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I tried Golden Corral's to-go buffet and while I think the chain is poised for huge success, I won't be back

I tried Golden Corral's to-go buffet and while I think the chain is poised for huge success, I won't be back

Mary Meisenzahl

Golden Corral now has to-go options.Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Traditionally sit-down buffet chain Golden Corral launched a new to-go option.
I was shocked at how busy the restaurant was with dine-in customers midday on a Wednesday.
I'm convinced fears of the Delta variant can't stop people's desire to get back out to their favorite restaurants.

Golden Corral locations in New York were closed for much of the last year.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

When it reopened this summer, it had a to-go option that I was excited to try out.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Source: Insider

"Our business model was virtually outlawed overnight," Golden Corral CEO Lance Trenary told Insider.

Hollis Johnson

Source: Insider

None of Golden Corral's nearly 500 locations were allowed to open dining rooms in the early days of the pandemic, and "there were some dark days," he said.

Hollis Johnson

Source: Insider

Though I went at about 11:30 am on a Wednesday, I was surprised to see how busy the restaurant was. The parking lot was at least half full.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I've been to Golden Corral's buffet before, but I wasn't sure how it would work with a to-go model.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I was pleasantly surprised to see a sign requesting masks on the door when I walked in. New York state has no mask requirement, but the county the restaurant is in has "substantial" COVID transmission, and the CDC recommends masking indoors.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Source: Democrat and Chronicle

Inside, there were signs advertising the to-go option, though I didn't see anyone else taking advantage of it during my trip.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The cashier handed me a plastic takeout container, which I could fill with food and then weigh to find out how much my meal would cost.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Dine-in customers could grab plates from the display here.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Some sections of the restaurant were closed off to customers.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The closed areas didn't seem to be in service of social distancing, though. People were packed fairly closely together in the seating areas.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

For the most part, the serving stations looked mostly unchanged from pre-COVID times.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The salad bar, like other sections, was still open and self-serve.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There are sneeze guards over all the serving stations, although they felt very small and not that protective.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I did a round of the entire store to sample a bit of everything for the real Golden Corral experience.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The chain has a decent variety of food, including breakfast, pasta, pizza, and fried chicken.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I could see cooks working behind the stations, and some areas like the mashed potatoes looked freshly refilled.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Parts of the restaurant felt a bit unsanitary given the highly contagious Delta variant, but there were some efforts to minimize transmission.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Signs throughout the food stations asked customers to use a clean plate on each buffet trip.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There were disposable gloves available for customers who wanted to wear them when touching the communal serving utensils, but I didn't see anyone use them. Admittedly, I also did not use them, they felt like more trouble than they were worth.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The dessert area was probably the most COVID-friendly. Cookies and cakes were in individual bowls, so customers didn't need to touch the same spoon or dish.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The chocolate fountain was the only station that wasn't self serve - customers had to ask for help from a worker and could not touch the fountain themselves.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

There were also two hand sanitizer stations, one at either end of the restaurant.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

No other customers seemed to be wearing masks. Some workers wore masks, but most didn't or had them down around their chins.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The hostess stand had a small shelf of cleaning supplies.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

After seeing how many customers were inside, I was glad that I could take my food to go and eat it in my apartment.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

To checkout and pay, the cashier weighed the containers. It worked similarly to a hot bar at a place like Wegmans.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

We got the food packed up in a Golden Corral bag, and we were good to go.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I wasn't sure how well the food would travel, but I was excited to try it.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Our verdict was that the food didn't look particularly good, but it was definitely tasty. We mostly went for the fried foods, the vegetables didn't look very appetizing.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Two moderately-full takeout containers cost $26 total.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Ultimately eating at Golden Corral did not feel very safe right now, even though I'm vaccinated. However, I think the number of customers during my visit shows that there's still major demand for the buffet chain, and COVID-19 isn't slowing that down.

Golden Corral now has to-go options. Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.

I tried Golden Corral's to-go buffet and while I think the chain is poised for huge success, I won't be back

Mary Meisenzahl

Golden Corral locations in New York were closed for much of the last year.

When it reopened this summer, it had a to-go option that I was excited to try out.

"Our business model was virtually outlawed overnight," Golden Corral CEO Lance Trenary told Insider.

None of Golden Corral's nearly 500 locations were allowed to open dining rooms in the early days of the pandemic, and "there were some dark days," he said.

Though I went at about 11:30 am on a Wednesday, I was surprised to see how busy the restaurant was. The parking lot was at least half full.

I've been to Golden Corral's buffet before, but I wasn't sure how it would work with a to-go model.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a sign requesting masks on the door when I walked in. New York state has no mask requirement, but the county the restaurant is in has "substantial" COVID transmission, and the CDC recommends masking indoors.

Inside, there were signs advertising the to-go option, though I didn't see anyone else taking advantage of it during my trip.

The cashier handed me a plastic takeout container, which I could fill with food and then weigh to find out how much my meal would cost.

Dine-in customers could grab plates from the display here.

Some sections of the restaurant were closed off to customers.

The closed areas didn't seem to be in service of social distancing, though. People were packed fairly closely together in the seating areas.

For the most part, the serving stations looked mostly unchanged from pre-COVID times.

The salad bar, like other sections, was still open and self-serve.

There are sneeze guards over all the serving stations, although they felt very small and not that protective.

I did a round of the entire store to sample a bit of everything for the real Golden Corral experience.

The chain has a decent variety of food, including breakfast, pasta, pizza, and fried chicken.

I could see cooks working behind the stations, and some areas like the mashed potatoes looked freshly refilled.

Parts of the restaurant felt a bit unsanitary given the highly contagious Delta variant, but there were some efforts to minimize transmission.

Signs throughout the food stations asked customers to use a clean plate on each buffet trip.

There were disposable gloves available for customers who wanted to wear them when touching the communal serving utensils, but I didn't see anyone use them. Admittedly, I also did not use them, they felt like more trouble than they were worth.

The dessert area was probably the most COVID-friendly. Cookies and cakes were in individual bowls, so customers didn't need to touch the same spoon or dish.

The chocolate fountain was the only station that wasn't self serve - customers had to ask for help from a worker and could not touch the fountain themselves.

There were also two hand sanitizer stations, one at either end of the restaurant.

No other customers seemed to be wearing masks. Some workers wore masks, but most didn't or had them down around their chins.

The hostess stand had a small shelf of cleaning supplies.

After seeing how many customers were inside, I was glad that I could take my food to go and eat it in my apartment.

To checkout and pay, the cashier weighed the containers. It worked similarly to a hot bar at a place like Wegmans.

We got the food packed up in a Golden Corral bag, and we were good to go.

I wasn't sure how well the food would travel, but I was excited to try it.

Our verdict was that the food didn't look particularly good, but it was definitely tasty. We mostly went for the fried foods, the vegetables didn't look very appetizing.

Two moderately-full takeout containers cost $26 total.

Ultimately eating at Golden Corral did not feel very safe right now, even though I'm vaccinated. However, I think the number of customers during my visit shows that there's still major demand for the buffet chain, and COVID-19 isn't slowing that down.

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