# What happened to salad bars? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 27, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691 "2005-09-27T16:28:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/21 "2005-09-27T20:19:09Z")
salmonella and food inspectors ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/22 "2005-09-27T20:20:13Z")
Shoot I meant to second or third Ruby Tuesdays’ salad bar. It really is the best restaurant salad bar I’ve ever seen. Or eaten! We have been known to go there two days in a row, for dinner! ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/23 "2005-09-27T20:30:18Z")
Another vote for Sweet Tomatoes. I ate there today! Mmm, homemade cream of mushroom soup… ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/24 "2005-09-27T20:44:19Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > No, it’s the Golden Corral. My FIL calls it the Hog Trough. Ever been there? It’s an apt description. 🙂 :smack: Oh, okay. I was just having a moment. Yes, there are Golden Corrals near me, but I’ve never been there. There are also Old Country Buffets (never been there, either), and a hideous place called Cactus Willie’s. I _have_ been there - my in-laws love it. Scary place. Not to be fat-ist (I’m formerly fat), but I’m always amazed that the back parking lot isn’t littered with broken chairs. The place is always packed with people who are just freaking _huge_. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/25 "2005-09-27T20:48:21Z")
[Souper!Salad!](http://www.soupersalad.com/Source/Home/Home.aspx) I would go to the one in Flagstaff, AZ, all the time when I lived there. Mmmm… giant salad bar. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/26 "2005-09-27T21:15:01Z")
> [@ouryL](#): > > salmonella and food inspectors If you ever go to a Golden Corral, make sure you sit with your back to the salad bar. If you do happen to face the bar, do yourself a favor and don’t pay any attention to the kids who help themselves to the food. If you do happen to notice the kids, then I’m pretty sure that will be your last time at that salad bar. Where is that puking smiley? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/27 "2005-09-27T21:22:02Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > The place is always packed with people who are just freaking _huge_. :eek: I have a very nice neighbor who is morbidly obese. She is _past_ freaking huge, and she jokes about it which is kinda creepy. She claims the owners of All-You-Can-Eat type places quiver in their boots when they see her walking toward the door. She says her favorite place is _Golden Corral_. I’ve never been there and prolly never will. The idea of below average food in massive quantities is weird. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/28 "2005-09-27T22:29:20Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > You remember those? They used to have them at Wendy’s at Noble Roman’s, right? Salad bars have an extremely thin profit margin for several reasons. They’re labor intensive, requiring at least one full-time employee to maintain product and ice levels even when nobody is ordering salads. There’s a bit of waste, mostly products that shouldn’t be combined for sanitary reasons (eggs) or aging reasons (not mixing old mushy ooky tomatoes with fresh ones, throwing out the old browning bits of onion and green pepper for fresh). There’s no portion controlling, so people load up on the expensive stuff to get their money’s worth and skimp on the actual, you know, profitable stuff like lettuce. Pre-prepared salads can be stored in a cooler (no need to top off ice levels), portion-controlled, and made to order if you run out, so the margin is a bit better on them. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/29 "2005-09-27T22:47:47Z")
The best salad bar in the universe is at Fire and Ice, a superb restaurant in MIddlebury, VT. There own words: > [@](#): > > A 55 item salad bar is included with every dinner. > Be sure not to miss the " all you can eat shrimp, crab salad, Japanese vegetable rolls, local cheeses, fresh baked breads and > our legendary homemade carrot cake. Yeah, there is shrimp cocktail and sushi (but w/out fish) on the salad bar, as well as a GIANT wheel of Cabot cheese. Great fresh bread…my God, it’s amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/30 "2005-09-27T23:16:45Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > The best salad bar in the universe is at Fire and Ice, a superb restaurant in MIddlebury, VT. There own words: > Yeah, there is shrimp cocktail and sushi (but w/out fish) on the salad bar, as well as a GIANT wheel of Cabot cheese. Great fresh bread…my God, it’s amazing. Mmmmmmm. Yeah, it is. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/31 "2005-09-27T23:46:47Z")
Don’t Pizza Huts still have salad bars? ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/32 "2005-09-28T00:21:44Z")
Come to NYC. Almost every deli has a salad bar. ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/33 "2005-09-28T00:26:05Z")
