The Ultimate Ranking Of All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Chains

Not so long ago, it was predicted that the United States' all-you-can-eat buffet chains were on their last legs. Falling demand for this dining style during the 2000s and 2010s was compounded by the COVID-19 Pandemic which saw customers develop a huge aversion to sharing communal dishes and serving spoons with strangers. However, the recent cost of living crisis has revitalized the nation's all-you-can-eat buffet chains with many members of the public turning to them as a reliable means of having a filling and affordable meal out.

Food and beverage management lecturer Lilly Jan, expounded on this idea in an interview with The New York Times. She said, "Americans [...] are afraid to take risks with their dollars as relates to food. They want to go somewhere with the kids where everyone can have what they want and it doesn't break the bank, but they want to make it an experience."

While many all-you-can-eat buffet chains do offer a consistent and exciting experience, several others come up short. In this article, we have examined both amateur and professional reviews to create an overview of America's all-you-can-eat buffet chains. A detailed explanation of our methodology can be found at the end of the article, but before we get to that let's learn more about the country's all-you-can-eat buffet chains.

As one of the worst pizza chains out there, it's no surprise that Cicis Pizza ranks at the bottom of our list. As the name suggests, this chain specializes in pizza and it serves many versions of this popular food from deep dish to topped flatbreads. Most famous of all are the chain's specialty pizzas, many of which spotlight inventive flavors such as the chain's Mac & Cheese Pizza, its Spinach Alfredo Pizza, and the Chicken & Eggo Waffles Pizza. While creative, the quality of Cicis Pizza leaves a lot to be desired with some customers reporting that the pizzas are soggy and the bread stale.

Despite its culinary limitations, many customers are still fond of Cicis Pizza. This is for two reasons: nostalgia and price. Customers have happy memories of eating at a Cicis, usually from the time when they were growing up. Invariably these memories revolve around the chain's more creative dishes such as Apple Pie Pizza or the Cinnamon Dessert Pizza.

The second reason people continue to dine at Cicis is that it is extremely cheap. While the price for an all-you-can-eat buffet ticket varies from location-to-location, most Cicis Pizza restaurants charge adults around $8.99. Considering that unlimited pizzas, salads, sides, and desserts are all on offer, it's not a bad deal. However, it would be a much better one if the pizzas the chain served were of a passable quality.

America's Incredible Pizza Company combines a gaming complex with the restaurant, resulting in a chain of gigantic spaces designed with parties and entertaining in mind. Due to this concept mashup, customers over 12 can purchase access to the buffet alone for approximately $12 or they can buy a game card which comes with free access to the buffet. The cheapest of these is Shake, a ticket that costs approximately $25 and gives one person access to the all-you-can-eat buffet, along with $22 worth of game credit. In other words, accessing the buffet at America's Incredible Pizza Company often costs just a handful of dollars.

Despite these low prices, the chain offers a selection of some 150 foods including tacos, pasta, and hot dogs. The chain also allows customers to design their own pizzas, with the choice of several types of crust, sauce, and toppings available. Customers then have the choice of four uniquely designed dining rooms to eat in.

While America's Incredible Pizza Company has put a great deal of care into how it appears, the food itself lacks flavor and consistency. There have also been reports that the dining areas quickly become dirty. As a result, this all-you-can-eat buffet chain represents a fun day out for children, but it lacks the quality necessary to entice adults.

Pizza Ranch is a Midwestern all-you-can-eat buffet chain with over 200 restaurants. Contrary to its name, Pizza Ranch doesn't just offer pizza but a whole host of dishes including fried chicken, potato wedges, and various salads. However, pizza remains the chain's main draw with Pizza Ranch serving everything from a Bacon Cheeseburger pizza to a Buffalo Chicken pizza. Impressively, the chain even allows guests to design their own pizza using the chain's "Buffet Your Way" option.

The variety of food on offer at Pizza Ranch makes the chain a good option for families or groups that can't agree on what they would like to eat, especially as the non-pizza items are as good, if not better, as the pizza itself. One customer wrote on Reddit: "Pizza Ranch is buffet pizza [...] If you go into it knowing what to expect you'll be fine. Their fried chicken though, that's way better than it deserves to be."

While better quality than somewhere like Cicis Pizza, Pizza Ranch is considerably more expensive with the price of admission to the all-you-can-eat buffet hovering around the $15 mark. Given the noticeable increase in quality, and the impressive selection of food, we'd suggest this $7 or so extra is money well spent.

