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I don’t work at a buffet, but once I was *that guy*. After hiking the Appalachian Trail for months (hello, ramen diet!) I hit this small fried chicken spot in Virginia. The waitress kept bringing fresh platters of crispy, juicy fried chicken and biscuits. I ate about 5 pounds, waved off the next plate, but then… blackberry cobbler arrived. I had to eat it. Full and defeated, I couldn’t hike back up the mountain, so I asked if I could camp. Turned out sleeping in their gazebo is a buffet bonus they offer all the time!
From reading these buffet stories, I took away two things: 1) buffets can get pretty nasty; 2) I still want to go to one right now.
At a Chinese buffet, a couple grabbed every snow crab piece in the tray, stacked three plates about 8 inches high with crab legs and claws. They didn’t touch anything else, just silently feasted. How shellfish can you be?!
At this all-you-can-stack place (you pay for the plate, but pile on as much as you can), one guy stacks his food crazy-high, over a foot tall, then drops it. He asks for a new plate but the manager says, 'No way, you shouldn’t stack it that high!' No refund either because there’s a ‘pay for dropped food’ rule. Classic buffet drama!
At a pizza buffet, a guy packed in a good lunch, then passed out in his booth for hours. After his nap, he came back to eat some more. Talk about making the all-you-can-eat deal work overtime!
My little brother, at 12 years old and metabolism powered by rocket fuel, devoured 5 steaks at Ryan’s Steakhouse buffet. When he went for 6, the grill guy tried to block him. Enter angry dad. Brother scored his 6th AND 7th steak. That was one unforgettable buffet night.
At a prime rib buffet, one dude slammed 8 plates loaded with meat and sides. Meanwhile, a lady rolls in with two kids and refuses to pay for them, but sneaks bites to the kids under the table like a sneaky food ninja. Buffets bring out all kinds.
At a decent buffet with king crab legs, a guy waited patiently while the crab ran out. When a fresh batch arrived, he cleaned the tray completely. Then he just waited around for the next refill to do it all over again. Mix patience with a little greed — buffet style!
Not a worker, but I saw this super obese dude at a buffet pile his plate with carb-heavy food like macaroni salad, then grab another plate full of potato wedges. He drowned those potatoes in chocolate syrup at the dessert bar. We locked eyes — he was silently begging for no judgment. Dad vibes but straight-up haunting.
When Golden Corral debuted chocolate fountains, a toddler poured his drink in one, ruining it. Manager flipped out because they had just set it up. Then a guy in line got denied brownies because the fountain was being cleaned — so he left and slashed the toddler’s family car tires! Now that’s dedication…or madness.
7 years at pizza buffets taught me to expect some wild stuff: salad bowls swimming in ranch, massive preachers stacking pizzas because they’re too lazy for multiple trips, and a regular called 'belly shirt guy' who packed entire pizzas on plates but later lost 75 pounds by finding salad love.
Once watched a guy chow down 4 plates of southern fried goodness, act like he was having a heart attack clutching his chest, then let out the nastiest fart ever. After laughing about it, he went back for two more plates plus dessert. Buffet level: expert.
Working at Olive Garden, I saw a guest demolish 16 bowls of never-ending pasta — and yes, they later vomited all over the lobby. Not huge either, so apparently pasta power levels can surprise you.
My husband took me to a BBQ rib night where a group had a rib-eating contest. It was insane! When a waiter offered more ribs, the server from behind just said, 'Throw them at the table, someone will eat them.' Best buffet teamwork ever.
At a Chinese buffet, a chubby guy was eating quietly when suddenly his chair fell apart and he hit the floor. Spoiler alert: that was me. The chairs were cheap, and the replacement was wobbly too. My buddy got a good laugh though!
Not an employee but: once saw a really fat guy at a Chinese buffet smear ranch from wrist to elbow, then dunk food in it before eating. Next-level ranch dedication right there.
Saw two guys get into a fistfight on crab leg night at a Chinese buffet. One guy had his plate stacked about a foot high, and the other dude wanted in on the action. Crab leg chaos ensued.
