Why We Typically Avoid The First Items In A Buffet Line

It's easy to get carried away at a buffet; in fact, getting carried away might be its intended purpose. "All you can eat" are four words any diner takes seriously, and when you look at a sumptuous spread laid out at a hotel chain or Vegas casino (where buffets were once as cheap as $1) you'll already be wiggling your fingers on that "don't mind if I do" grindset. Just be careful, though: if you're going to do a buffet, it's a good idea not to take the first items you come across when you're waiting in line. They're usually breads and salads, and they're some of the buffet items you shouldn't select.

This is not to say that doing so is bad for you or otherwise harmful; it's just bread and lettuce, after all. And this is a free country, which means you can stock up on however many dinner rolls or servings of Caesar salad you please. But in doing so, you might be playing into the hands of restaurateurs who want to profit more than they want to feed you. (Perhaps the fabled, possibly apocryphal McDonald's breakfast buffets had the same problem.)

You see, one way for restaurants to save money on marquee buffet items, like fried chicken or penne alla vodka, is to stock the cheapest, most filling options towards the front of the line. Customers will then take bread and salad, filling up however much plate space they have, and leaving relatively little room for the main course. A study has shown that 75% of buffet diners will select the first items they see on the buffet; moreover, approximately 66% of a diner's plate will be filled with the first three foods they encounter on the line.

Again, if you're the sort of person who's genuinely happy to eat bread and butter for most of your meal, more power to you. (Although we question why you'd go to a buffet in the first place.) And we don't begrudge buffet owners for doing what they must to make a profit; goodness knows it's not easy even in ideal circumstances. But if you're going to a buffet to get the most bang for your buck, the order of selection is something worth remembering.