> [@liberty3701](#): > > [Souper!Salad!](http://www.soupersalad.com/Source/Home/Home.aspx) > > I would go to the one in Flagstaff, AZ, all the time when I lived there. Mmmm… giant salad bar. Flagstaff has a SouperSalad? When the hell did that arrive? Shit, I would have driven up from Prescott just to go there. Dammit! :smack: I used to live in Prescott. During those 4 1/2 years, I lived part time in Flagstaff, part time in Phoenix/Mesa. Tripler I was torn between the two. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/34 "2005-09-28T01:09:22Z")
> [@Avarie537](#): > > Yeah, that’s the one that’s 6 miles away. > > I know where you _live_! Muahahahahaha … :dubious: Yeah, yeah…laugh it up, fuzzball. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Pizzirusso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Pizzirusso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pizzirusso)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/35 "2005-09-28T04:49:33Z")
Speaking of the Golden Corral. There was one in my small hometown. When I was a a kid, some of the letters were burned out in the sign, so it read “Golden orral.” Needless to say, my brother and I thought that was funniest thing in the whole world. Now as an adult, every time I drive past the Golden Corral in my current town I sometimes giggle. ---
**Author:** ![liberty3701](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@liberty3701](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/liberty3701)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/36 "2005-09-28T11:44:52Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > Flagstaff has a SouperSalad? When the hell did that arrive? Shit, I would have driven up from Prescott just to go there. Well, looking at the website, it’s not there anymore, but it was in, like, 2001-2003 when I spent a lot of time in Flag. Had I known you then, I totally would have taken you there. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/37 "2005-09-28T12:04:13Z")
> [@Pizzirusso](#): > > Speaking of the Golden Corral. > > There was one in my small hometown. When I was a a kid, some of the letters were burned out in the sign, so it read “Golden orral.” > > Needless to say, my brother and I thought that was funniest thing in the whole world. Now as an adult, every time I drive past the Golden Corral in my current town I sometimes giggle. There’s a Waffle House along the freeway near here. As always, they have that large tall sign with their name in black block letters on a bright yellow background with each letter a seperate component of the overall sign. For about 2 months the lights were burned out in the W, so it was the AFFLE HOUSE. If you pronounce AFFLE to rhyme with WAFFLE, you get a much better description of the place than management intended. Sadly, they eventually fixed the sign. But not before they got a new brand identity forever, at least in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/38 "2005-09-28T13:17:34Z")
> [@Fish](#): > > Salad bars have an extremely thin profit margin for several reasons. > > They’re labor intensive, requiring at least one full-time employee to maintain product and ice levels even when nobody is ordering salads. > > There’s a bit of waste, mostly products that shouldn’t be combined for sanitary reasons (eggs) or aging reasons (not mixing old mushy ooky tomatoes with fresh ones, throwing out the old browning bits of onion and green pepper for fresh). > > There’s no portion controlling, so people load up on the expensive stuff to get their money’s worth and skimp on the actual, you know, profitable stuff like lettuce. …Plus they have to sock away money in preparation for the dreaded day when someone with a deadly virus sneezes into the house dressing just before the lunch rush, leading to fatal illnesses in ten customers, lawsuits from their next of kin, and bad publicity that makes Michael Jackson’s problems look small, resulting in the restaurant being closed down and the manager being blacklisted for life and having to spend the rest of her days washing dishes at a truck stop along the turnpike, and… Well, when I worked at a fast food place during college, our manager would often worry about such things 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/39 "2005-09-28T13:25:55Z")
> [@Tripler](#): > > I used to live in Prescott. During those 4 1/2 years, I lived part time in Flagstaff, part time in Phoenix/Mesa. > > Tripler > I was torn between the two. ☹ Slight hijack - **Trip** - where in Prescott? That’s were my mommy lives. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691/40 "2005-09-28T13:30:53Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > There’s a Waffle House along the freeway near here. As always, they have that large tall sign with their name in black block letters on a bright yellow background with each letter a seperate component of the overall sign. > > For about 2 months the lights were burned out in the W, so it was the AFFLE HOUSE. If you pronounce AFFLE to rhyme with WAFFLE, you get a much better description of the place than management intended. Sadly, they eventually fixed the sign. But not before they got a new brand identity forever, at least in my mind. You think that’s funny? Our local Waffle House had the “use” in their sign burned out for the longest time. Nothing beat the hilarity of driving by the good ol’ WAFFLE HO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-salad-bars/323691.md?page=3)