# What's the most expensive thing I can put in the 22 oz. take home box from the Golden Corral Buffet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2015, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393 "2015-09-24T11:30:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/61 "2015-09-25T12:33:05Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The thing that gets me about all this is that I viewed Golden Corral as one of the fancier places growing up. The buffet is much bigger than any other restaurant here in town. It was a treat. Before we fall all over ourselves engaging in reverse snobbery, let’s think about this for a minute. When were you growing up? Because I imagine that today very few people, on or off this board, think of Golden Corral as a “fancy” place. Remember that we’re decades past Julia Child’s book and we have television programs like Iron Chef, Top Chef, Masterchef, Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares and Kitchen Impossible. Even if you live in East Bumfuck, Texas, I’ll bet that you are far more sophisticated about food than people were fifty years ago. When I was a kid, going to Pizza Hut (a sit-down restaurant with waitress service and a a salad bar) was a special treat. That’s partly because my parents were frugal and cooked almost every meal from scratch every time. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/62 "2015-09-25T14:47:57Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > No, no, no… the idea is that whatever restaurant you have, I have one that’s 3x as good for half the price so you must be debasing yourself to live and dine among troglodytes. Also, I could make a rapturous version at home for two wooden nickels. This isn’t the case (for me at least). We don’t go out to eat that often, so when we do we go somewhere better than a buffet place. I prefer to eat at restaurants that make their food instead of warming up whatever comes out of the Sysco truck. If I am going to pay for a steak, I don’t want an unknown grade of sirloin. It’s just quality over quantity. Look at this list: > [@](#): > > USDA Sirloin Steaks > BBQ Pork Ribs > Fried Chicken > Rotisserie Chicken > Carolina BBQ Pork > Pot Roast & Vegetables (Beef Stew) > Made-from-Scratch Meatloaf > Popcorn Shrimp > Mini Burgers > Made-from-Scratch Mashed Potatoes > Bourbon Street Chicken > Mongolian Beef > Sweet & Sour Chicken > Tilapia > Catfish > Chicken Livers > Pork Fatback > Pork Steaks > BBQ Chicken Thighs > Chicken & Gravy > Homemade Potato Chips > Made-from-Scratch Pizza (cheese & pepperoni) > Mac & Cheese > Gravy (brown & poultry) > Corn on the Cob > Stuffing > Soup Bar > Fresh (Seasonal) Fruit > 50+ Toppings Salad Bar > Steak Fries > Potato Chips > Sweet Potato Casserole > Baby Carrots > Lima Beans > Baked Spaghetti > Green Beans > Broccoli > Onion Rings > Louisiana Dirty Rice > Collards > Fried Okra > Corn > Steamed Cauliflower > Turnip Greens > Taco Meat, Cheese Sauce & Tortilla Chips > Hushpuppies > Fried Rice > Black-eyed Peas None of that is being made on site. No way. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/63 "2015-09-25T14:50:07Z")
> [@grude](#): > > New around here? 😉 > > This board has a population that is oddly snooty, it seems the idea of an average restaurant is 100 bucks a plate place at minimum. But bad talk some poor quality pre packaged food and expect blow back and accusations of snobbery, Hershey’s chocolate is a touchy subject. It is odd. Or…it could be that Golden Corral is objectively shitty. There are some excellent buffets out there. GC isn’t one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/64 "2015-09-25T14:56:14Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > None of that is being made on site. No way. Their [website](http://cateringgcstyle.com/catering/) says different. Not that I’m an GC booster but **grude** is pretty accurate. Any chain restaurant is treated like it has ultimate cooties around here. It’s a miracle that any of them stay in business 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/65 "2015-09-25T15:30:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > The thing that gets me about all this is that I viewed Golden Corral as one of the fancier places growing up. The buffet is much bigger than any other restaurant here in town. It was a treat. > > Likewise Applebees, but I still insist it’s pretty good. I can’t fathom how you guys have such amazing restaurants that both of these are considered bottom of the barrel, and the prices are 50% higher than local fare. If Golden Corral and Applebees aren’t at or near the bottom of the barrel, what do you put below them? Other than fast food, I’m hard pressed to think of any. Doesn’t mean it’s bad or wrong to eat there, I just recognize that when I do, I’m not getting high quality. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/66 "2015-09-25T15:31:29Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Their [website](http://cateringgcstyle.com/catering/) says different. Not that I’m an GC booster but **grude** is pretty accurate. Any chain restaurant is treated like it has ultimate cooties around here. It’s a miracle that any of them stay in business 😉 Cooties are an extra 59 cents. Ultimate cooties, 99 cents. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/67 "2015-09-25T15:48:31Z")
