some cases, the answer is to make them keep working.
"The coronavirus presents specific challenges for restaurants with buffets."
Many restaurant employees don't get paid sick leave.
That means a whole lot of employees are coming to work sick — and they're handling your
food and breathing your air.
According to a 2022 Business Insider report, 63% of Red Lobster employees who got sick
still went to work, even though it's against the chain's rules.
Two-thirds of those employees blamed a lack of paid sick leave.
Though Red Lobster isn't exactly a buffet, its employee policies are not unique within
the restaurant industry.
Would you eat at a buffet if you knew it was infested with rodents and roaches?
Probably not.
But buffets do experience infestations from time to time, and the patrons probably won't
even know until a food inspector finds the problem.
Every now and then, a buffet makes the headlines for unsanitary practices that cause a mandatory
shutdown — not really surprising when you think about it, given all the food that sits
out all day.
One such incident happened at a Golden Corral.
According to ABC News, a Golden Corral in Florida was closed for 24 hours after a health
inspector found over 100 rodent droppings at several food stations throughout the dining
area, along with other health violations.
Another buffet was guilty of having live and dead roaches present in the restaurant.
That doesn't exactly sound appealing.
The scary part is that the health inspector may not always be lurking around when an infestation
violation strikes.
While your favorite buffet may be critter-free, there's really no telling what violations
are occurring without your knowledge.
"Inspectors recently found 110 violations here, and we saw some of the issues still
exist."
You know those tiny, crowded restaurants where you can't ever seem to get a table without
a 45 minute wait?
They're trendy, but the coronavirus pandemic has made us rethink how we feel about cramped
spaces.
The truth is, when you're at a buffet with other diners all fighting for a spot to fill
your plates, you're breathing the same air — and ventilation has a huge impact on the
spread of the coronavirus.
One outbreak in China was associated with a restaurant's air conditioning, and entire
eateries in New York City have had to temporarily shut down because too many workers contracted
the virus.
To help mitigate the risk, the CDC recommends that restaurants improve their ventilation
and increase airflow from outside through measures like opening windows and upgrading
HVAC system filtration.
They also recommend that patrons wear masks when they're not seated, but not every area
has a mask mandate.
Some restaurants have set up social distancing measures, but those only help if people agree
to follow them.
How diners behave is always a toss-up.
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