Salad Bars and Cafeteria Style is our future for Buffets

[calendria]

 

 

"Subway" is way ahead of the game here!  They already have a working model in place and everyone is used to "cafeteria" style choices and the servers' already do the work for us..

This will require a bigger tip and maybe several tips, especially for seconds!



https://www.huffpost.com/entry/future-buffets-salad-bars-after-coronavirus-pandemic_l_5ec4034fc5b6c488240b64dd?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYmluZy5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALOW5QBX4rzprf-d0dBmQMpH9NqIy4mPkyWJLbRm_EdZP8fs91JrhpI2S2bYrM4Naq4LWqG4g_UkQ0mqQgS5CTNfv7aBpIPlk-O3CI4fsex0A1ycasgsgERVAOhMWO0gcnnn3xM5BU5-CdS-ISj8rlHKBKnPEyDvSmKbxaSfXeix

At Culver City, California’s Mayura Indian Restaurant,


However, the lunchtime buffet, which highlighted dishes not offered on the regular menu, won’t be returning then, or anytime soon. “We are not going to open the buffet until the situation is 100% safe,” Aniyan told HuffPost. “Not until the coronavirus is gone or a vaccination comes, because now the priority is 100% safety for our employees and our guests.”

When Mayura does resume dine-in, customers can expect something special: thali.

The South Indian preparation entails 12-15 small portions of food set on a platter for individual servings.

“I don’t think anyone is comfortable to go to the buffet,” Aniyan said.

“Once the restaurant reopens, I know a lot of people will show up. We’ll try to block them from doing something that will create some friction in the crowd. It’s not good for anyone. That’s why we decided not to start the buffet soon. At the same time, we want to make guests happy with all the items they used to try from the buffet.”

The buffet used to be a traditional part of dining at some Indian restaurants, and Aniyan said it was a communal experience for her guests. “It’s hard,” she said. “We used to do so many celebrations here, like special Indian festivals. We had long, long lines here, and long waits. But we are going to miss all those things, at least for some time.”


It's unclear what small delis and grocery stores will do with their prepared foods buffets.

How grocery stores like Whole Foods will bring back their salad bar, olive bar and hot food bar remains to be seen.

 Whole Foods declined to comment

but Robbie Goldstein, an infectious disease physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, told WGBH he thinks groceries should get rid of the self-serve model and suggested customers stick to prepackaged food. Another option might be reopening the bars but having an employee constantly wipe down surfaces and supervise the area.

Salad bars and buffets, as we knew them a few months ago, have disappeared ... for now. But Vaughn offered a glimmer of hope, saying he believes food bars could return similar to pre-COVID-19 form, 

“I think the customer has to trust the brand that they’re going to do it right and safe, and if and when it opens back up, they see that every precaution is being taken,” Vaughn said “Then there’s certainly a chance. I’m not about to say it can never come back. Never say never.”

Golden Corral

Instead of customers serving themselves at the buffet line, an attendant dishes out the food for them. Some items, like desserts, are pre-portioned for customers to grab themselves.
... in most locations, soft-serve ice cream machines have been suspended. “In parts of the country where self-service is permitted, we provide protective paper napkins next to the machine so that our guests do not have to touch the metal lever to dispense their soft-serve ice cream,”

 “We are also sanitizing guest touch points at a minimum of every 30 minutes.”

Sizzler

which is known for its steaks and its long-running Craft Salad Bar, has begun reopening dine-in service, beginning with Arizona. The salad bar, however, will now be brought tableside.

With this new format, guests can choose their Sizzler favorites and one of our employees, who has been trained to follow additional safety techniques and precautions, will assemble guests’ selections and serve directly at their table,” Forbes Collins, Sizzler USA’s chief operations officer, told HuffPost. “As time goes by, we will continue to reevaluate different solutions based on the needs of our guests. It’s a fluid situation, and we plan to stay fluid.”

Frisch’s

 has offered its Soup, Salad ’n Fruit Bar since 1982, but its entire self-serve format changed in mid-March. Akin to Sizzler and Golden Corral, Frisch’s salad bar has a new iteration.

