Grab a plate: Many Americans say they're ready for a buffet

[RandySF]

Will the all-you-can-eat buffet be a relic of the time before COVID-19? Many Americans hope not.

According to a recent survey of nearly 26,000 US adults, roughly a quarter (27%) said they’d be somewhat or very likely to eat at a buffet-style restaurant once restrictions are lifted. On the flipside, nearly two-thirds (65%) said they’re not very or not at all likely.

It’s worth noting that coronaviruses such as COVID-19 are generally thought to be spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food.

YouGov data suggest younger Americans aged 25-34 are particularity keen, as roughly a third (35%) say they're at least somewhat likely to hit the buffet line once they’re allowed to, while those age 55 and over are less likely (21%).



https://today.yougov.com/topics/food/articles-reports/2020/05/29/ready-buffets?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=website_article&utm_campaign=buffet

[Throck]

1. Buffets helped make America obese.

[Celerity]

22. 86 Percent of Americans Could be Overweight or Obese by 2030

https://books.google.se/books?id=kXoyTm6D7OEC&pg=PA393&lpg=PA393&dq=86+Percent+of+Americans+Could+be+Overweight+or+Obese+by+2030&source=bl&ots=pKG0amFEuk&sig=ACfU3U1qJVD4bbX_ru8GqB-GADCnRpc4kA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiNrr699dnpAhXuxIsKHaUPCu8Q6AEwEHoECBAQAQ#v=onepage&q=86%20Percent%20of%20Americans%20Could%20be%20Overweight%20or%20Obese%20by%202030&f=false


42.4% of U.S. adults were obese as of 2017-2018

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db360-h.pdf


50% the US population will be considered obese and 25% will be considered severely obese by the year 2030.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/12/close-to-half-of-u-s-population-projected-to-have-obesity-by-2030/

[Throck]

26. Haven't been to a buffet in 25 years, maybe more.

Lack of self control is all I see.

[dsc]

30. part of that is absurd guidelines

I am indeed obese, and I own that. But what I am 'supposed' to weigh is frankly insane. At 5' 10" I would be overweight at 174 lbs. Actually that is much higher than the printouts I was getting at work so I will say that is less absurd. The print out would say I should be about 150. I will be happy to get to 190.

[hlthe2b]

2. "Many people" are friggin nuts!

[jimfields33]

7. The last week you'd think we all survived the virus

States are opening at a rapid place. People are gathering together at beaches, on the streets, etc. I mean two weeks ago even protests wouldn’t have happened. Not sure if we’ve done ok or not, but it seems like most believe we have.

[lagomorph777]

21. Eeek! Eat sneezed-on food? No thanks!

[jimfields33]

27. I get it. Lol.

Of course that was happening before the virus way more then we’d want to know.

[qazplm135]

3. I fully realize it is a trash quality of mine

but I DO love a buffet. I don't know why. I think the variety appeals to me. Growing up poor you just didn't see so many different foods in one place. Now having had some life success, I still get taken in by that variety. I know the food is bad, it's a germ factory with all the open serving, and yet...

[genxlib]

11. I'm with you

I always appreciated a buffet. Especially a breakfast buffet.

Doesn't mean I will go back to them but they were fun while they lasted.

[dalton99a]

4. Golden Corral is reopening many of its locations

https://www.courier-tribune.com/news/20200529/golden-corral-reopens-saturday--as-buffet

[Aristus]

5. Careful! When they open the pig troughs, Meal Team Six will be leading the charge,

heavily armed and taking no prisoners...

[Celerity]

25. omg, roflmaoooooooooooooooooooooooooo

When they open the pig troughs, Meal Team Six will be leading the charge

[fleur-de-lisa]

6. Oh hell no!

[brooklynite]

8. I don't see a buffet being any riskier than a table service restaurant...

[Marie Marie]

9. I once went to a salad bar to make a salad and as I was

putting lettuce into my container, I found a USED band-aid in among the lettuce. That did it for me.

[BannonsLiver]

14. Self service buffets spread plague

https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2020/05/11/watch-viral-japanese-video-shows-how-quickly-covid-19-can-spread-at-a-buffet/#32264d3e24a5

[qazplm135]

17. of course it is

one or two people making and handling your food is way safer than 45 people being in and around your food. Putting their fingers in there, sneezing, or just having droplets make their way onto your uncovered food unintentionally.

[gollygee]

20. Dozens of people touch the same serving utensils. nt

[Kilgore]

10. I would go there tonight

I do love a good buffet.

[pwb]

12. The industries promote these articles. Feel good.

We may kill you but eat up.

[PSPS]

13. LOL. Apparently, 27% constitutes "many"

Few, if any, businesses can survive on 27% of their pre-pandemic traffic. As one business owner said, "I will lose less money by just staying closed."

[coti]

28. Yeah, idiotic headline. Should be "Most Americans Not Ready" nt

[BannonsLiver]

15. Headline seems misleading

27 percent of respondents are ready to hit the slop trough again. 65 percent say they aren't.

[Jeebo]

16. For years I've been a Golden Corral regular.

Five or six days a week. The food is not great, but it's good, and plentiful, and varied, and cheap. On weekdays between 2 and 4 p.m. they had seniors rates that were hard to beat. But I keep thinking about how many people were always there, leaning over all the food counters, and even with the sneeze guards, it just makes me shudder and cringe now to think about eating there again. The last time I ate there was March 10. I'm not saying I'll never eat there again, but only when there's an effective and widely available vaccine. How long will that be? Is this plague tolling the death knell for buffet-style restaurants?

-- Ron

[MurrayDelph]

18. I had a buffet lunch today.

Only in my house, we call it leftovers.

[Cirque du So-What]

19. I don't like multiple people using the same spoon

to scoop servings from the pan. Every time someone touches that spoon, who the hell knows what they're leaving behind on it?

[irisblue]

23. I love the Chinese buffet near me and the potlucks from support groups

But I'll be passing for awhile

[ooky]

24. I may go back and visit a pig trough again someday, but only after I've had my vaccine.

For right now, fuck that shit.

[SoCalNative]

29. I really miss the Sunday brunch buffet

on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. But Golden Corral it ain't.