r/ProBackMan1 via Reddit.com / Juanmonino/istockphoto
Buffets peaked in the 1980s and ‘90s. It seemed like every family was eating at the new buffet restaurant in town, and everyone loved the endless selection and variety — not to mention the gluttony. But by the 2000s, buffet chains were quickly losing their luster.
Then, in 2020, the pandemic hit and killed off most of the buffets still left standing. Let’s all pour one out for these all-you-can-eat beauties and dream about the soft serve machines that could have been.
National
While Sizzler is technically still around, at least on the West Coast, it’s probably the most infamous buffet chain in the U.S. The chain used to have locations all over the place, but has filed bankruptcy twice, had a number of food-borne illness scandals , and then had the pandemic to contend with. Unless you live in California, loading your plate with a massive salad and an ice cream sundae on the side like you did in the 1990s isn’t an option anymore.
National
Yes, Wendy’s used to have a buffet in many locations in the late 1980s and early ‘90s, and it was glorious. You’d hit up the Super Bar for pasta, baked potatoes, tacos, and salad, then eat it in that sun-drenched greenhouse-like area in the dining room. It was truly fancy for fast food, and we’d give anything for a plate of chocolate pudding and canned mandarin oranges again.
National
Going out to Pizza Hut used to be an experience. Many locations were sit-down restaurants (remember those red plastic cups?!), and most had buffets, too. You could load up your plate with a big salad, slices of pizza, and breadsticks, and the best part is that you could do it as many times as you wanted in between games of Pac-Man. It seems most buffets were shut down by 2014, though there are rumors that a few locations have brought back a lunch buffet recently.
National
Ponderosa (also called Bonanza in some regions) is one of those restaurants that many Millennials and Gen Xers built core memories in. You’d order a cheap steak or some fried shrimp, then get as much of the buffet action as you wanted, from mashed potatoes to brownies. At its height in the 1980s, there were hundreds of locations. Surprisingly, there’s still some left, mostly in the Midwest and on the East Coast — though only about 20.
National
The self-serve soft serve machine is what got everyone in the door of Old Country Buffet, especially kids being wrangled by their grandparents. The buffet here was truly massive, and had everything from fried chicken to warm peach cobbler with an emphasis on old fashioned American eats. There were up to 650 locations, but the number dwindled over the years before closing the last one in the early 2020s
West, Southwest, and Southeast
Souplantation, which also operated as Sweet Tomatoes in some locations, came out of the health food craze of 1970s California. It focused on healthful salads, soups, bakery, fruit, and plenty of vegetarian options, a big departure from the decadent buffets of the ‘90s. Unfortunately, it was one of the first big restaurant casualties of the pandemic, and the company shut down in May 2020. If you happen to live in Tucson, Arizona, though, you can still go to one rogue location that recently opened
National
People adore Popeyes fried chicken, and many were lucky enough to live near a location that served a buffet. You could get plenty of fried chicken, of course, along with biscuits, Cajun sides, and mac and cheese. In a sad day for fried chicken lovers, the last remaining Popeyes with a buffet in Louisiana closed its all-you-can-eat service in 2021
South and Midwest
Ryan’s was a steakhouse-style buffet restaurant that first opened in the late ‘70s, and at its peak, had around 500 locations. It was considered an affordable buffet restaurant, and offered everything from pizza to decadent pies. Ryan’s parent company — which also owned a number of buffet restaurants on this list, including Old Country Buffet, HomeTown Buffet, and Furr’s — filed for bankruptcy a number of times in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and the last Ryan’s locations closed post-pandemic.
West Coast and Northeast
HomeTown Buffet was a sister restaurant to both Old Country Buffet and Ryan’s. There were hundreds of locations at one point, but by 2018 there were only 65 left . The chain was very similar to its siblings, and served classic American meat-and-potatoes fare. It was already struggling when the pandemic hit, and then its parent company went under.
National
Yes, just like rival chicken chain Popeyes, KFC also used to have buffets. You could get the Colonel’s secret recipe chicken, of course, along with mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, and all your other chain favorites starting in the 1980s. (Imagine assembling your own KFC bowl with as much chicken on top as you like!) They dwindled over the years, and the pandemic didn’t help. But, dedicated KFC buffet fans assert that there are still a handful of buffets operating, almost all in the South.
South and Southwest
Furr’s started out as a cafeteria restaurant in 1946, but eventually shifted to a buffet model that included classics like meatloaf, ham, and barbecue. In the ‘80s, the chain was sold to another ill-fated company, Kmart, but it wasn’t until its parent company went under in 2021 that it closed for good along with all its sister restaurants.