> [@dzeiger](#): > > If Golden Corral and Applebees aren’t at or near the bottom of the barrel, what do you put below them? A bunch of crap local places, most of which go out of business after six months to a year while Applebees, Golden Corral, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, etc putter along. Chain restaurants usually at least have a floor of mediocrity. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/68 "2015-09-25T15:49:49Z")
I used to live near one, and went there for a cheap protein boost once every couple of weeks. They had a seafood night, and there would be tons of steamed shrimp. Given the current prices, I’d say that would be your best bet. But then, given the current prices, I doubt they are still doing it. Still, look down at the far end of the salad bar, they used to hide it there. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/69 "2015-09-25T19:00:56Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > According to the online menu, the steaks are cooked to order. I’ll bet the place doesn’t consider them a buffet item and won’t let you order one for the take-out box. Yes, they are on the buffet. They were for a time stacking them cooked in bins so you could pick your done level (medium rare, medium, medium well that was closer to well). They went back to cooking them on the grill and handing them to order. Doesn’t mean they aren’t buffet, you still stand in line with your plate like everything else. They’re also cooking on that grill other meat items at times. And pancakes, etc. You would have to go through the line a few times because the guy is going to get testy if you load up on 12 steaks while there is a line waiting, but it’s not rude to go back through the line multiple times. Just have to wait while the steaks cook. > [@Jophiel](#): > > While the meat obviously wasn’t of the highest quality, if the grill cook was decent it wasn’t bad. I’ve had a few gristly cuts and some good cuts. Usually it’s pretty good, occasionally it’s a bit gristly. Decide if I want to wait for more, or eat something else. > [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Well I wasn’t sure how large a “22oz box” would be. I know that a gram is a 1cm cube and apparently an ounce is 28.3 grams. So assuming that my math is correct, that means that we’re looking at a cube about 8.5cm (3.3in) per side. That’s not much. The box is about 6 inches long by 4 inches wide by 3 inches high, it has a deep plastic bucket with a snap closed lid. Could carry liquids. > [@purplehearingaid](#): > > Really , they’ll let you bring food home ? This is a new promotion, $2 for a box. Additionally, they already have takeout by the pound. > [@August\_West](#): > > Look at this list: > None of that is being made on site. No way. You should check it out. They are revamping the restaurants, and putting more prep and cooking in a visible kitchen. For example, they make mashed potatoes from actual potatoes. I know, because they have a mashing machine that thumps rather loudly. (At least in one store I went to.) Sure, their macaroni and cheese is rather low end, and some of their veggies and fruit are from cans. > [@dzeiger](#): > > If Golden Corral and Applebees aren’t at or near the bottom of the barrel, what do you put below them? Other than fast food, I’m hard pressed to think of any. Hartz Chicken Buffet. Golden Corral has a wide selection of food, and while they aren’t going to satisfy foodies anytime soon, they have reasonable quality for a moderate price buffet. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/70 "2015-09-25T19:43:37Z")
> [@Dingbang](#): > > I thought I’d heard that fresh fruit was the costliest item on a salad bar, for the restaurant. Probably not what you’re looking for when you want to maximize your treasure box, but the fruit might be what would make the manager most peeved. That’s mostly because of the wastage. Fresh fruit is not only somewhat expensive, but it has to be eaten quickly, or it spoils. People are pretty picky about hos the fruit looks, and there isn’t much the restaurant can do to reuse old fruit. (Unlike other items. The pot roast unsold from Monday is sliced with gravy to become Tuesday’s roast beef sandwiches, the leftovers from that are cubed and go into Wednesday’s TaterTot hotdish or Thursday’s roast beef hash. So nothing goes to waste.) ---
**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:** [September 25, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/71 "2015-09-25T20:38:04Z")
Ironically I found myself in this exact situation a few days ago. I put 3 steaks in and filled all the empty space with shredded pork. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/72 "2015-09-25T20:41:07Z")
