Golden Corral

[xlhig]

Has anyone been to the Golden Corral since it has reopened? Good or bad? Do the employees wear masks? Is it still serve yourself or do they bring the food to you? Have they cut back on any of the items?

[karostay]

The only Buffet we patronize is Jimmy
Wouldn't touch any other with a 6' fork

[Jayhawk]

Has anyone been to the Golden Corral since it has reopened? Good or bad? Do the employees wear masks? Is it still serve yourself or do they bring the food to you? Have they cut back on any of the items?

Golden Corral Rules | Endless Buffet Restaurants | America's #1 Buffet (https://www.goldencorral.com/open-restaurants/)

Golden Corral | Endless Buffet | America's #1 Buffet Restaurant (https://www.goldencorral.com/)

[EdFNJ]

The only Buffet we patronize is Jimmy
Wouldn't touch any other with a 6' fork HAHA took me a while but I THINK I finally got it! :1rotfl: Personally I find buffets (AND salad bars) gross especially the chain places like the GC and similar. IMO the name fits the place, to me it's like eating in a corral with all the animals attacking the food and coughing and sneezing and drooling all over it even with the glass "guard." I guess the (allegedly) clean highly trained and heavily sanitized serving staff there will make it appear a little better (NOT). ;)

[karostay]

HAHA took me a while but I THINK I finally got it! :1rotfl: Personally I find buffets (AND salad bars) gross especially the chain places like the GC and similar. IMO the name fits the place, to me it's like eating in a corral with all the animals attacking the food and coughing and sneezing and drooling all over it even with the glass "guard." I guess the (allegedly) clean highly trained and heavily sanitized serving staff there will make it appear a little better (NOT). ;)
Given current state of of affairs .
I know we want to get back to normal what ever that is.
Business are struggling .Think buffets can open safely patrons go down a line 6 feet apart just have few servers
placing what ever items you may want on your plate.
Eliminates contamination
sounds simple to me

[Number 10 GI]

I can't remember the last time the wife and I ate at Golden Corral it's been that long. I don't know how they pass health inspections.

[kcrazorbackfan]

Given current state of of affairs .
I know we want to get back to normal what ever that is.
Business are struggling .Think buffets can open safely patrons go down a line 6 feet apart just have few servers
placing what ever items you may want on your plate.
Eliminates contamination
sounds simple to me

Yeah, right. I’ve seen some of the F/A’s going into GC; they won’t adhere to the 6’ rule.

[Stu from NYC]

Do not see how a 6 ft rule would work at a place like golden corral or for that matter any buffet place.

We like them but going to be awhile before we go back to one

[EdFNJ]

HAHA took me a while but I THINK I finally got it! :1rotfl: Personally I find buffets (AND salad bars) gross especially the chain places like the GC and similar. IMO the name fits the place, to me it's like eating in a corral with all the animals attacking the food and coughing and sneezing and drooling all over it even with the glass "guard." I guess the (allegedly) clean highly trained and heavily sanitized serving staff there will make it appear a little better (NOT). ;)

Given current state of of affairs .
I know we want to get back to normal what ever that is.
Business are struggling .Think buffets can open safely patrons go down a line 6 feet apart just have few servers
placing what ever items you may want on your plate.
Eliminates contamination
sounds simple to me Pandemic or no, I still say ewwwwww to buffet chains. There are enough people to keep 'em going without me. :) Tried one in Vegas years ago and recently in Disney which was supposed to be "the greatest " at Boma ($50/person iirc) Flavors of Africa and it just grossed me out. The food LOOKED like it might be good but still tasted mass produced & was barely warm but I'd still rather have paid $70 for a hamburger. Fortunately my kids treated. :D

[Chi-Town]

Seems like nobody has been there yet to answer the OP's question, so here is what's out there. The Golden Corral in The Villages is considered "no touch" with cafeteria style servers and social distancing. Going back for seconds is no problem. Evidently, the selection is pretty extensive.
.

[Jayhawk]

Pandemic or no, I still say ewwwwww to buffet chains. There are enough people to keep 'em going without me. :) Tried one in Vegas years ago and recently in Disney which was supposed to be "the greatest " at Boma ($50/person iirc) Flavors of Africa and it just grossed me out. The food LOOKED like it might be good but still tasted mass produced & was barely warm but I'd still rather have paid $70 for a hamburger. Fortunately my kids treated. :D


The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has recommended discontinuing “salad bars, buffets and beverage service stations that require customers to use common utensils or dispensers.” It has also asked restaurants to encourage spacing while in line.

Access Denied (https://www.newsobserver.com/news/coronavirus/article242761661.html)

[kathyspear]

We have been there. (I guess we are the white trash of TV because we like it ha.) Half of the tables are blocked off. Servers all wear masks and/or visors. Server brings a stack of plates and silverware to your table. (Brings more as needed.) It is still more or less cafeteria style but some of the stuff is on little plates so you pick up a plate rather than dish out food.

