10 Facts You Need To Know About Golden Corral's All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

There are countless chain restaurants that you can go to when you're hungry. Many of them offer large portions — so large, in fact, that you're likely to need a to-go box even after you've finished a big portion. But, when you're really, really hungry, even those large portions at some restaurants may not be enough. Unless you want to pay for multiple entrees and appetizers, you're better off heading to an all-you-can-eat buffet, and there's a good chance that you're at least somewhat close to a Golden Corral.

Golden Corral is one of the best-known buffet chains, and for good reason. The restaurant provides so many different types of food that there really is something for everyone. Whether you're eating with a large group of picky eaters or you just can't decide what you want to eat for dinner, it's a great place to go when you know you're seriously ready to pack some food away. But, even if you're a regular at your local buffer, there are probably some facts that you don't know about Golden Corral. Who knows? Maybe once you learn more about this restaurant, you'll want to plan your next visit.

Golden Corral is far from the new restaurant on the block. By now, it's been around for quite some time, so it's earned its spot in the hearts and minds of all-you-can-eat buffet enthusiasts across the country. The very first Golden Corral restaurant opened back in 1973 in the town of Fayetteville, North Carolina. At that time, you could get a steak at the restaurant for only $1.89. (If only that deal were still available today.) The company's goal, according to its website, was "offering guests real, wholesome foods in a family-friendly atmosphere and at a great value."

Now, more than 50 years later, there are a whopping 373 Golden Corral locations scattered across the United States. That's a lot of unlimited food! It may look a little different than it did when it first opened (including the pricing), it still keeps that same traditional spirit alive by offering an all-you-can-eat meal at a relatively reasonable price.

When Golden Corral first opened, it wasn't the restaurant you know and love today. Rather, it was mainly focused on steak. The restaurant was popular, and it wasn't long before it started to expand. Within the next decade, the company had opened restaurants in both Texas and Virginia. Once the 1980s came along, the small chain really hit its stride and, in an attempt to pull in even more customers, decided to change its model into a buffet. It's menu offerings expanded to match: No longer was it just a steakhouse. Soup, salads, pasta, sandwiches, and much, much more started to hit the menu.

Step foot in a Golden Corral today, and it may be hard to believe that the chain was once a simple steakhouse. But even now, with so many different options to choose from, we still think that the steak is worth a try.

If you're like a lot of people, then you deem certain foods appropriate for breakfast time. Other foods are more acceptable for lunch. And still others are dishes that you would generally only eat for dinner. That's why you're going to find separate breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus at Golden Corral. Therefore, you'll need to go at different times of day depending on what you want to fill up on.

When you're craving an omelet, bacon, waffles, cinnamon rolls, made to order eggs, or buttermilk pancakes, you'll want to visit the restaurant in the morning. And, believe us — if you do an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet the right way, you won't have to eat until dinnertime. The lunch menu offers a variety of hot meals, in addition to a salad bar that allows you to choose something a bit lighter.

When it comes to the dinner menu, you're going to find a lot more variety than you will at any other time of day. We're talking endless options of larger proteins, like sirloin steaks, pot roast, pot pie, and carved turkey. 

When you think of the food at Golden Corral, you probably imagine steaks, that salad bar laden with just about every vegetable imaginable, fried chicken, or those famous yeast rolls. But, the restaurant also boasts a mean dessert game for anyone who saves enough room after the main course. You can opt for a basic, classic dessert that will always hit the spot, like fruit cobbler, chocolate chip cookies, or brownies. Or, maybe you want something a bit more interesting, like the strawberry and Rice Krispies treat skewers. Perhaps you want to wrap it all up with a good-old fashioned peanut butter or pumpkin pie.

But, the most fun dessert the chain offers is cotton candy. This dessert particularly feels like a treat since cotton candy isn't something you can find at just any restaurant. Whether you're heading to Golden Corral with kids or you just want to please your inner child by snacking on some sweet carnival food, it's certainly worth a try if you're a fan of the soft, wispy sugary snack.

It can be difficult to go out to eat when you follow a specific diet. Whether you choose not to eat certain foods because of ethical, religious, and/or health reasons, it's important that you know you have a variety of options to choose from before going to a restaurant. Luckily, Golden Corral is a great place to go if you have dietary restrictions. Because the chain offers such a wide variety of dishes, most people can find something to eat there.

