The idea of eating at a buffet like Wicked Spoon never fails to excite us. You’ll see dozens of dishes on the buffet spread and desserts of all shapes and colors. But what would make the whole thing even better is knowing you got the best value out of your buffet spend. Here are some tips to help:
1. First, choose buffets with the best offers.
Big cities like Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, have numerous buffet options to chosoe from, and they’ll vary in terms of price, value and food. You need to figure out what’s most important to you and then pick a buffet that fits the bill.
2. Choose a buffet that suits your food preferences.
There are all kinds of buffet – Chinese, Indian, Seafood, Dessert buffets and so on. Don’t be swayed by the impressive price-to-food ratio if the kind of food they have does not appeal to you anyway.
3. Go for variety.
Having lots of different food options will encourage you to keep going at times when you feel like you can’t eat any more. There are fusion restaurants that provide different angles for a particular cuisine. Asian fusion buffets may offer a selection of Chinese/Japanese/Thai dishes.
4. Choose a buffet lunch meal instead of dinner.
Every buffet restaurant will have a different price point for lunch and dinner, with dinner buffets being more expensive. Normally, the spread is exactly the same although they may have 1 or more premium items on their dinner spread. Besides, people are often likely to eat more during lunch than dinner.
5. Have breakfast a few hours before heading to a buffet.
The last thing you want to do before a buffet is to starve yourself. That’s because if you don’t eat for a while, your stomach will decrease in size so you won’t be able to eat as much. Have a light breakfast such as bowl of cereal or toast.
6. Dress appropriately.
Wearing tight jeans or a tight dress will make it very difficult for you to consume a lot of food. It’s better to wear loose clothing so you’ll feel comfortable even with a full stomach.
7. Take small portions.
You might be tempted to fill your plate with prime rib but it’s better to try all the dishes (in small portions) so you get to taste a bit of everything. Then once you’ve settled on the top dishes, you can go back for seconds.
8. Don’t start with carbs.
Dishes like pasta, potatoes, rice and bread are best kept at a minimum when you’re paying a high price for the buffet. Carbs will make you full faster and you don’t want to be full before you’ve tried the best dishes on the spread.
9. Choose high-value food first.
Buffers are notorious for displaying huge selections of food but only a few dishes would be considered high value. It’s a good idea to stay calm, look around the buffet line and check the options so you can create an eating strategy. Some of the expensive dishes are carved meat, lobster, crabs, sushi, and sashimi.
10. Pace yourself.
Competitive eaters eat at a steady pace rather than stuffing themselves with the food in front of them all at once. You can take a walk around the restaurant or go to the toilet to boost digestion and reduce or prevent any bloating sensation.
11. Do some damage control.
Instead of lying down after leaving the buffet, go for a brisk walk to help aid digestion so you don’t end up with abdominal pain later on.