Back in business: Salad bars, buffets bounce back after pandemic restrictions

Takeout orders and outdoor seating helped some traditional sit-down restaurants survive during months of pandemic restrictions starting in 2019.

But, for self-serve, buffet-style eateries, the choices were limited.

During the pandemic, Jaden’s Catering in Monroeville offered individually packaged meals, but owner Javid Shojaie said “people didn’t recognize us as a takeout” like many other restaurants.

“Our income just went almost 95% demolished when the pandemic started,” said Shojaie of Penn Township. “We lost a lot of banquets that (were) already booked, a lot of catering, weddings.”

The summer of 2022 has seen a return — with new precautions — to buffet-style dining.

As Golden Corral had to close its doors to the public during the pandemic, the restaurant workers dedicated their time preparing to-go meals for takeout, said Grant Grasha, general manager.

And, when it first was able to reopen, Grasha said guests were served the buffet food to avoid using communal utensils. The buffet has been open normally since about November.

Grasha said, with the pandemic winding down, he’s seen less apprehension among patrons.

“It was really just waiting for people to not be afraid to come back to buffet-style dining,” Grasha said.

Golden Corral has added hand sanitizer stations at every plate station, and all silverware is pre-wrapped. Additionally, one door is a designated entrance door, and the other is a designated exit door.

The salad bars at Hoss’s Steak & Sea House locations are back open.

Marketing director Billie Jo Walls said Hoss’s closed its buffets when the pandemic began “in concern for everybody’s safety.”

“We had a lot of concern with opening,” Walls said. “The salad bar is the main part of Hoss’s concept.”

Walls said workers wanted to “do what we had to do to make it safe for customers,” and there were a lot of decision-making meetings.

Tom Neely, chairman of Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association Board, said the safety of guests and employees is a top priority for the industry as a whole, and buffet-style eateries across the state handled covid concerns differently.

Hoss’s salad bars began reopening in mid-2020 in the areas that moved to the green phase under state Department of Health guidelines.

“In the very beginning, we kind of did it slowly,” Walls said. “When we first opened, we didn’t have the bread bar open — (we) delivered (servings) to tables for customer safety.”

Hoss’s then began offering gloves for patrons to wear for self-service at the salad bar — and they’re still available, Walls said.

The salad bars at Eat’N Park restaurants temporarily were shut down because of pandemic protocols and have been reintroduced in at least 50 locations. The salad bar at the chain’s restaurant in Hempfield has been back in service since the beginning of the year.

“Some of the other restaurants were doing it sooner, but we started only in January because of staffing,” said Mike Quinn, the Hempfield manager.

He noted fresh fruits are one of the chief draws on the salad bar.

Brian Hustek of Scottdale often brings his family to Eat ‘n Park for the Saturday breakfast buffet or the Sunday brunch.

On a Saturday afternoon visit to the Hempfield location, he opted for a garden salad and two cups of soup from the bar while his 10-year-old son, Rian, went for his favorite offering — chili.

“We just happened to be out and about today,” Brian Hustek said.

“I missed the salad bar, and I think its’s great to have it back,” said Kathy Kepple of New Alexandria, another Eat ‘N Park diner. “I think they’re very well-maintained, to keep you safe.”

Neely of Lancaster said the restaurant industry is “probably one of the most health-conscious industries in the United States,” especially during the pandemic.

“We watch things like variants (and) transmission rates very closely,” Neely said. “Most of us, as business operators, try to be thoughtful about that … not only to protect our customers and our guests … but also our (staff).”

Though Jaden’s Catering isn’t open daily, the company offers a combination of sit-down, buffet-style and takeout options depending on the event and host.

Jaden’s offers American-style cuisine with a few “twists of different theme menus,” Shojaie said, and customers can hold events in-house at one of three banquet rooms. During the pandemic, events could not be held in the traditional format.

After fully reopening, Jaden’s Shojaie said the biggest change was the “style of sanitation,” as there are now hand sanitizer stations in each banquet room, hallway and entrances. Employees keep a closer eye on sanitation practices, and the catering company is being “more cautious.”

Most of the time, people hold private parties with their friends and family, whom they already know. Shojaie said parties aren’t allowed to bring outside food into the banquet rooms, and, if anyone shows signs of illness, they’re asked to not attend the event.

Golden Corral had to close its Monroeville, Uniontown and Morgantown locations, but the change has benefited the company’s Robinson location, Grasha said.

“Those were our closest competitive stores,” Grasha said. “We’ve gained a majority of those guest counts because we’re (now) the closest Golden Corral.”

Neely said he believes it’s “very safe” to return to full-service buffets, and his company, Thomas E. Strauss Inc., has a prominent buffet in Lancaster: Miller’s Smorgasbord.

“From the traveler and guest perspective, they are beginning to feel a little more comfortable, even with new variants (of covid),” Neely said. “There’s a strong following for buffet restaurants, and I don’t see that diminishing.”