# Is Golden Corral as awful as it seems in the commercials?? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306 "2012-03-09T18:50:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/61 "2012-03-11T01:07:39Z")
Trivia: Dan Blocker (Hoss Cartwright) was one of the owners of BONANZA steakhouses, receiving his share in exchange for being their pitchman. This was back when there were lots of them so that was quite lucrative, though I think his family sold his share back to the parent company when he died. > [@Jophiel](#): > > The passion fruit juice is yummy. The waitress walks with the coffee. I don’t know why, but it strikes me that this would be the perfect exchange for two spies to recognize each other. Man 1: The passion fruit juice is yummy… Man 2: The waitress walks with the coffee… And a tiny flash drive with plans for the Pentagons 3 top secret weapons gets palmed. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/62 "2012-03-12T13:52:28Z")
> [@Lasciel](#): > > At that point, I had literally not eaten anything in the past week, and in the weeks before that I had eaten much less than a person should. I was still nauseated by just about everything, and the ability to pay a fixed low price and then sit there for about three hours eating randomly selected bites of something that didn’t make me want to urp that particular day (and I never could figure out how to tell beforehand what would or wouldn’t) was totally worth it. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Hey **Lasciel** , Golden Corral’s on the line, they’d like you to be their full-time spokesperson. _ **Golden Corral: For when you’re pretty sure you’re going to be puking anyhow.** _ ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/63 "2012-03-12T14:12:51Z")
> [@Ephemera](#): > > It’s not good, but it’s not quite on the level of terrible that Hometown Buffet or Ryan’s is. See, I’ve had the opposite experience. Golden Carrol for me has been far worse than Ryans. Not that either is all that great, especially once they went from being a steak house that also had a buffet to being just a buffet. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/64 "2012-03-12T15:04:20Z")
> [@Batsinma\_Belfry](#): > > That’s one of the reasons we avoid buffets. We once saw a crowd of people outside a Country Buffet, waiting for it to open. An armored truck stopped next to the doors, but the poor guy couldn’t get out of the truck. The customers were yelling at him to move the truck and they were pushing against the STEEL ENFORCED truck and making it rock. I don’t believe this happened. > [@Batsinma\_Belfry](#): > > My husband went to one during a business trip and raved about how good it was. We had one locally that we never really noticed. Back then, (1998ish) they weren’t running GC ads. > > We popped in to the local one, and couldn’t pop out quick enough. 14 years later, it is still the worse “dining” experience I’ve ever had. To be fair, I didn’t actually eat anything except a pack of crackers from the salad bar. I am not a picky eater, I don’t usually eat “homestyle” restaurant food, but I’m not opposed to it. > > I think our bad experience may have been due to that particular location, because it closed down the same year. > We were the only customers and, after waiting 20 minutes for a server, helped ourselves to the salad bar. My son was small and hungry. I don’t remember exactly what made me repulsed. I almost always can find something on a salad bar. > When we went back to the table, the server shows up, scowls at us, then disappeared into the back. Then the manager came by and scowled at us, and told the server to “keep an eye” on us.:mad: > She completely ignored our request for a check so we left a $20 on the table. Or this. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/65 "2012-03-12T15:47:19Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > What’s always kind of :rolleyes: to me is people who literally have their plates piled several inches high, apparently unaware that it’s not “all you can carry on one plate”; you can go back 20 times if you want to, no point in needing a wheelbarrow for the first trip. I’ve seen that at several buffets and I’ve never understood it either. One exception though is Pizza Hut, where if you don’t pile the plate you’re not getting anything until another one comes out. I don’t understand why they don’t just make up a bunch and shove them in as fast as they can. What makes the difference if it sits in the kitchen for a little while, it’s just going to sit on the buffet anyway. > [@Tamex](#): > > Looks like there are. Their website shows 4 locations (all Bonanzas, no Ponderosas) within 200 miles of me. Closest one is 55 miles. Don’t think I’ll be making the drive. I know of one in a town about 90 miles from here, at least I think it may still be open. I always liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/66 "2012-03-12T15:48:35Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Good friend chicken What’s your chicken friend’s name? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/67 "2012-03-12T18:32:10Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > What’s your chicken friend’s name? 😃 :p:D I hadn’t even caught that…has to be one of the best typos ever! I once has a chicken friend at the barn I boarded my horse at, her name was Elsie and she followed us like a puppy. I wouldn’t have eaten her, tho. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/68 "2012-03-12T20:40:26Z")
> [@wheresgeorge04](#): > > I don’t believe this happened. > > Or this. I don’t exist either. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/69 "2012-03-12T21:02:11Z")