The chain's website says that it can accommodate most diets, including paleo, plant-based, vegan, and low-carb diets. With its large selection of single-ingredient veggies and simple proteins, you can find foods that mesh with your diet. Therefore, no matter how or what you're choosing to eat, you'll have plenty to fill up on. After all, the whole concept of an all-you-can-eat buffet is pretty pointless if you can't actually eat anything offered.

Because Golden Corral is a buffet, you may assume that you actually have to eat there if you're craving the food. However, that's not actually the case. You can get Golden Corral to go if you want to get some of your favorite dishes from the chain without having to eat inside the restaurant. There are a few different ways to take your meal to go.

Perhaps the easiest is the delivery option — just order from a participating food delivery app, and you can get your favorites delivered right to your door. Don't mind going to pick up the order? Oder online, then park in a designated spot, and wait until someone brings your order out. For those who actually want to pick out their food themselves, there's a weigh-and-pay option that allows you to choose your favorites and pay for them by the pound.

Everyone has a different idea about what constitutes an affordable meal depending on their specific financial situation, so a trip to Golden Corral may or may not feel like it's currently within financial reach. But, according to a 2022 poll by the market research firm Datassential, 59% of respondents consider Golden Corral to be "best in class" or "above average" when it comes to value. That doesn't necessarily mean that the bill is going to seem affordable at the end of the meal, but it does mean that a majority of consumers consider it to be worth what they spend. That makes sense, considering that you can eat as much food as you want while you're there.

For what it's worth, affordability is also a part of Golden Corral's mission statement. On the restaurant's website, this mission statement reads, "We strive to offer a pleasurable dining experience that is affordable for every guest, at every restaurant, every day." Although it may not be the absolute cheapest restaurant on the block, the fact that it's an all-you-can-eat joint may make it appealing to those who want to get a lot of bang for their food.

Are you planning a birthday party, a family reunion, or any other event where you're going to need a decent amount of space and food to keep everyone happy? Yyou might want to consider planning your next event at Golden Corral. The chain rents out private rooms so you can chow down on your favorite Golden Corral mains, side dishes, and desserts while connecting with family, friends, or coworkers.

This can be an appealing option if you're planning an event because it means you can rent out a space and figure out the catering situation at the same time. When you're pinched for time and you want to ensure that you're going to have a wide enough variety of food at your get-together, this can be a great option. To reserve a room for your event, you'll have to contact the specific Golden Corral you want to visit and coordinate a time and a date with the restaurant. Isn't that easier than chasing down a separate catering company?

From time to time, restaurants have to kick people out, and Golden Corral is no exception. According to online reports, some people have been kicked out for understandable reasons, like for clogging up the chain's chocolate fountain not with marshmallows or strawberries but rather with pepperoni pizza. If we were in line for the chocolate fountain behind the pizza-clogger, we'd probably be upset too. Others have reportedly been kicked out for eating too much (despite the fact that this is an all-you-can-eat buffet), and for staying too long (far longer than it would take to eat a reasonable meal).

However, according to other reports, other people were kicked out for reasons like having a skin condition and wearing clothing that was considered too revealing. Whether these incidents were fair or not is up for debate, but it's useful information to have if you're craving Golden Corral food but happen to have a particularly angry-looking rash.

Most people go to a place like Golden Corral because they want to make sure they're getting the best possible bang for their buck. But, the price you pay for your all-you-can-eat meal really depends on what time of the day you decide to go eat at the restaurant. The breakfast and lunch menus are available for the same price, and they're cheaper than the dinner menu. However, the dinner menu offers more options than breakfast or lunch. So, when exactly should you go if you want to get the best of both worlds?

If you don't mind an early dinner, then you should try to go to Golden Corral right before 4 p.m. That's because the restaurant switches over from lunch to dinner at that time. If you go right before it turns 4 p.m., you'll get lunch pricing, but you can take advantage of the wider variety of dinner foods available. This may not be the best option if you prefer to eat dinner late, but you can also plan to eat slowly and really take your time if you do decide to go earlier in the day.