Life Imitates the Simpsons

[the G-man]

London's Daily Telegraph:

Two men have been banned from an all-you-can-eat restaurant after their appetites left the manager fearing for the future of his business

George Dalmon, a former rugby player, and his friend Andy Miles were banned from all-you-can-eat restaurant, Gobi, In Brighton, after the manager branded them "a couple of pigs," . . .

The manager, who did not want to be named, said the two friends were eating him out of business. He said: "Basically they just come in and pig out. We have put up with them for two years but I've had enough.

"They are in such a hurry to beat everyone to the food they spoil everything. We are supposed to be a buffet but they eat everything out of the bowls before people can get there. We just can't keep doing this."​

Tis no man, tis a remorseless eatin' machine...

 

[cultcross]

This is the most blatant case of false advertising since my suit against the movie The Neverending Story...

 

[the G-man]

My favorite Lionel Hutz line of all time! RIP Phil Hartman

 

[The Wormhole]

The last paragraph "They are in such a hurry to beat everyone to the food they spoil everything." has me thinking there's more to this than someone taking "all you can eat" literally.

I remember when I was a kid, my family went to an all you can eat restaurant and my sister really did take all she could eat. She ate so much my parents were worried management was going to be really pissed, but the employees said "it's fine, she really is eating everything she takes. It's the ones who take that much food and don't bother to eat it all that we don't like."

 

[Samurai8472]

I remember my local news paper publishing this.

Wendy Dershem had a battle at the buffet last Saturday.

Dershem was told never to come back because her family wastes too much food. She argued that — hey, it’s an all-you-can-eat buffet.
But management at the Dragon House, 10912 Douglas Ave.,Urbandale, said it’s not an all-you-can-waste buffet.

It sets up an interesting question for buffet diners: When have you gone too far, plate piling, tasting and dumping, or is anything fair game for a flat fee?

Dershem said she joined her boyfriend, Jason Trotter, and her children, Madison, 7, and Carter, 5, at the Dragon House Saturday for the $5.95 all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. It was their favorite spot and the Des Moines woman and her children had dined there frequently since the children were babies. She said her group was one plate into the experience when a restaurant employee approached the group.

“They told us we are not welcome there anymore. We waste too much food,” said Dershem, 28. “But the buffet is all you can eat. And you know kids. They won’t always eat everything and they want something else.”

Manager Kent Cao confirmed that Dershem was told not to come back if she continued to waste food. A waitress and cashier had been watching the group on past occasions and were concerned.

“They just take one bite and throw it away,” said cashier Lin Huyen. “They take four egg rolls and crab ragoon, take one bite of egg roll and throw the whole plate. That is wasting food.”

Managers at two other buffet restaurants, Old Country Buffet in Des Moines and Buffet City in Clive, said they have no rules on waste and have never warned customers about how much they take or don’t eat. It’s part of the buffet business.

“We just suck it up and bear it,” said Old Country Buffet manager Michelle Ward.

 

[the G-man]

When I was a kid, back in the late 60s/early 70s, my dad and his hunting buddies were on a trip and encountered the then-new salad bar. The waitress told them to help themselves to the salad bar so they wheeled it over to their table.