The Buffet Staff Red Flag That Should Send You Running

Whether you're splurging at the Bacchanal in Caesar's Palace in Vegas, visiting America's largest buffet in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, or going to town on a cruise ship smorgasbord (that will almost certainly waste a ton of food), there's nothing that hits quite like a buffet. You no longer have to order off the menu or wait for the server to bring your food from the kitchen. With just a small plate and a tiny pair of tongs, you can take control of your culinary destiny. Want to stack five egg rolls and a half-dozen chicken wings on your plate? More power to you. Do you only have eyes for a shrimp cocktail and bread rolls? Shine on, you crazy diamond.

But, although the buffet lets you choose your own adventure, so to speak, that doesn't mean you're entirely on your own — nor should you be. In fact, if your smorgasbord seems curiously understaffed, that's actually a major buffet red flag.

Although servers play less of a customer-facing role at buffets, they still serve a valuable purpose. (Oh, "serve" a valuable purpose — we didn't even catch that pun.) It's important for staff to monitor the rate at which food is being eaten, as well as know when to replace an empty tray, so that the buffet's offerings remain more or less the same throughout the service — people already have to deal with egg shortages in the supermarket, they don't want to deal with it at their hotel breakfast, too.

If the buffet is understaffed, all that becomes much harder. What's more, it may indicate a certain lack of attention to health and safety protocols. If the penne alla vodka is sitting out for too long, who's going to replace it? If a diner is eating on the buffet line (a major faux pas) or coughing too close to the potatoes, who's going to deal with it? Who's going to disinfect what needs to be disinfected or empty the rapidly filling trashcans? If the buffet is understaffed, all those jobs may go to just one or two people who are spread far too thin — and that's how mistakes get made.

This is a problem with plenty of restaurants post-pandemic and with buffets in particular. It's hard to pin down any one reason why the industry is struggling to find staff, but in any case, it's worth watching out for when you're dining.