If you ate there before you will like it just fine.

kathy

[aces_04]

Guess I’m white trash too. We went past week. I’m guessing no one wants to know what the F/A’s thought about it. Compared to other eateries we support, Golden Corral has been diligent with following the guidelines. We enjoyed our meal. To OP go enjoy worth the $.

[Marcyd]

Has anyone been to the Golden Corral since it has reopened? Good or bad? Do the employees wear masks? Is it still serve yourself or do they bring the food to you? Have they cut back on any of the items?

The employees wear masks. It’s still self-serve. And they haven’t cut back on any items 😊

[MIskra]

We went there last week. It was actually safer than many other restaurants we have been to lately. Some tables are blocked out to ensure 6 foot distancing. All the staff are wearing masks. There are designated servers (who bring fresh plates, drinks, etc.) to the tables, and designated staff who remove dirty dishes from tables. The wait staff never touches anything that has been touched on tables by the customers. All staff wear and change gloves between tables. The food is now set up cafeteria style, meaning that you enter at one end and go through a line which has 6 foot markers. They make customers wear gloves and supply them at the start of the line to ensure serving utensils remain clean between changes (which is often). They have gone to incredible lengths to be a safe eating establishment. Love their fried chicken and the huge shrimp they serve at dinner on the weekends. That's the only thing we go there for, but everything looked safe.

[Aloha]

The safety measures they have taken probably makes it superior to the other joints where you are crowded together with no employees wearing masks or gloves.

[wsachs]

My feeling is that bad food at a low price is still bad food.

[ts12755]

Food is actually better than before. Emp bring you plates and silerware. One way traffic. They give you disposable gloves to hold the spoons in line or you can sanitize your hands after touching the spoon. No big difference other than the food quality was really fantastic.

[Mohawksin]

Great answer to OP post.

[riley2011]

Why would anyone eat there? Horrible food.

[greenflash245]

belly on up to the food trough

[DeeCee Dubya]

Golden Corral one of my fav restaurants in the area. Granted a couple of their entrees not the best but it more than makes up for it in variety. And they’ve got a great salad bar and the staff is very friendly. Please give them a chance.

[Vonjor@gmail.com]

Glad to hear they’re open again. Don’t know about the quality, but we love the variety and taste of their food.

[mydavid]

I like the GC, you don't have to stuff you face just because it's there, but if you don't like one thing you have many other items to choose from. Some people seem the need to go some fancy place and over pay for their food and convince themselves that it was worth it.

[stan the man]

I can't remember the last time the wife and I ate at Golden Corral it's been that long. I don't know how they pass health inspections.

who served you in the service - wow you came along way

[DonH57]

I was under the impression all Golden Corrals were not to reopen since the pandemic. I figured they'd only be able to reopen serving cafeteria style rather than having the general public handling the dinner and silver ware.

[Alicia]

What is F/A and OP ?

[vdjdstanzo34@gmail.com]

We ate at GC last week. Clean, clean, clean as a whistle. Much cleaner than some restaurants we have been to. We will be back

[fdpaq0580]

who served you in the service - wow you came along way

We used to like GC for some of their offerings. And, as ex -NAVY, I have eaten things off the food stands in places that would make most folks faint.
Still, since the pandemic, I think that changing from buffet/serve yourself to cafeteria style arrangement is better. Buffets only scared me when unsupervised kids would reach under the sneeze guards and pick and choose with there bare hands. One thing that I really don't like is pot-lucks. One never knows whose dog or cat helped prepare the deviled eggs.

[Bellbrookgal@gmail.com]

The only Buffet we patronize is Jimmy
Wouldn't touch any other with a 6' fork

What is Jimmy?

[Number 10 GI]

who served you in the service - wow you came along way

When I was in the Army and I would imagine it is still the same, Mess Hall sanitation was strictly monitored by the command and outside inspectors. Each Mess Hall had an officer assigned as an additional duty to insure sanitation standards were maintained. Additionally the unit commanding officer and First Sergeant did unannounced inspections to assure standards were being met.
The military is unique in insuring things get done correctly. If you are in charge of a section, squad, platoon or whatever and your performance is substandard you face disciplinary action that can be career damaging and possible career ending. I never heard of anybody becoming ill from eating in the Mess Hall.
Mess Hall is an old Army term, the one used now is Dining Facility.

[Bellbrookgal@gmail.com]

OMG, BOMA is Awesome! LOVE that place!!!!

[Bellbrookgal@gmail.com]

You know, as far as Golden Coral in general, I have found they vary widely in their service. Some are superbly clean and well run, and others, not so much.

[Jayhawk]

Some people seem the need to go some fancy place and over pay for their food and convince themselves that it was worth it.

And then they brag about it.

:blahblahblah:

[Bellbrookgal@gmail.com]

Jimmy Buffet, I get it now, I thought you were referring to an actual restaurant.

