Salad Bars - Are They Worth It?

[pretty cheap jewelry]

All you can eat salad bars - are they a better choice than a plate meal?

I am taking a vote and to level the playing field, imagine the following:

--You are ordering separately at the restaurant, just for one person (do not base your answer on if it is thriftier to buy salad bars as a family). However, the one person may be a senior, a child, a teenager or just the average person.

--The type of restaurant doesn't matter. Salad bars are fairly prevalent in fast food places, diners, expensive restaurants. I want to decide if it is generally more inexpensive across the board.

--The nutritional value isn't a factor (hee hee). Of course we would all eat more vegetables anyway, right??

--Drinks not a factor. Just trying to compare the main menu plates (which usually include an entree, side) and the salad bar. Neither includes drinks anyway.

Thanks and I'll check back time permitting.

[Coleroo]

My hubby likes to eat...a LOT. So anything we can get ANYTHING as "all you can eat" we consider it less expensive. Most restaurants (outside of fast food like mcdonals and wendys) cost 6.50$ and more for one plate. Buffets (salad bar and food bar) around here cost 8-10$. I dont believe we had just a salad bar by itself though?


p.s. HAHA... it strikes me funny that "toss" would be a part of a choice in a question reguarding salad.

[disneysteve]

All you can eat salad bars - are they a better choice than a plate meal?

I think it depends on the location. For example, a place like Old Country Buffet is a decent deal with good variety but I think the food quality is rather low. So whether or not that makes it a better value is a tough call.

On the other hand, at a place like Sweet Tomatoes, the food is excellent and it is well worth the price. We don't have them where I live, but when we are in Florida, we always try to eat dinner there one night. I think a meal there is a better deal than a sit-down restaurant for similar fare.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Interesting about Sweet Tomatoes. I ate there one time and I thought the food was awful. Generally, though, I do not like commercial buffets. They seem unsanitary. I also do NOT like the idea that some people around me are gorging themselves in order to maximize their money. It may or may not be true, and of course, I don't really pay attention to what other diners are eating, but I can't shake the idea that it is a pig-out to some people. That is repulsive to me. True salad bars do not bother me as much, because I don't imagine people pig out on salad. But still, I am uneasy about much of the food prep being done well ahead of time, then held in serving trays under the, oh, what do they call it? The sneeze guard? Ugh. Then there are the yucky practices I've seen from other diners at the buffet or salad bars....Nope, I'd rather pay the money to order from a menu and hopefully get food that is the proper temperature and has not been browsed by the other diners.

[Ima saver]

I use to work in a restaurant. Even tho it was all you can eat when you got a salad, I was shocked at how much food the people piled on their plate, even tho they could go back and get more food. I have seen food piled so high that it was falling off the plate.
Also, that food is out there all day long. It is put out about 9 am. and is there until the place closes.
I would not eat at one, even if I did like salads.

[Aleta]

I think that it can be reasonable because a decent salad bar will usually feature some protein choices as well, such a tuna or chicken salad. They also have can have light desserts such as jello or puddings which many enjoy. Some used to have a taco bar as well. They are getting quite expensive though but if you compare it to a regular meal, it's probably a little more food for the money. The only other way that it would be more reasonable would be if you had a coupon.

[Gruntina]

I live in California where there are tons of veggies, fruit, cheese, nuts, and pasta to put in salads. Living in a very multi-cultural environment, there are so many different types of salad bars here. They can be more expensive or less depending where you go.

I am willing to pay just as much for a salad bar than compared to a meal. But again I am a salad freak! My husband and I make salads at least 3 times a week and we often considered that most place do not know how to make a mean salad! So in that aspect, it can be a toss up. Smile.

[cschin4]

I would say it depends. Often, a meal with a side salad may be cheaper at a restaurant that doesn't offer buffet or salad bars. And, going for lunch is usually the best deal. I think it can be a very good meal and I often eat alot of veggies, etc that I don't ususally eat. So, I like the variety.

[PrincessPerky]

If I want a chance to expose my kids to variety, I like salad bars, cheap way to offer 20 different Asian dishes....So we have been to a few and will prolly go to more (you8ngest has never had moo-goo-gai-pan) but..usually sub par dishes (of whatever variety) and..there is that sanitary thing...

Also when I want to splurge on a meal, I want to splurge on the service...not a go get it, fix it and make it....that is too close to cooking for me.

[disneysteve]

There are 2 kinds of buffets around us. One is where you pay a flat fee and it is all you can eat. The other is where you pay by the pound. Those are usually in the nicer supermarkets (like Wegmans). I particularly like those because, unlike the average American, I believe in portion control. Most restaurant portions are insanely huge, way too much food. I'd rather get just enough for my meal and pay for just what I need. I think those are a much better deal than going to a restaurant and not finishing half of what I'm served. Those places also allow me to make vegetables the main part of the meal with just a few pieces of fish or chicken thrown in, rather than the other way around.

[Hedy]

There are 2 kinds of buffets around us. One is where you pay a flat fee and it is all you can eat. The other is where you pay by the pound. Those are usually in the nicer supermarkets (like Wegmans). I particularly like those because, unlike the average American, I believe in portion control. Most restaurant portions are insanely huge, way too much food. I'd rather get just enough for my meal and pay for just what I need. I think those are a much better deal than going to a restaurant and not finishing half of what I'm served. Those places also allow me to make vegetables the main part of the meal with just a few pieces of fish or chicken thrown in, rather than the other way around.

Also, the salad bars at grocery stores can be a good place to get some items cheaper than pre-packaged-tabuleh is one which I can think of, but I'm sure they're thers.

[DebbieL]

"True salad bars do not bother me as much, because I don't imagine people pig out on salad."

I sure do. Why does it bother you? I couldn't care less what anyone else is doing - not my business.

[DebbieL]

A lot of people are describing buffets. I think of a salad bar a little differently than a buffet. Buffets usually have a lot of salad stuff, but also hot dishes, etc. To me a salad bar is usually just cold foods like veggies, fruit, salads, cottage cheese, potato salad, pasta salad, condiments ,etc. I stay away from the fatty stuff like the potato salad and pasta salad and load up on the veggies and other stuff. I LOVE salad bars.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

"True salad bars do not bother me as much, because I don't imagine people pig out on salad."

I sure do. Why does it bother you? I couldn't care less what anyone else is doing - not my business.

It's a psychological thing. I just find it repulsive to feel aware of people gorging themselves. Don't take it personally. Similarly, I find photography of food on television commercials repulsive. I see the food as being literally the size it is on the TV screen and that is just grotesque to me---a shiny, dripping 4 inch thick, 24 inch wide hamburger patty (OMG, let me not see it on a giant plasma screen!) with buckets of mayonnaise and hefty planks of melty cheese oozing out---sorry I just find that sickening. Nor do I like the idea of eating contests. Anything where the idea is "How much can we stuff in our bellies?" is going to bother me. I do think a person can accidentally overeat, but doing it on purpose and to a gluttonous extent--uhg, no, no, not something I want to be aware of, please

This is beside the point of whether all-you-can-eat salad bars are a good value as compared to ordering off the menu. One can still make the the value comparison without assuming extreme overeating.

[lieweheksie]

as a vegetarian yes
when i was a student I would go out with my friends, have the bread and a rather precariously piled bowl from the salad bar and be well fed on a lot less
then I had money left over for whiskey :-)