Comments on: Battling the “Pay-Per-Pound” Buffet Bar

By: Debbie Buffet Hunter

Debbie Buffet Hunter — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:19:30 +0000

I’m always surprised to see people loading up those styrofoam containers at my favorite Chinese buffet. All the foods on offer are quite dense and have plenty of sauce – which explains why I’ve seen a few people at the checkout with expressions of shock and then resignation on their faces – it’s not as if they’re going to put it back, and they don’t have the time to get something else on their lunchbreak. Thanks for spelling out some real tips for handling the pay-per-pound pitfalls.

By: jana

jana — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:38:24 +0000

i find these useful when travelling abroad, ie when it would be too much of a hassle for me to cut up my veggies or boil my rice. in my hometown i only visit one of these, ans it is because they have things i cannot prepare at home (ingredients that require hours of work, exotic spices i would not use often enough to buy a bag of). used daily it seems like a wate of money, but as an option it is good

By: Scott

Scott — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 00:47:17 +0000

I used to go to a salad bar at work and they had always had fresh fruit as the first item. Watermelon, orange slices, strawberries. It’s all water and some melons have the skin that you don’t eat. Also, they had these awesome california rolls that were the size of texas. Amazing, but so expensive. It would cost between $7-8 for a salad.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:00:25 +0000

or, don’t go to the pay buy pound, b/c they are a rip off and your proposals are making you eat less healthy in order to maximize cost. also, avoid things like those olives that still have pits in them.

By: Judith

Judith — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 10:39:13 +0000

Excellent! I’ve been covering the ‘pay by the pound’ racket in my classes for a couple of years (like your wife, I’m an RD) and feel that it’s very valuable (in more ways than one) information. Having worked the operational end of the food service arena, I know that these buffets are planned for maximum return on investment. Another tip: if it is a pay by the pound salad bar, either skip the dressing if your are getting it ‘to go’ and can keep dressing where ever you are or use simple oil/vinegar as it is the lightest. You should also be ‘skimpy’ with the high water content items like tomatoes and fruit and you can come away with a very healthy mix with a lower cost than if you bought all the different ingredients individually in the market.