Saw a family at Yo Sushi stack their plates into mountains nearly chin height. They wasted tons and were shocked when the waiter took forever counting the plates and slapped them with a $400 bill. Definitely a “did that just happen” vibe.
When I was 14 I ate 7 platefuls of clams at a less-than-stellar Asian buffet. I got so sick, I even puked clams out my nose. But did I stop? Nope. Stupid, but true!
At a Southern Golden Corral buffet, while I was deciding which cake to get, someone walked up behind me, put their hand lightly on my waist, and gently pushed me out of the way. Cake conqueror moves!
At a CiCi's pizza buffet, a woman argued she’s eating healthy because she ordered a 'salad' — which was a bowl drowned in ranch, bacon bits, and cheese. She never actually touched the salad but insisted just ordering it counts. Classic buffet logic fail.
Buffets in Vegas are wild. People pack plates 5 inches high like they’re prepping for a food apocalypse. They don’t realize you can just grab a fresh plate anytime! The fear of missing out at buffets is real and a little gross.
At a Golden Corral in Florida, a morbidly obese man pulled out a bath towel and tucked it in like a bib. When you’re that big, you gotta get creative!
At a pizza buffet, a chubby kid ordered plate after plate. Later, he was caught puking in the bathroom stall. Sad part? He was back at it, working on yet another plate. Tragic and wild.
Working 6 years at a Chinese buffet, here are the wildest: kid licks the communal pudding spoon, a teen pukes in the ice cream tackle without a word, drunk guys puke under tables and close huge sections, guy sneaks in candies for his desserts, and a regular asks for 8 eggs cooked over easy — all eaten in 2 minutes.
Back in the early Golden Corral days, kids would eat so much candy from the candy bar that they’d throw up in the bathroom. The candy was yummy but also the cause of chaos.
When I was about 5, my uncle showed me his trick to check if buffet rolls were fresh: lick ’em. If they’re not moist enough, he’d put them back. It became a family game where everyone followed him to toss out his roll picks. Yep, we were those people.
A friend worked at Golden Corral where fat guests would stuff food into backpacks and purses, turning their bags into portable buffets. Repeat offenders were mainly elderly and big families — a sneaky buffet tradition.
My wife’s friend hit the buffet hard once; he ate so much that when it was time to get up he literally couldn’t stand. An ambulance had to come get him. Serious buffet commitment (or overcommitment).
At Wynn buffet in Vegas, a skinny dude with a giant girlfriend (like 120 lbs vs 400+ lbs) went to the dessert room, grabbed a tray of every dessert (like 50!), and fed them all to her while he ate nothing. True buffet devotion.
I took my girls to an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet. My youngest ripped through 28 slices and 6 brownies. She left 14 empty plates unsupervised. I tipped $10 for the staff but mostly felt impressed by her insane pizza powers.
On vacation in Florida at a pizza joint, a guy literally grabbed the whole tray of sticky buns (about 30 buns) and walked away with them while people waited in line for their share. Sticky bun heist of the century!
Saw a lady get a to-go box overflowing with food, drop an egg roll on the floor, then pick it up with her flip-flop toes and stick it right back in the box. Mixing toes and takeout like a legend.
Little kid sneezed directly into the chicken dish at a buffet. His dad gave him a casual head tap like 'not cool' and walked away. All-buffet trust down the drain.
At an all-you-can-eat (and drink!) joint, drunk students act out, throwing food and peeing on chairs. Boss joins the drunken fun in front of customers, ends up kicked out by security after fighting with bouncers. Buffet drama, unleashed!
At a fish & chips place, some hefty dude grabbed six pieces of cod with sides, then surprised everyone by handing his fish to another couple. Afterward, he ordered grilled salmon (not part of the buffet) and paid for it. Nice guy vibes!
At a stir fry place, a dude found a clever trick: he stood cucumbers up vertically in the bowl to create empty space, loaded up the extra meat, then told the cook to toss the cucumbers later. Buffet hack or glutton overload?
