Test Your Buffet Knowledge

The buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where diners serve themselves, and it is offered at various places including hotels, restaurants, and many social events. Buffets are effective for serving large numbers of people at once and are often seen in institutional settings, business conventions, or large parties. Buffets usually have some or mostly hot dishes, so the term cold buffet has been developed to describe formats lacking hot food. Buffet restaurants normally offer all-you-can-eat food for a set price, but some measure prices by weight or by number of dishes. There are many different ways of offering diners a selection of foods that are called "buffet" style meals. Some buffets are single pass only, but most buffets allow a diner to first take small samples of unfamiliar foods and then to return for more servings if desired. To avoid misunderstandings in commercial eating establishments, the rules and charges are often posted on signs near the buffet serving tables. The all-you-can-eat restaurant was introduced in Las Vegas by Herbert "Herb" Cobb McDonald in 1946. In the United States, there are numerous Chinese-American cuisine-inspired buffet restaurants, as well as those serving primarily traditional American fare. For 2019, buffet food sales in the US were estimated at $5 billion, approximately 1% of the total restaurant business that year.