7 Golden Corral Tips You Wish You Knew Before You Dine There

There may be nothing more stereotypical than the all-you-can-eat buffet. One of the most famous is Golden Corral. Golden Corral has been in business since 1973, when it first opened as a steakhouse. The company expanded to new locations and soon became known throughout the United States. Over time, as the chain grew, it transformed into the sprawling buffet wonderland we know today.

Each Golden Corral has a huge selection. Food stations are set up throughout the 11,000 square foot buildings. However, in order to fully exploit the possibilities, you have to develop a strategy. After going through a rough patch like so many restaurants during the 2020 pandemic, Golden Corral had to rethink its structure, but that only expanded some of the company’s offerings. A buffet of this size can be intimidating, but with these additional tips we can help you make the most of every trip.

All buffets are subject to the same disadvantage: the food at the hot bar is prepared in large quantities and has been sitting there for a while. This allows buffets like Golden Corral to offer a truly shocking selection, but unfortunately it also means the food isn’t particularly fresh. That means if you know where to look, you can get fresh food.

One of the best options is Golden Corral’s signature sirloin steak. This steak is cooked to order, meaning it arrives fresh and hot. Plus, you can choose how well-done your steak is, offering more choice than you’d typically find at a buffet. The only downside is that the steak is not available for lunch most days. It is available from 4:00 p.m. every day except Sundays when it is available after 11:00 a.m. If you want to continue your fresh meal, head to the salad bar and prepare your own fresh salad to pair with your delicious, freshly cooked steak.

A salad or some bread is a great way to start a meal, but don’t fall into the trap of filling yourself up. While you can take home leftovers at a traditional restaurant, there is no such luck at Golden Corral. So make sure you get the most bang for your buck and avoid cheap filler foods.

A common tactic that buffet restaurants use to keep their profits high is to entice you with cheap and filling food so that you don’t eat as much of the expensive food. Golden Corral is no different. When you get to the start of the buffet you will be greeted by a salad bar. Although we love a good salad, beware of filling us up. As you walk through the buffet stations, each station starts with a nice selection of carbs like bread and pasta. Again tasty, but also cheap. Take a complete tour of the Golden Corral stations before grabbing a plate and loading up. Take stock of some of the items, such as the cooked-to-order sirloin and the golden, delicious shrimp. Start with these higher-priced items and complement them with the cheaper items that you really want, not just the ones you see first.

There is a selection of plates and bowls throughout Golden Corral, some large and some small. While these are placed in specific areas of the buffet, there is nothing stopping you from taking a bowl or plate from one area and using it in another.

The ice cream machine, for example, offers incredibly small dishes. This can be good for ice cream, but also for separating side dishes, such as: B. green beans can be helpful. On the other hand, if you love ice cream, go to the soup section and get a larger bowl. You don’t have to limit yourself to ice cream consumption just because the company places small bowls next to the ice cream maker. The soup bowls also come with larger spoons. So if you find that the small spoon you’re given isn’t enough, grab a larger soup spoon.

The dessert plates and main plates are also different sizes. If you want to try a lot, go for a smaller dessert plate and use it for the main buffet. This will help you limit portion size so you can try as much as you want. Alternatively, if you like dessert, grab a plate and go to town. You don’t have to be restricted.

Timing is everything at Golden Corral. The restaurants are open for various meals. Some are open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The later in the day you come, the more expensive your entry will be. The thing is, there is no time limit on your meal. For example, at our local Golden Corral, breakfast and lunch are $12.99, but dinner is $17.49, excluding drinks. The change between lunch and dinner takes place at 4:00 p.m. While this is still early, you can go to Golden Corral at 3:55 p.m., pay for lunch, and then stay for dinner. If you’re willing to have an early dinner, this will save you almost $5 per person. You can also use it to enjoy the aforementioned sirloin, which is only available after 4 p.m. most days.

For timing purposes, look for rotating trays. You can get the newest and freshest side dishes by making sure to swap out the chafing trays.

If you can’t beat them, join them! These days it seems like every restaurant has an app and rewards system, but if you’re looking to save a few bucks, it’s worth signing up. Golden Corral works by signing up and downloading the app. You can then either scan the QR code at the checkout or enter a receipt code later. This is a great option if you forgot to scan your app when registering. The app tracks how much money you spend. For every dollar spent you earn one point. 100 points earn you a $10 reward. Since dinner costs $17.49 and an additional drink costs $2.49, you only have to go five times before you get your first reward.

Additionally, Golden Corral sometimes offers sign-up specials that give you an additional discount on your first order. Even if you don’t plan on going there often, getting a sign-up bonus is always a good way to save some extra money.

Some days are busy and it can be difficult to prepare food at home. But that shouldn’t stop you from going to Golden Corral. Golden Corral offers to-go boxes. You can take a box and fill it with whatever you want. Since this isn’t an all-you-can-eat situation, you pay per pound rather than a fixed price.

The beauty of the to-go option is that you don’t have to worry about what time of day you go. In our case, breakfast, lunch, and dinner were each $8.99 per pound. Additionally, this is a great option if you’re trying to feed multiple people who all have different tastes, or for anyone who doesn’t eat much at once. With a take-out box, you get exactly what you want and can save the rest for later.

If you have even less time, many Golden Corrals offer a take-out option where the food is packaged like a traditional restaurant.

The price of a meal at Golden Corral is for food only. It’s all you can eat, not all you can drink. Drinks without water at Golden Corral will cost you dearly, and frankly it’s not worth the cost. Soda has a notoriously high profit margin for restaurants. So don’t just spend money so that the company can make extra money from you. While Golden Corral offers free refills, this is not a self-service situation like the rest of the restaurant. You must have your cup refilled by a member of staff.

And when you have a drink you really enjoy, like a soda, you’re likely to drink more, which in turn means you have less room for food. This in turn increases Golden Corral profit and reduces the overall value of your meal.

Water, on the other hand, is free. Plus, most of these drinks are mostly water anyway. Go to the store and buy a 2 liter bottle of lemonade for the same price.