Unlike many other buffet chains mentioned in this article, Chuck-A-Rama has a theme for every day of the week. For example, Thursday is Mexican day during which the chain serves dishes such as Chile Verde, Chicken Fiesta Soup, and Beef & Bean Burritos. Other themes include Chuckwagon Day and Seafood Day. While creating a great deal of work for the kitchen, using this approach ensures that even regular customers can enjoy a range of new options whenever they dine at Chuck-A-Rama.

The cost of accessing the buffet depends on the day and time, however it never costs those over 12 years of age more than $19. This is considerably more than the previously mentioned buffet chains charge, however the chain's made from scratch food is decent enough to justify this higher price. That being said, the food is far from exceptional with customers suggesting that the fried dishes are especially lackluster. All things considered this chain serves a passable all-you-can-eat buffet, but it's far from an exceptional one.

Many items included in Captain George's Seafood Restaurant's all-you-can-eat buffet are instant eye-catchers; snow crab legs, oysters Rockefeller, and steamed shrimp being just a few examples. This chain, which has four locations spread across Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, also serves homemade desserts, meat options including sirloin steak, and sides such as hush puppies.

This impressive selection instantly puts Captain George's Seafood Restaurant above the all-you-can-eat buffet chains that only serve cheap and basic foods. However, serving these more luxurious alternatives does come with its own challenges. Most notably, Captain George's Seafood Restaurant is forced to charge a lot more for entry in order to turn a profit. Adults have to pay $49.99 to access the buffet.

At this price, customers expect the very best. Unfortunately, Captain George's Seafood Restaurant is not always able to deliver. Customers frequently complain that some fish dishes are overcooked. Others note that the food is not replenished as often as they would like. That being said, when the restaurant is on form, and the crab legs are perfectly cooked, Captain George's Seafood Restaurant is more than worth the $50 price tag.

Ponderosa Steakhouse offers an all-you-can-eat buffet alongside its steakhouse menu. This combination proved exceptionally popular during the latter half of the 20th century. At one time, the chain had nearly 700 locations to its name. Today, it boasts considerably less with approximately 15 Ponderosa steakhouses dotted around the country alongside a handful of sister restaurants. Despite the dramatic reduction in size, Ponderosa Steakhouse has maintained an impressive level of food quality. When The Takeout visited the chain, we were very impressed with several dishes, including the fried chicken, deli meats, and pasta.

Prices for Ponderosa Steakhouse's buffet fluctuate depending on location, day and time, however it tends to be well below the $20 mark. Given the chain's name, many customers might be disappointed to learn that steaks are not included in this price and must be ordered separately. However, access to the buffet is often included with steakhouse entrées or can be added for only a few dollars extra. This means customers can enjoy a 16-ounce T-Bone steak and access to the all-you-can-eat buffet for less than $30.

The quality of Ponderosa Steakhouse's food, its reasonable pricing, and pleasant ambiance often catches many diners by surprise. For that reason, it deserves this respectable spot in our ranking.

HuHot Mongolian Grill differs from the other all-you-can-eat buffet chains mentioned in this article in that it doesn't offer an unlimited buffet made up of many dishes, but an unlimited amount of fully customizable stir fry. To order, customers select from a range of meat, vegetables, and noodles, before handing this mixture to an employee. The member of staff cooks this mixture on a large round grill before returning it to the customer. Each stir fry can be finished with a number of the chain's signature sauces.

Aside from being far more theatrical than other all-you-can-eat buffets, HuHot's approach also means it dodges a major challenge that faces all-you-can-eat chains: How to avoid the serving of old, subpar food without creating lots of wastage. At HuHot this is never an issue, as every meal is cooked fresh. The freshness of the food shines through with many customers celebrating the taste of the stir-frys. As one customer noted on Yelp: "The best part of my experience, however, was how delicious the food was. I tried a little bit of everything and loved every bite. The meat was tender and flavorful, the vegetables were crisp and fresh, and the starches were perfectly cooked."

As one of the largest all-you-can-eat buffet chains in the United States, Golden Corral welcomes a huge number of Americans to its restaurants — including a new fast-casual concept — every year. The chain is especially popular at the moment for reasons explained to Restaurant Dive by the chain's chief development officer David Conklin. He said, "For Golden Corral, it's really been a terrific value proposition for us being all-you-can-eat. We've got this sweet spot for pricing that really thrives during times of economic uncertainty or inflation."

