If you love eating at buffet restaurants and want to continue to eat there without a care in the world, then this is just a friendly warning: you should probably stop reading this post right now.
But if you love eating at buffet restaurants and your curiosity on what they’re really like has gotten the best of you, keep going.
Or if you don’t even eat at buffets and you just want to know if you ever should, then keep reading as well! We’re about to give you some hard, gross buffet facts that may freak you out, to put it mildly.
Buffet restaurants are super popular for obvious reasons: for a fixed price, you’re able to get basically as much food as you want.
Instead of being relegated to picking just one item off the menu, you get to pick a few different items!
You get variety, and you get to be in control of that. Buffets are also kind of fun, at the same time — it’s just a little different than your typical sit-down restaurant experience.
That said, they are also, um, not that hygienic.
Sure, there are plenty of buffets that make food safety a priority, but many do not, and it can be hard to tell which is which sometimes.
Here are a few facts about buffets you need to know before you go to your next one.
Read through all of them — trust us, you won’t want to eat at a buffet without being prepared for potential health hazards.
1. There are basically no regulations when it comes to utensil safety.
In any restaurant, there are regulations on utensils used during food prep: they are supposed to be swapped out and cleaned every four hours.
And even at a buffet, there are a few regulations, like if a utensil falls into the food or on the floor, it has to be replaced. But, well, that’s about it.
There are no regulations on the serving spoons or tongs used to bring the food from its serving dish to your plate.
Think about it; lots of other people are touching that serving spoon, which is then going into the food you’re about to eat.
The serving spoons can sit there for hours on end, collecting bacteria, and no one changes them out. Ick.
2. If the food isn’t kept at the right temperature, it can give you food poisoning.
One of the biggest problems with buffets is that if the food is kept at the wrong temperature, it can quickly breed bacteria and cause food poisoning.
Unfortunately, a lot of buffets do not make sure the food remains at the appropriate temperatures because doing so is harder than it seems.
And there’s proof.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture, food that is kept in temperatures between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit are in the danger zone.
Pay attention to how popular the buffet spot is and how often people check each food station. If something doesn’t seem hot enough, don’t eat it!
3. Food often sits out for hours.
The food served at a buffet is not always fresh. It often sits out for hours and hours at a time, which leaves it really susceptible to bacteria that can make you sick.
Allison Agwu, professor of pediatric and adult infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine had something very interesting to say.
She told Vice:
The major bacteria players when it comes to unsanitary food buffet stations can be E. coli, salmonella or more common in deli meats, listeria. As far as viruses go, norovirus is the main one that we think about because it’s known to take out a whole cruise ship of people when they are eating from buffets regularly.
Pay attention to how busy a buffet spot is.
If it’s empty, chances are good the food has been sitting there. If it’s super popular and busy, it’s probably getting rotated out more.
4. Cross-contamination is a huge issue.
Buffets are kind of a nightmare for people who follow a specialized diet. That’s because cross-contamination is a big issue.
And it makes sense. If customers serve themselves, they can do whatever they like. They could easily use the same serving spoon for the shrimp as they do for chicken, even though they aren’t supposed to.
The food’s likely contaminated by other customers, too.
On top of that, certain people care even less than that. They touch food with their bare hands and then put it back. No thanks!
5. Children dip their fingers in everything.
Speaking of which, yes… other people have gotten their hands in that food, and that can cause the spread of germs and bacteria. One diner told Oola that they watched a child pick their nose, then shove their hand into food… and the parent didn’t see.
This is just one horror story! Imagine how many more they are!
6. Dirty Diapers Are Oddly Common
An alarming number of buffet workers bonded over the fact that they too had to pick up dirty diapers from underneath tables. For whatever reason, people love to change their children in public at buffet restaurants. Reddit user Wiggly Charlie explained:
“In fact, every night at closing we’d find at least one dirty diaper hidden under a table.”
And the places they found them were seemingly limitless. “[Sometimes we would find a diaper] between a booth seat and the wall.” If you’re planning on eating at a buffet, maybe bring some antibacterial wipes for your table (and all the other surfaces).
6. Leftover food does get recycled.
Don’t be quick to assume that any leftover food sitting around at the end of the day gets thrown out — it might not. Sometimes, buffets just wrap that food up and serve it the next day, even if it’s something that’s highly perishable, like crab legs or oysters.
We’re all for reducing food waste, but when people’s health is at risk, that is taking it too far.
Buffet owners have openly admitted to doing this.
In one Reddit thread, a user who owned a buffet admitted to serving old seafood and leftover food. Sometimes that leftover food, if not presentable enough to be served, got cooked into soups and casseroles.
7. Dirty dishes are left sitting out on purpose.
It’s not unusual to go to a buffet and see a pile of dirty dishes left sitting on the tables.
That seems disgusting, right?
Well, one survey found that if dirty dishes are left at a person’s table, they are less likely to go back for more food. That works in their favor — you’re eating less but spending the same — but obviously not in yours.
8. But chopsticks and other specialty utensils are abundant.
According to Psychology Today, certain buffet restaurants (like Chinese buffets) have plenty of chopsticks — and not as many forks and knives — available for their customers.
This slows down eaters.
If customers are trying to use chopsticks (and they don’t traditionally use them), it is going to take them a long time to finish that massive plate of noodles, making them less likely to go up and grab more.
9. Certain kinds of food poisoning are more prevalent than others.
It’s no secret that food poisoning like E.Coli and salmonella are common at buffets.