[Ritabob]

Thank you to those that answered the original question about Golden Corral. As for the rest of you, the original question didn't ask what you thought of buffets or the people who go there but of course you think everyone cares about your opinion. How about you find something better to do then bashing everything you dont agree with.

[Bellbrookgal@gmail.com]

I agree RitaBob! What a bunch of complainers!

[mvrjohnson]

I am retired military officer and loved mess halls.

[BlackhawksFan]

I wouldn't go there before the plague hit I'm surely not going now.

In general I'm not doing anything buffet style you're using serving spoons and forks used by many others that's asking for Corona.

[mvrjohnson]

Of all the places I have eaten since the pandemic hit, I felt safer at Golden Corral than any other place.
Clean plates, silverware, drinks, and sanitized condiments all delivered to your table. Gloves available all along the buffet line and 6’ distancing markers on the floor.
Some people think they are “too good” to go to Golden Corral. I pray for them. Some of the servers have been there for many years (10+) and they are attentive. They are down to earth people!

[THUNDERCHIEF]

HAHA took me a while but I THINK I finally got it! :1rotfl: Personally I find buffets (AND salad bars) gross especially the chain places like the GC and similar. IMO the name fits the place, to me it's like eating in a corral with all the animals attacking the food and coughing and sneezing and drooling all over it even with the glass "guard." I guess the (allegedly) clean highly trained and heavily sanitized serving staff there will make it appear a little better (NOT). ;)
You must live in a Hospital

[Villages Kahuna]

My only problem with GC are the guys with sleeveless underwear shirts and dirty baseball caps carrying huge plates of food in both hands.

[PatsyHedrick]

The cheeseburger sliders and bread pudding are my favorites at GC.

[caljeff]

I was at the one on 466 two weeks ago and it was pleasant. The food is the same. Patrons were in consonance with the social distancing guidelines and staff was wearing respirators (face masks).

[Stu from NYC]

Thank you to those that answered the original question about Golden Corral. As for the rest of you, the original question didn't ask what you thought of buffets or the people who go there but of course you think everyone cares about your opinion. How about you find something better to do then bashing everything you dont agree with.

Interesting how people add to the topic to state their opinions of things not asked by the original poster.

I do have to admit that I do add to topics but try not to bash other peoples opinions.

[jnsbill]

as someone previously asked what is F/A?

[Astron]

Are they requiring patron to wear masks and gloves as they are going through the line, or is it voluntarily? I personally like GC, but don’t feel buffets are safe unless they can eliminate the cross contamination possible with self serving, which seems virtually impossible. I understand many GC around the country have gone to the cafeteria system where staff serve you to prevent cross contamination. That I might try. :coolsmiley:

[NJblue]

Are they requiring patron to wear masks and gloves as they are going through the line, or is it voluntarily? I personally like GC, but don’t feel buffets are safe unless they can eliminate the cross contamination possible with self serving, which seems virtually impossible. I understand many GC around the country have gone to the cafeteria system where staff serve you to prevent cross contamination. That I might try. :coolsmiley:

According to experts, there is an extremely low risk of Covid infection from food. While there is potential for infection from touching hard surfaces like serving utensils, this is easily dealt with by using hand sanitizers after getting your food. Simple matter of getting your food, put some sanitizer on your hands (or go to the restroom and wash them) and you are safer than if you were to have gone to a buffet before the days of coronavirus. Just be careful to not touch your face or your own eating utensils between serving and sanitizing.

[bsure2020]

Exactly! Some people have no life . . . :)

[Betty Wagner]

Did yesterday. They maintain social distance with tables and the buffet is marked with six foot decals. Worker behind the food have gloves, change out the spoons/tongs every few minutes. You enter the line at salad area and walk one way to the end. Servers bring the plates and silverware to the table. It was comfortable and food okay, not as good as before the virus.

[mitch zajac]

It's nice that this post actually turned out pretty nice add us to the list of people that really like the place

[Eliza333]

Once they opened, I have gone to Golden Corral three times for take out service. They are absolutely observing 6 feet distancing and the like. The bathrooms are amazingly clean and the serving staff all have masks. Anyone who is hesitating to to GC have nothing to worry about. The company and the staff are doing an amazing job. BTW - until I moved to the Villages, I have never frequented GC restaurants, so for all in doubt, I have no vested interest. :)

[Troopie]

I've never been comfortable at this place -- in any location. There are too many unsupervised kids, and people tend to crowd around the food. And, don't get me started on the chocolate fountain. I can almost feel the germs!

[charlieo1126@gmail.com]

Some people like a dining experience, others just like to eat. Some like quality, others like quantity. Those are choices , but the concept of all you can eat is for me something I would never be interested in. I eat out 4 or 5 nights a week I’m 5ft 6 139 lbs 81YO no meds I’ll continue to pick quality over quantity and also never cook lol

[Schaumburger]

What is F/A and OP ?

OP means the original poster who started the thread.