It's not just value for money that sees people frequent the chain, but its versatility. Each Golden Corral location serves distinct breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffets everyday. Each of these meals contain a huge variety of foods including omelets, pancakes, and cinnamon rolls at breakfast as well as sirloin steak, fried chicken, and meatloaf at dinner time. Thanks to this range, customers are all but guaranteed to find something they want to eat at Golden Corral. As a result, this buffet chain is a great option for large gatherings.

Another huge part of Golden Corral's appeal is the quality of its food. Customers and amateur critics alike have noted that, while simple, Golden Corral's food tends to be well-cooked especially when it comes to the meat and shellfish. With the price of admission staying well below $20 throughout the week, Golden Corral offers great value for money.

Sushi Palace is a small all-you-can-eat buffet chain of four locations, each located in New Jersey. At these restaurants, customers can gorge themselves on an endless supply of sashimi, sushi, tempura, and even teriyaki. While the price fluctuates depending on the day of the week, it never exceeds $30.95. This isn't bad for an endless supply of sushi, especially considering that all the food is made to order.

While all types of sushi and sashimi are offered, many customers suggest going for the sushi rolls, including the Edison roll which sees shrimp tempura and spicy tuna topped with spicy crab and finished with an eel sauce. The hand rolls are also a firm favorite thanks to their impressive size. One customer wrote on TripAdvisor: "The sashimi pieces in the AYCE are very small, but the rolls are quite large — larger than the regular rolls you get off the menu. Lots of roll choices and the food and fish is very fresh."

Shady Maple Smorgasbord is a buffet restaurant that is part of the Shady Maple complex in East Earl, Pennsylvania. Here, around 200 feet worth of counter space is used to serve a vast array of food cooked in the Pennsylvania Dutch style, including roast beef, stuffing, and pirogies. As with several other businesses mentioned in this article, Shady Maple Smorgasbord serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Similar to Chuck-A-Rama, Shady Maple Smorgasbord has a range of themed nights including seafood night, prime rib night, and wing/rib night. The price varies depending not only on the time of day but also what the theme is. However, it's important to note that the price never exceeds $29.99.

While many customers will first visit Shady Maple Smorgasbord due to its status as both the largest buffet in the United States and one of the biggest buffets in the world, the majority will come back for one reason only: the quality of the food. Describing Shady Maple Smorgasbord's food as great would be a vast understatement considering that critics and customers have raved about everything from the buffet's creamy mash potato to its mac and cheese. Its range of dessert pies are also particularly good. There is, however, one major drawback to Shady Maple Smorgasbord that has prevented it from topping this list: while having a good texture, the buffet's roast meats are quite underwhelming. This is a real shame, especially because meat will be the centerpiece on many customers' plates.

Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chão is, for our money, the best all-you-can-eat buffet chain in the United States. Here, a never ending parade of expertly cooked and prepared meats are brought to customers' tables where they are carved and served in the rodízio-style. Sides, salads, and other dishes are served via a classic buffet table. These other offerings are impressive as one person noted on Reddit: "The salad bar has some good stuff like prosciutto and sometimes iberico ham and candied bacon and other good charcuterie type stuff like aged parm and Brie that are all really good."

However, it is the meat which keeps customers coming back to this excellent chain. The most sought-after is picanha, a lightly seasoned cut taken from the sirloin. The chain also serves filet mignon, beef ribs, and bone-in ribeye all of which are brilliant. Those looking to further enhance their experience can opt to buy extra meats, choosing from a selection that often includes several wagyu steaks.

In order to have unlimited access to the meats and the salad bar, customers must purchase The Full Churrasco Experience. This costs around $60 per person. While the most expensive all-you-can-eat buffet on this list, Fogo de Chão's also serves the most ambitious and best executed food. We'd suggest that having unlimited access to this range of incredibly well-prepared meats is well worth $60.

To be included in this article, the businesses had to offer an all-you-can-eat buffet experience. This means customers have to be able to eat as much as they want for a flat fee. As a result, many pay -by-the-pound buffet chains were not included in this article.

When ranking the chains, we took into account amateur reviews posted to sites including Reddit, TripAdvisor, and YouTube. We also considered the feedback of professional critics where applicable. Of most importance was the quality of the food. If the chain offered food that was well-received by the public and critics it ranked higher on our list. Another key factor we took into account was whether the chain presented good value for money. This does not mean that cheaper chains were ranked higher, rather that those serving premium goods at a reasonable price were favored above those offering cheap foods at an affordable price.