> [@grude](#): > > New around here? 😉 > > This board has a population that is oddly snooty, it seems the idea of an average restaurant is 100 bucks a plate place at minimum. You haven’t seen the what’s the most you’ve spent for a meal thread, have you? Dopers seem to be a cheap bunch overall. Applebee’s is good only for the bar. I’ve never been a fan of any of the food I’ve had there. Bennigan’s (when it was around–maybe it still is?) was great for this type of food. Chili’s and TGIF are better, in my experience. Applebee’s has just been a disappointment for me every time I’ve gone there. So, no, it’s not a chain restaurant thing. But, yeah, if you don’t like a chain restaurant, it’s Derpers derping it up. :rolleyes: There’s a pretty good range of what people eat here and I don’t find the Dope particularly snobby when it comes to food. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/73 "2015-09-25T21:05:46Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > What sitcom (or sitcoms)–and it definitely was in an essay in _Me Talk Pretty One Day_ by Sedaris–where one of the characters says in a restaurant, “You see that bread? Don’t eat it. That’s how they get 'cha.” And derive great satisfaction from that. (Sounds like a _Seinfeld._ _Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist_ - I think this is it; it’s Barry Sobel ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/74 "2015-09-26T04:08:08Z")
> [@Channing\_Idaho\_Banks](#): > > I would just make a fat salad and enjoy it later. Well, right, but which kind of fat? Mac and cheese? > [@kayT](#): > > That guy in the picture is Jeff Foxworthy and he’s been photographed with some sort of fish-eye lens I think. Speaking of losing one’s dignity… If you stuff your Golden Corral take-out box with Jello because you only have one tooth left, you might be a redneck! ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/75 "2015-09-27T03:11:33Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Or…it could be that Golden Corral is objectively shitty. There are some excellent buffets out there. GC isn’t one of them. Yeah, there are good chains, and there are bad chains. I’m not ashamed to admit to eating at Olive Garden once in awhile, (hey, my parents like it, what can you do?) but most people I’ve talked to who’ve gone to GC usually give it the thumbs down. The best chain though is still Eat’ N Park. If they have one in your area, GO. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/76 "2015-09-27T03:48:42Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Likewise Applebees, but I still insist it’s pretty good. I can’t fathom how you guys have such amazing restaurants that both of these are considered bottom of the barrel, and the prices are 50% higher than local fare. I don’t consider them bottom of the barrel. Applebee’s has the best cheese sticks I’ve tasted anywhere. I just consider them typical restaurants just not fancy. Personally, I’d much rather eat at Applebees than a few “trendy” restaurants I’ve been to. The food is pretty uniform, I know what I’m getting into, and I know they have several choices I like. Unlike the “trendy” restaurant in Ann Arbor, where they had smoked salmon appetizer, and it tasted like it was out of a tin. The pasta tasted like someone opened a jar of generic tomato sauce and then dumped a few cans of diced tomatoes on top, and then charge me 47 dollars for my meal. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/77 "2015-09-27T04:28:56Z")
Cooked bacon can be surprisingly expensive on a per volume basis, especially the extra crispy stuff.That’s mainly because of how much it shrinks during cooking, it’s one of the few proteins that’s edible almost completely dehydrated. It’s not inconceivable that you could walk out with $30 or $40 worth of bacon for $2 if you went during breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/78 "2015-09-27T15:24:19Z")
Lumberton? _ **Blue Velvet** _ cake. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/79 "2015-09-27T16:19:19Z")
Anyone who rags on Golden Corral has clearly never been to Old Country Buffet. 😛 I think the question’s been pretty much answered (meat), but I’ll add one tip: if they’re giving out the box in the picture, flip it over. Use the clear part as a bowl, and the black part as the lid. You’ll be able to get more food in there without it falling all over the place. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393/80 "2015-09-27T23:34:55Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Cooties are an extra 59 cents. Ultimate cooties, 99 cents. Sometimes you get a craving for cooties. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-most-expensive-thing-i-can-put-in-the-22-oz-take-home-box-from-the-golden-corral-buffet/732393.md?page=5)