I’ve never been able to get past their name. I can’t go to eat at a place that sounds like it was named after a sexual practice that is best performed on a tiled surface and can only be seen on fetish websites. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/70 "2012-03-12T21:17:04Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > I’ve seen that at several buffets and I’ve never understood it either. One exception though is Pizza Hut, where if you don’t pile the plate you’re not getting anything until another one comes out. I don’t understand why they don’t just make up a bunch and shove them in as fast as they can. What makes the difference if it sits in the kitchen for a little while, it’s just going to sit on the buffet anyway. > > . I do that all the time. The reason is that it is easier to make 3 big trips than 9 small trips. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/71 "2012-03-12T21:25:48Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > If you have to feed teenage boys, take them to a Golden Corral. The food is in ample supply, though the quality is never any better than mediocre. > [@alphaboi867](#): > > Ditto stoned college students. :o Try a bunch of teens and college-age folks (groups that make up a substantial portion of my gaming organization) who have been outside all day, engaging in moderate physical activity, with little or nothing to eat. This is why we often go to Golden Corral after games–the locusts can get enough to eat at a fixed price, and there’s enough variety that everyone can at least find something edible. I never go there otherwise. There are too many good restaurants around here to go to a mediocre buffet. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/72 "2012-03-12T21:40:10Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I do that all the time. The reason is that it is easier to make 3 big trips than 9 small trips. I can see that, but if you’re anything like me you need the exercise. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/73 "2012-03-12T21:47:03Z")
> [@Balance](#): > > Try a bunch of teens and college-age folks (groups that make up a substantial portion of my gaming organization) who have been outside all day, engaging in moderate physical activity, with little or nothing to eat. This is why we often go to Golden Corral after games–the locusts can get enough to eat at a fixed price, and there’s enough variety that everyone can at least find something edible. > > I never go there otherwise. There are too many good restaurants around here to go to a mediocre buffet. Hell, I used to HOST a gaming group consisting of half a dozen teen to mid 20s guys, the DM (in his 30s but could out eat a teen), my husband (in his 20s), and me. And I used to feed them all, too. I finally started asking for a couple of bucks from everyone if I was feeding them. This was cheaper than most buffets. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/74 "2012-03-12T23:27:02Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I’ve never been to a Golden Trough, but then I’m not one for buffets, as I’ve seen too many kids running up to stick their hands in a salad bar. I have this mental image, though, of large, cow-like humans shuffling alongside a steam table, piling large mounds of greasy food on a tray. That describes every Dopefest I’ve ever attended. ---
**Author:** ![D.E.S.K.Top668](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@D.E.S.K.Top668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D.E.S.K.Top668)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/75 "2012-03-13T02:15:43Z")
From personal experience and what I’ve read in this thread, Golden Corral is a perfectly OK buffet restaurant. I lived in Las Vegas for a few years and, from my experiences there, there are very few “good food” buffets. I’ve only eaten at one Golden Corral (in Duluth, Ga.,) but the food was…quite acceptable. More variety then a fast food place and not too much more expensive. As for “double dipping,” the GC I’ve been to had employees monitoring the various stations. I saw a plate (serving unit/dish/amount?) of Bourbon Chicken get removed because somebody put some on their empty plate then put it back. I think that the waste of food is atrocious, but the quality, variety, and service put it ahead of comparatively priced fast food/quicky eats places. Peace - DESK ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/76 "2012-03-13T14:51:01Z")
I eat there. The food is good, and there is a lot of variety. I don’t really like to go there during the rush when it’s wall-to-wall. Too crowded, too noisy, too many people in the way. But at slower times it’s pretty good. Occassionally the steak is a bit gristley, but you know what? It’s a buffet - go get another piece. I do avoid the chocolate fountain “Wonderfall”. And they really should put the ice cream cones up higher for less child fondlage. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2012, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/77 "2012-03-13T23:22:07Z")
My father in law calls it the “hog trough.” Apt description. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/78 "2012-03-14T01:36:05Z")
I was on a project for work with a team in Albuquerque. Some of the guys were on a fixed per diem (daily amount) for meals so for them the strategy was to maximize the caloric intake while minimizing the cost (this meant more money left in their pocket). So, we would go to Golden Corral once a week. These guys would mound up their plates at least four times - this was the only meal they would have in a day. I told them to just forgo the plate altogether and pile the food directly on their tray. There were always lots of immense people in there. I don’t have the aversion to buffets that many have expressed here (I was raised poor), I liked the variety and the fact that you could make a large meal out of nothing but veggies. The food was fine, really. I’ve worked in plenty of restaurants and IMHO the marginal difference between GC ingredients/supplies/prep and other middle range sit-downs is not significant. (I get that a lot of people don’t like seeing other people hovering over buffet food - as if the kitchen and server staff in a sit-down is somehow not the same - maybe they were all dipped in bleach before they started their shift?) ---
**Author:** ![SticksAndString](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@SticksAndString](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SticksAndString)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/79 "2012-03-14T03:36:34Z")
jacobsta811–huh. At the Golden Corrall we usually go to you have the option of a standard sized cup OR an extra large ‘souveneir’ take home cup and the servers are constantly all “Would you like a refill?”. There have been times when I’ve only drunk half of what was in my cup and the server INSISTED on bringing me another full glass. We love GC because Slim is, more or less and by his own choice, a vegetarian and he can pile his plate with veggies and eat to his skinny little butt’s content.\* \*Shocking, because Hubs and I are both very big on meat. Om nom nom…cow. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306/80 "2012-03-14T04:09:11Z")
I hit one around here every now and then for breakfast, and it’s pretty good, if you don’t mind enough salt in one meal to last you a week. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-golden-corral-as-awful-as-it-seems-in-the-commercials/615306.md?page=5)