I visited this Old Country Buffet restaurant again in June 2015 and found the restaurant has made improvements since my previous review. 1. All plates, cups and silverware were well-stocked. 2. All food trays were filled and hot food was hot on the buffet. 3. Fair selection of food on the buffet but limited compared to the Golden Corral up the road. This restaurant has lots of seating but was fairly empty during my visit around 6 p.m. on a Friday evening. Bottom Line: This restaurant has made some improvements since my visit two years ago.
(3)
Tom D.
Ok - let me start off by saying - it's a solid 2 stars! YES - I knew it was a buffet and I realized that they are not the best places to go, but we were starving and didn't want to wait for food to be cooked. The first thing that put me off was the line @ 7:00 pm on a Friday night. Yes - that did shock me - I wanted to eat! Though there were plenty of tables - it just seemed that they were not moving that line very quickly. "Seat Yourself" is also an indication that this isn't going to be a nice relaxing meal - it might not even be good! We found a nice little booth - which ended up being in the middle of two families with lovely little children - some who watched every bite of food we ate - others who couldn't eat without making a huge mess. The price was way too high for the food - though there was plenty to pick from - you'd have thought it would be easy to keep fresh with so many people, but the fish and chicken no matter what kind you grabbed was horribly dry! The coleslaw was my favorite thing out of perhaps the 12 things I tried. None of the three deserts I tried were good. Great news - the french vanilla cappuccino was ok - tasted just like what I can make from the box I buy at Walmart! But I like that flavor! The place was very messy and the bathrooms are not a place to really go to wash your hands as I really think that my hands got dirtier washing them in there. Plus the help - well let's just say I am NOT a fan of boys wearing their pants BELOW their ASS! Though I found it better than the Golden Buffett - I will not be returning here either. This is two for two in Erie on Peach Street - thankfully we will have no more reason to go back after Monday!
(2)
Alvin L.
My father isn't an optimist like me and if he were at the meal with us last night, he would have flipped out. Myself, I like to give chances freely but the meal that I had last night was abysmal. In fact, this restaurant makes me doubt my faith in human kind. I will say, that this restaurant is very quick to take your money, in fact, I noticed that the prices seemed to have gone up since last time because I keep a log on my cell phone. I will say, that the price increase is marginal. Unfortunately, this is by far, the thing that this restaurant does well. We went at the beginning of the dinner rush, and I do say rush because when we left, there was a line up. Finding a seat wasn't a problem and the booth was relatively clean. After finding our seat, we went to get some drinks, as we were thirsty. Problem #1: Cups for drinks were hard to find. It's simple, in fact, it is not complicated. Two drink dispensers, two areas to get glasses. Not in this restaurant, they use a 2-1 ratio of two drink dispensers to one area to get glasses. So, you were constantly circling the drink area like a vulture looking for a drink on a hot summer's day. In this, would not normally doom a restaurant in my eyes; however....this leads me to... Problem #2: No plates. What? Did I say NO PLATES? Yup folks, no DINNER plates. How is this possible you ask? My answer....I don't know. You have a self-serve restaurant, people help themselves to food and drink and hard to find glasses and NO PLATES!!!! They have "FOOD" but NO PLATES!!!! So, what do people do? They hit the salad bar, because, they have plates. So, now, you have a plate, and you procured some drink...what else could go wrong, right? Problem #3: The FOOD!!!! I don't know if this restaurant knows this but people come to their restaurant for food. This is what I noticed. - Steak guy didn't have any "Fresh" steak, he was doling it out from a container based on your needs. Is it hot? I don't know, because I can't get myself to order one because it's BURNT! Steak guy, you really only have one job to do. Cook steak, and cook it well. How do you mess this up and still have a job. - Food stations weren't full of food - really, you're a self-serve, buffet restaurant and part of your food area is empty. Later on, I learned that this was reserved for some new menu items, fully loaded mashed potatoes and steak (once again, BURNT!) and also asiago ravioli, which looked like a left over from lunch that no one bothered to heat up as the sauce was clumpy. I was brave enough to have two of those. Problem #4: Food Quality - nothing looked appetizing. Do you know what? I think this one speaks for itself. Although, most people won't notice it because they are too busy looking for plates. Actually, I can't let this one go, because I grabbed a piece of chicken, took one bite and couldn't decide whether it was chicken. So, if it's not, what are you cooking? Problem #5: Advertised specials weren't there I was looking for the Strawberry cheesecake pudding. Nope. Did I ask? Nope, you've disappointed me enough by this time. Looking at the dessert table brought back memories that I hadn't eaten. Problem #6: Roast Beef Night is no longer Roast Beef Night because they have advertised specials. Really? No roast beef? No advertised specials? So, what am I getting? Problem #7: My server was very cavalier Yes, I actually saw her take gobs of uneaten food and scoop it with her hand onto another plate to make it easier for her to carry. My question is where do you wash your hands? Or do you just wipe it on a dirty cloth? Problem #8: The Complaint!!! So, although, I didn't complain, someone else did. Do you know what she got for her trouble? Coupons to come to the same place? Really? I hated the experience so much in the first place and you're going to insult me by giving me coupons to come back? In summary, this is a place that has finally perfected the art of taking your money with nothing in return. As a person, who has worked every job in a restaurant, my piece of advice, CARE! You still have suckers coming in every second, and it doesn't take much to have glasses and plates ready for them and prepare the food properly. Even if you were short staffed, everyone needs to pull the weight. Otherwise, this will be the last time round for most of your patrons.
(1)
Julie M.
Lots of salt. A featured dish was the "New Orleans Bourbon Street Chicken." It was much the same as any Chinese restaurant's chicken in brown sauce. The sauce might have had some delicious flavor, but the amount of salt was so thick I couldn't really tell. It was almost metallic - it probably had MSG, which is only used for flavor when other ingredients are inferior. The baked chicken was better, though dry, and again, it had more salt than anything else in the rub. We went home feeling incredibly thirsty.
(2)
Lynne C.
Excellent buffet. Lots of variety. Great food. Staff are very friendly and service was great. This restaurant is a great place to eat and relax.
Takes Reservations : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Parking : Street Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : No
Andy B.
I visited this Old Country Buffet restaurant again in June 2015 and found the restaurant has made improvements since my previous review. 1. All plates, cups and silverware were well-stocked. 2. All food trays were filled and hot food was hot on the buffet. 3. Fair selection of food on the buffet but limited compared to the Golden Corral up the road. This restaurant has lots of seating but was fairly empty during my visit around 6 p.m. on a Friday evening. Bottom Line: This restaurant has made some improvements since my visit two years ago.
(3)Tom D.
Ok - let me start off by saying - it's a solid 2 stars! YES - I knew it was a buffet and I realized that they are not the best places to go, but we were starving and didn't want to wait for food to be cooked. The first thing that put me off was the line @ 7:00 pm on a Friday night. Yes - that did shock me - I wanted to eat! Though there were plenty of tables - it just seemed that they were not moving that line very quickly. "Seat Yourself" is also an indication that this isn't going to be a nice relaxing meal - it might not even be good! We found a nice little booth - which ended up being in the middle of two families with lovely little children - some who watched every bite of food we ate - others who couldn't eat without making a huge mess. The price was way too high for the food - though there was plenty to pick from - you'd have thought it would be easy to keep fresh with so many people, but the fish and chicken no matter what kind you grabbed was horribly dry! The coleslaw was my favorite thing out of perhaps the 12 things I tried. None of the three deserts I tried were good. Great news - the french vanilla cappuccino was ok - tasted just like what I can make from the box I buy at Walmart! But I like that flavor! The place was very messy and the bathrooms are not a place to really go to wash your hands as I really think that my hands got dirtier washing them in there. Plus the help - well let's just say I am NOT a fan of boys wearing their pants BELOW their ASS! Though I found it better than the Golden Buffett - I will not be returning here either. This is two for two in Erie on Peach Street - thankfully we will have no more reason to go back after Monday!
(2)Alvin L.