At Applebee’s endless ribs night, a skinny dad and son went wild eating 7 refills each—around 6600 calories. I wanted to beg them to stop but couldn’t!
Took a high school trip to Golden Corral, sat next to a large sweaty man. Dude looked me dead in the eye, threw up all over the floor, then just left like nothing happened. Buffet level: oh nope.
Friend ran a Golden Corral where a skinny guy binged, ran to the bathroom, and vomited repeatedly. Manager went in to kick him out while he was still yacking. Dude left super fast, leaving a nasty mess behind.
My dad would pile massive plates at Chinese buffets, then lay down on the floor to nap mid-meal. Same mountain stuff at Golden Corral, but naps only happened at Chinese places. Buffet pro move.
Saw a super obese lady in a wheelchair stacked with plates eating tons of cake. She’d huff really hard, take a big breath, and then shove another bite in. Buffet stamina champ!
A woman, maybe my mom, took freezer bags full of buffet food and stuffed her giant purse til the straps broke. It was a weighty buffet haul, certainly not from hunger but the thrill of the grab.
At a burger and sushi buffet, I managed to eat 15 burgers plus 5 sushi plates. It was a friendly competition with a buddy. Big meal, big appetite.
At my senior lunch, I saw a heavy woman hunched over a table, eating fried chicken, and stroking her hair with fingers caked in chicken grease. She had multiple dinner plates stacked covered with bone remnants. Truly unforgettable.
At a Brazilian steakhouse, a man dressed in flip-flops and a visor ate tons of meat, groaned about cold food, then suddenly vomited spectacularly in the middle of the restaurant. Instead of bouncing, he just moved to another table and flipped his 'red' card to 'green' to keep eating. Absolute beast.
Saw a huge dude grab an entire prime rib slab at King’s Table carving station. The carver walked away, so he just stabbed it with his fork and took it. After the feast, the buffet banned him for life.
Was at a Chinese buffet when two huge dudes, each 400+ pounds, rolled in. The hostess asked if they wanted a table or booth. One laughed and said, 'We ain’t fit in no booth!' The other said, 'We ‘bout to shut you DOWN!' I laughed so hard.
After baseball practice, me and two friends hit Taco Bell and ordered 3 large meals (10 tacos each). At the drive-thru, employee thought we were feeding a whole bus and joked 'We don’t serve buses here.' Proud of our prank to this day!
At a quiet hotel near Venice, a Chinese family arrived and grabbed multiple tubs of food from the breakfast buffet. A kid ate about 50 boiled eggs and tons of baked beans. True buffet machines!
Friend always went to Chinese buffets but pissed me off by filling plates, taking two bites, then leaving to get a fresh plate, repeating over and over. Not gluttony, just infuriating!
Known as 'Six Pan Man,' he’d slide a full pizza onto his plate, eat it, then do it again. By the end, he’d eaten 6 entire pizzas in one sitting. Ultimate pizza buffet flex!
At Golden Corral, a big woman spotted me cutting fat off my steak and told me it’s the 'best part.' Before I could think twice, I gave her my plate. She scarfed down the fat happily. Buffet kindness!
Not an employee but once I ate so much at a Chinese buffet that I puked in the bathroom. Feeling cheated, I went back and ate more food to make up for it. Buffet dedication!
It was me. At an Indian buffet, I ate so much that I couldn’t drive home. Had to recline my seat and digest. Pretty pathetic, but hey, buffet life.
Back in the early 2000s, Olive Garden’s never-ending pasta brought in folks who crushed dish after dish—sometimes hitting double digits. The 1st is about 10 oz, then 6 oz refills, so that’s like 5 pounds of pasta. Crazy!
Saw a lady come in, grab 4 plates of pumpkin pie, then get up before finishing them just as fresh pies arrived. She cut in front of a kid, snagged 4 more plates, then left almost all untouched. Pie buffet ruthlessness!
At a Chinese buffet, a lady of larger size took four stacked plates of sushi back to her table. Sushi piles say a lot without saying a word.
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