“We’re not going to open up the salad bars right away,” Jason Vaughn, Frisch’s CEO, told HuffPost. “We’re going to have build-your-own salad. You can create your own — whatever guests want on it that normally comes from our salad bar. We’re going to prepare it in the back of the house and have a food runner bring it out to them.”

[nannycoe1]

very interesting article, I like the idea

[nickylanena]

Cafeteria style serving makes sense if the guests are comfortable with having someone else serve them their food. I am curious how stores will adopt their salad bars (perhaps they'll just pre-package the food and shelf it).

[dreamyxo]

Buffets are gone.  I loved buffets but I'm definitely not eating at any restaurant until next year.

[1imaginarygirl]

I've always hated buffets, and I refuse to eat at one. People coughing and sneezing, then sticking their hands by the food. Or even worse, not washing their hands after using the bathroom. People are way too gross to use self-serving food stations. 

[makeblessed]

Buffets should have been out a long time ago as a lot of people just did not practice good hygeine going through the lines and some allowed their children to put their hands all over everywhere ::)cafeteria style is better; although right now I am staying away from that style of serving for awhile.

[singletonb]

As much as I love buffets for the variety, I think it will be a while before I try one.

[mardukblood2009]

I like Subway but I have not been there for a while. I really only like home made salads. There is something about the salad bars that creep me out.

[countrygirl12]

Nobody is going to tip the bar workers for dishing out the food for them.  If anything it will hurt the business.  I know someone who actually works a bar and she said most people just grab the spoon themselves instead of standing there pointing to what they want. Or complain about having to stand there 30 minutes in line while the person in front of them goes "uhhhh I want tha... no wait that.  And some of that. and that."

It is ridiculous.  Are we really to the point that nobody can touch anything that somebody else has touched?  I mean if this absorbed through your hands it would be different.  Obviously it does because that is what people are so freaked out about.

[countrygirl12]

I like Subway but I have not been there for a while. I really only like home made salads. There is something about the salad bars that creep me out.

I have never thought about eating salad bars or buffet bars.  Or even buffet style at gatherings like family reunions or church. But I do now.  I mean everyone does touch the spoon or tongs.  Then you get stuff like a biscuit or fried chicken and you eat that with your hands and you touched the same spoon every one else has touched.  I never thought about it.  And obviously it is not that big of a deal since we are all still alive.  I guess I think about it more now.  I have not ate out much at all in close to 2 years.  I stopped eating out a long time ago because people in general are just nasty.  And back last fall when the flu started up we pretty much stopped completely because even if people do wear gloves they are coughing all over your food.  Last summer I went in McDonald's and I saw the guy making biscuits take his hat off and scratch all over his head WITH HIS GLOVED HAND and right back to assembling biscuits he went. I just walked out and that was the last time we had ate out til a couple weeks ago.

The sad thing is if people get caught doing stuff like this the only punishment is "oh well we will "retrain" "  You should not have to be trained to not be nasty. But honestly if you knew what all went on behind the scenes with your food you would never eat out anyway.

[ccandpam]

Buffets put Preservatives in their food so you will get fuller faster. It does not seem like Healthy Food to me. What do you all think?

[countrygirl12]

Buffets put Preservatives in their food so you will get fuller faster. It does not seem like Healthy Food to me. What do you all think?

No they do not.  The foods on buffets are either canned veggies that are opened and heated and put on the bar or what ever type of food but nothing extra is put in the food as far as "preservatives".  It is the same foods you buy off the shelf at Walmart.

[teresa3200]

I used to love Golden Corral until I was at one a few years ago and a child picked the spoon out of the cole slaw and ate off of the spoon. His father just told him to put the spoon back. I told our server and he said he would tell the kitchen. It took about 10 minutes, and several people scooping out cole slaw with that same spoon, before anyone came out to change the bowl and spoon.

[judylucas]

Very poor parenting  I prefer if I'm going out to eat to seated and served

[oldbuddy]

The only future option for me will be Mongolian Grill, where at least the food is all cooked before you eat it.