The price depend on the type of dishes you server. I know in Queen's New York there is a place with 20 dollars for dinner buffet but that include all you can eat lobsters and many things you do not see at other places. For here in Indiana we have price range from 6.5 to 8.5 depending on the restaurants for dinner buffets.
That reminds me of The Boston Sea Party (?). It was a Houston restaurant back in the 80s that was an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet that included lobster, king crab legs, etc. $29.95. People would watch the buffet table for the crab legs to be brought out. They'd be gone in under 5 minutes and it would take them about 25 minutes to get out a new batch. I heard on the radio the other day (no link) that there was a buffet in Washington that charges people by their weight. They weigh you before ordering - .05 a pound.
Blech! It's still not worth it, the food is crap. Try Paul's Pizza Shop for better pizza. The one on Kuykendahl and 2920 has a really good buffet too. Best Pizza I've had in Houston.
I remember that, except the lobster wasn't part of the buffet. In addition to the seafood buffet, you could also get an entree (like you really needed one). I believe the entree choices were lobster, prime rib or steak.
woodlands house is good for the price (i think it is about 9 bucks with drink at dinner). china bear is a rip-off compared to woodlands house.
Kids are given everything these days. I understand that parents don't want their kids to "want" for anything, but it is a terrible diservice because children need and want to be responsible for things in their lives. There is no appreciation because they don't EARN what they get. I don't feel sorry for parents who basically take care of their adult children because their adult children can't take care of themselves.
my sister had her graduation party from h.s. there. one of my best childhood memories. that place was badass, not just the crab legs, but all you can eat chocolate moose. I only went there once and still remember. there's still brady's landing. ever been there?
Do you have a sign discouraging people from wasting food? Maybe you could post this article in your restaraunt as a hint to wasteful customers. That sounds right to me compared to the Chinese buffets I've been to and American food buffets. Of course having never eaten at a buffet in Brazoria County I don't know what they price range is there. You might want to do some research eating at buffets in your area to see what they are charging. One suggestion I might offer is to simplify your children price range, say under 3 free and then 3 to 12 $4.45. I've noticed this has really been the trend in the past 10 years and many sit down Chinese restaurants have been offering lunch buffets now. I think variety and time are the main factors. Given the huge variety of Chinese food I think many customers like the idea of being able to sample from a smorgasboard of foods at their convenience rather than pouring over the menu. With the busy lifestyle many people have its easier to just to a buffet and eat what you want without waiting for waitstaff. Its also more convenient for families since you're not worried about the kids fidgetting while waiting and also instead of asking the kids what they want and then explaining it to them parents can just show their kids at the buffet. Finally I think the sampling and wasting plays a role. People feel they can sample away and if they don't like it toss it and get something else. That's not something they would consider if they ordered a $7 entree. I agree with you though the food is better when you order off the menu since its prepared fresh than sitting in a steam tray. Good luck with your restaraunt and if I'm ever in Brazoria I will have to stop by and try your food.
No sign up at our restaurant, yet. Sounds like a good idea though. Thanks for your $0.02 Sishir Chang. If you're ever in Brazoria County....it's the Jade Hunan Restaurant in Angleton. I know, I know....shameless plug.
Michael, If you feel good and confident about the food in your restaurant, you need not have qualm about raising the prices to appropriate levels. However, having three different prices for kids at various ages is impractical (how do you verify the age, I am curious), and kind of ridiculous IMO. With regard to wasting large quantity of food, I think you as a manager have obligations to the owner for the bottom line and moral duties to the community your restaurant serves. Other than the very few extreme jerks (you can almost tell who they are just by skimming through this thread, for instance) who are purposeful offenders with troublesome guts, the vast majority are innocuous and can be reasonably persuaded not to waste habitually. Posting a sign reminding people is a good way to start. If by all means you are unable to train your staff to engage customers to prevent wasting, then you yourself need to lead by example. Just make sure to do it discretely and politely.
How we verify.... We have our servers ask the parents how old their children are. We rarely have any problems but there have been instances where parents have actually lied about their child's age. (IE: a 15 year old trying to get the 10 year old price.) When the wait staff sees something like that going on, I politely go up to the parents and have them verify their ages again. All of them (so far) ended up giving me their child's actual age. I'm not a huge fan of the different prices for children either since it can cause problems like that. It was the owner's idea a while back. I'll bring the issue up to him when we talk again. I appreciate your comments, wnes!
I don't understand these people. They lied in front of their children in order to save a few bucks??? What kind of example they are sending to their kids?
here's a solution to lying parents...ask the kid, not the parent. they're almost always honest. i volunteered at Ifest last month and this happened all the time. all kids 10 and under get in free. i'd ask how old the child is and teh parent would say 10. withing nano seconds, the kid would blurt out, "Nah-uh! I'm 11 (or whatever age he/she is)!" the looks on the parents faces were priceless. a couple of times the dad gave the kid a dirty look as if to say, "shut the f*ck up!"