My father isn't an optimist like me and if he were at the meal with us last night, he would have flipped out. Myself, I like to give chances freely but the meal that I had last night was abysmal. In fact, this restaurant makes me doubt my faith in human kind. I will say, that this restaurant is very quick to take your money, in fact, I noticed that the prices seemed to have gone up since last time because I keep a log on my cell phone. I will say, that the price increase is marginal. Unfortunately, this is by far, the thing that this restaurant does well. We went at the beginning of the dinner rush, and I do say rush because when we left, there was a line up. Finding a seat wasn't a problem and the booth was relatively clean. After finding our seat, we went to get some drinks, as we were thirsty. Problem #1: Cups for drinks were hard to find. It's simple, in fact, it is not complicated. Two drink dispensers, two areas to get glasses. Not in this restaurant, they use a 2-1 ratio of two drink dispensers to one area to get glasses. So, you were constantly circling the drink area like a vulture looking for a drink on a hot summer's day. In this, would not normally doom a restaurant in my eyes; however....this leads me to... Problem #2: No plates. What? Did I say NO PLATES? Yup folks, no DINNER plates. How is this possible you ask? My answer....I don't know. You have a self-serve restaurant, people help themselves to food and drink and hard to find glasses and NO PLATES!!!! They have "FOOD" but NO PLATES!!!! So, what do people do? They hit the salad bar, because, they have plates. So, now, you have a plate, and you procured some drink...what else could go wrong, right? Problem #3: The FOOD!!!! I don't know if this restaurant knows this but people come to their restaurant for food. This is what I noticed. - Steak guy didn't have any "Fresh" steak, he was doling it out from a container based on your needs. Is it hot? I don't know, because I can't get myself to order one because it's BURNT! Steak guy, you really only have one job to do. Cook steak, and cook it well. How do you mess this up and still have a job. - Food stations weren't full of food - really, you're a self-serve, buffet restaurant and part of your food area is empty. Later on, I learned that this was reserved for some new menu items, fully loaded mashed potatoes and steak (once again, BURNT!) and also asiago ravioli, which looked like a left over from lunch that no one bothered to heat up as the sauce was clumpy. I was brave enough to have two of those. Problem #4: Food Quality - nothing looked appetizing. Do you know what? I think this one speaks for itself. Although, most people won't notice it because they are too busy looking for plates. Actually, I can't let this one go, because I grabbed a piece of chicken, took one bite and couldn't decide whether it was chicken. So, if it's not, what are you cooking? Problem #5: Advertised specials weren't there I was looking for the Strawberry cheesecake pudding. Nope. Did I ask? Nope, you've disappointed me enough by this time. Looking at the dessert table brought back memories that I hadn't eaten. Problem #6: Roast Beef Night is no longer Roast Beef Night because they have advertised specials. Really? No roast beef? No advertised specials? So, what am I getting? Problem #7: My server was very cavalier Yes, I actually saw her take gobs of uneaten food and scoop it with her hand onto another plate to make it easier for her to carry. My question is where do you wash your hands? Or do you just wipe it on a dirty cloth? Problem #8: The Complaint!!! So, although, I didn't complain, someone else did. Do you know what she got for her trouble? Coupons to come to the same place? Really? I hated the experience so much in the first place and you're going to insult me by giving me coupons to come back? In summary, this is a place that has finally perfected the art of taking your money with nothing in return. As a person, who has worked every job in a restaurant, my piece of advice, CARE! You still have suckers coming in every second, and it doesn't take much to have glasses and plates ready for them and prepare the food properly. Even if you were short staffed, everyone needs to pull the weight. Otherwise, this will be the last time round for most of your patrons.
(1)Julie M.
Lots of salt. A featured dish was the "New Orleans Bourbon Street Chicken." It was much the same as any Chinese restaurant's chicken in brown sauce. The sauce might have had some delicious flavor, but the amount of salt was so thick I couldn't really tell. It was almost metallic - it probably had MSG, which is only used for flavor when other ingredients are inferior. The baked chicken was better, though dry, and again, it had more salt than anything else in the rub. We went home feeling incredibly thirsty.
(2)Lynne C.
Excellent buffet. Lots of variety. Great food. Staff are very friendly and service was great. This restaurant is a great place to eat and relax.
(5)