But some kinds of food poisoning are more common than others, like Bacillus cereus. This is a particularly strong type of bacteria that often grows in rice and survives the cooking process, then grows in the food. And according to Vox, it occurs often in buffets.
10. Most salad bars are not fresh.
Think you’re safe with a salad?
Think again. According to The New York Times, the salad bars at certain buffets often contain food that was previously placed out, didn’t get finished that day, then was placed back in the fridge and then back out the next day.
Plus, employees often refill containers without washing them. You never know how old the ingredients are! That’s not a good look for veggies.
11. The fruit isn’t fresh either.
Most of the fruit is the same as the salad bar: whatever is left is refrigerated and used the next day… and fruit probably shouldn’t be reused in that manner, especially if happens more than once.
Plus, those lemon and lime slices? Yeah, research has found that they are literally covered in germs and E.Coli. Avoid them.
12. Buffets trick you into eating the cheaper items more than the expensive ones.
Some gross facts about a buffet aren’t just about the food being unsafe, but about the way the buffet restaurants trick their customers.
The food is placed strategically; the cheaper options are usually first, with the more expensive options last.
That’s because most people will fill up their plates on the first things they see, not have room for the later (more expensive) items, and never end up getting to it.
You’ll also notice that pricier dishes are surrounded by cheaper options like veggie side dishes.
This is because because studies show that when these choices are offered, people are more likely to pick the veggies.
Lastly, many of the expensive dishes are sparsely filled, which discourages multiple servings, while the cheaper items are stuffed full.
13. You’re tricked into eating less with smaller plate sizes.
Another way buffet restaurants trick you is by offering you really small plates. Have you ever wondered how you’re possibly supposed to fit all the food offerings on that one small plate? That’s the thing: you’re not.
And get a load of this.
Studies show that people are more likely to eat less food off of small plates than large plates, and buffets play into that. They give small plates so you eat less and don’t get as much of your money’s worth.
14. The food is cheaper for a reason.
One of the great things about a buffet is that it tends to be a lot cheaper than going to a sit-down dinner.
But according to Psychology Today, there could be a reason for that. The site says that all you can eat buffets are “built around ingredients and foods that are available cheaply.”
Oftentimes, these restaurants buy cheaper meats and vegetables to save money.
Cheaper food isn’t always a bad thing, but it’s also not always ideal–especially if you are loading up on it.
15. Those food trays are probably covered in germs.
If the buffet restaurant you’re at offers trays to hold your plates, beware, because they probably aren’t that clean. The National Sanitation Foundation did a study in which they found that restaurant trays were some of the worst breeding grounds for bacteria like E.Coli and Salmonella.
The trays have to be properly washed and sanitized after each use, and in a buffet, most are definitely not.
16. The scrambled eggs might not be real.
And that doesn’t sound particularly appetizing.
If you’re headed to a breakfast buffet, keep in mind that the scrambled eggs you’re being served are, uh, probably fake.
Most restaurants, especially buffets, use processed powdered eggs that contain additives and other artificial ingredients. They’re cheaper and easier to prepare. While the substitute is fine to eat, it’s just… not a real egg.
17. Buffets aren’t exactly allergy friendly.
Remember all that talk about cross-contamination?
Well, this doesn’t bode well for anyone with food allergies. If someone uses a serving spoon in a dish containing dairy, then uses it in a dish that’s supposed to be dairy-free, then it’s no longer dairy-free.
And stuff like that happens all the time.
On top of that, it’s hard to know exactly what is in a buffet dish, so it’s hard to figure out what you should and shouldn’t eat.
18. People spread germs when they reuse plates.
So, here’s the thing with a buffet: you’re supposed to get a new plate each time you go up there to refill your food. However, a lot of people decide to just use their old plate (which we get — it’s better for the environment).
The problem with that is that it becomes a public health issue.
Now they have eaten off of that plate, which is going to touch the serving spoon that is going back into the food you’re about to eat. See the problem?
19. They try to fill you up with starchy foods.
Buffets are known for trying to fill you up options that are cheap and filling. Buffets provide lots of filling, starchy options, like potatoes and breads, which are cheaper for them, but not as healthy for you.
20. Kids are gross, but so are adults.
This horrifying story told by Redditor flyonthewall21, who use to work at Sizzlers, will never let you see a buffet the same way.
“The grossest thing that happened would probably be an old man that threw up over the salad bar. He tried to turn his head at the last moment to avoid the food but still managed to get it everywhere,” the former Sizzler employee revealed.
“He actually threw up so hard that his false teeth fell out and smashed on the ground.”
“So we had vomit and broken dentures to clean up.”
While this is truly disgusting, flyonthewall21 did say, “Every time a kid would stick their grubby hands in the food we would have to throw the whole lot out.”
While that is a definite comfort, thinking about the amount of waste can make you sick, too.
21. Barfing is not uncommon.
Unfortunately, like the last story, customers eating so much they vomit seems to be a common thread on sites like Reddit.
I’ve rounded up a ton of Redditors with some stomach churning stories, you definitely can live without, but to keep it vague the user ThreeBrownSpindles is still scarred from his or her’s job 20 years ago at Golden Corral.
“Several times kids would eat so much they’d barf on the bathroom floor,” the user revealed from all the candy and chocolate fountains at the buffet.
Not all buffets are full of disgusting bacteria
But it definitely doesn’t hurt to look into each buffet you plan to visit, just in case. You’ve been warned!
