When I was growing up, Oklahoma City had a really nice variety of basic, simple cafeterias. They offered a varied menu of salads, meats, fish, poultry, desserts, vegetables, and mostly fairly reasonable prices. Yet now, I note that most if not all these kinds of places have pretty much dried up and disappeared. Given today's eating-out predisposition, and that families have a difficult time all agreeing on a single place to eat, it would seem to me that places like cafeterias would be in a position to thrive - about as close as one could come to being all things to all people. I remember as a kid that I could get a piece of fried chicken and mashed potatoes, my mom could get roast or vegetables, and my dad could get whatever he liked. And they had fruit pies, cream pies, ice cream, you name it. And they were seemingly always busy.

OKC had Dodson's, O'Mealy's, and later Morrisons, even Luby's for a brief while; Furr's (original) cafeterias (not the slop trough in Moore), Anna Maude's, and that's naming only a very very few. Perhaps the concept as presented in those instances was a bit dated, but it seems to me that a fresher approach to the same concept could still be successful, yet obviously it isn't. The "buffet" concept like HomeTown Buffet was comparable, I suppose, but their prices just skyrocketed to the point where they really weren't a viable option toward the end of their presence here.

Any ideas? I'm obviously no restaurant/food industry expert, just an observer who has thought this particular failing was really curious. Perhaps the cost issue was the final driver, or perhaps cafeterias are still successful in other parts of the country. Not sure. Just found it a curiosity.

you say okc had luby's "for a brief while" but they're actually one of the few surviving cafeterias in okc... last i knew, there's still a location operating at may and britton. other than that, there's the boulevard. off the top of my head, i can't think of any other active cafeterias in the city.

to your point, the "problem" reminds me of a book i once read in a sociology class back in college: the mcdonaldization of america. the idea is that during the 20th century, many american consumers trained themselves to value quantity over quality. i think that change in consumer perceptions and habits over time helped make "all you can eat" style establishments more successful than "ala carte" style establishments. -M

you say okc had luby's "for a brief while" but they're actually one of the few surviving cafeterias in okc... last i knew, there's still a location operating at may and britton. other than that, there's the boulevard. off the top of my head, i can't think of any other active cafeterias in the city.

to your point, the "problem" reminds me of a book i once read in a sociology class back in college: the mcdonaldization of america. the idea is that during the 20th century, many american consumers trained themselves to value quantity over quality. i think that change in consumer perceptions and habits over time helped make "all you can eat" style establishments more successful than "ala carte" style establishments. -M

My apologies! I thought all the OKC Luby's were gone, and I (obviously) don't get up to the May and Britton area very often.

And I think your point is very well taken. I remember when we frequented Furr's in Moore, back when that Shields mall wasn't so scary, and also remember when they first started the flirtation with AYCE or "refills on entrees" or one of the other ways they pushed it from the marketing department. I guess I was an oddball in that, during that era, I was a distinct minority as a (relatively) younger person there, so perhaps the die had been cast by then. I do miss the old Furr's baked cod. It was really, really good. :( Whatever they sold as its substitute at the slop trough in the Moore replacement site was a far cry from it, and we haven't been back. Oh, well.

I would think that with a seemingly renewed attention on a better balance of food in a hope to achieve a better overall quality of diet, that "quality versus quantity" notion might shift back the other way some. Perhaps the bigger issue is that until you can stick a drive through around a cafeteria, that notion is merely an artifact of a largely bygone era.

Ever been to Golden Corral? They have some really tasty stuff of their menus, and the place really packs them in. Especially on Sundays. The name "corral is particularly fitting because diners are herded through there, and there are some folks who hang around the buffet lines and graze.

The last time I was there, is was so busy that it really made for an unpleasant dinning experience.

Ever been to Golden Corral? They have some really tasty stuff of their menus, and the place really packs them in. Especially on Sundays. The name "corral is particularly fitting because diners are herded through there, and there are some folks who hang around the buffet lines and graze.

The last time I was there, is was so busy that it really made for an unpleasant dinning experience.

Yeah, after the one on 240 was razed and rebuilt. Some of its okay, some of it isn't. Meh. Don't hate it, don't love it. Having tried to cut the calories over the last three years, a place like GC just isn't a very good choice - lots of deep fried stuff (love it, mind you, just not a regular habit), although they usually have some roasted chicken breasts or something of that nature. Like I said, don't hate it, don't love it.

It just strikes me as the kind of mass-feed place WalMart might build. I will say that they at least try to keep the new place cleaner than the previous one, but that isn't saying much. And it darned sure isn't the ol' cafeteria experience I remember from Dodson's et al, where there was at least some...oh, what's the word....grace to the meal? Pleasant, only moderately noisy environment, modestly lit, conversational, that kind of thing. Mind you, not looking for tuxedos and formal wear at all, but somehow GC is the opposite extreme of that.

When I was a kid, just about the only place we ever went out to eat at was the local Furrs. This was dad's destination of choice. Why? Because "they have such a variety to choose from." What did he get EVERY SINGLE TIME we went? One of those chopped steaks with gravy. I liked Furrs. I expecially liked their fish (either baked or fried).

My wife and I go to Luby's once in a great while. The food is generally okay. So are the prices. Something once occurred at Luby's that I wrote up and submitted to Reader's Digest. They liked it enough to condense it down to a handful of words, publish it, and pay me $300! Here's a version of the TRUE story:

So, we go through the line at Luby's, I select some fish and my wife selects the very last piece of some grilled chicken breast. I'm enjoying my fish and she is just sort of picking at her chicken. I ask her if there's a problem. She says that the chicken is so tough that she can't cut it with a knife. Then she says, "I know you hate it when I do this, but I'm taking this back and getting something else," then leaves the table.

Right after she goes, a little Hispanic hostess comes over and says, "Ees everytheeng okay . . ?"

I say, "Actually, no. My wife's chicken is so tough she can't cut it with a knife."

After a one second pause, the hostess says, "Can I breeng you a deefferent knife?"

Yeah, after the one on 240 was razed and rebuilt. Some of its okay, some of it isn't. Meh. Don't hate it, don't love it. Having tried to cut the calories over the last three years, a place like GC just isn't a very good choice - lots of deep fried stuff (love it, mind you, just not a regular habit), although they usually have some roasted chicken breasts or something of that nature. Like I said, don't hate it, don't love it.

It just strikes me as the kind of mass-feed place WalMart might build. I will say that they at least try to keep the new place cleaner than the previous one, but that isn't saying much. And it darned sure isn't the ol' cafeteria experience I remember from Dodson's et al, where there was at least some...oh, what's the word....grace to the meal? Pleasant, only moderately noisy environment, modestly lit, conversational, that kind of thing. Mind you, not looking for tuxedos and formal wear at all, but somehow GC is the opposite extreme of that.

I think you nailed it ... "mass feeding place" .. and to tell you the truth, I have not been back since. ... Absolutely not a cafeteria. I remember my folks taking us to O'Mealys, Lady Classen and Queen Anne's fairly often. They had a kind of class to them that is long gone.

It's been a bit, too long of a bit actually, since my last trip to Blvd. Cafeteria. I had popped in to OKC for a seminar and called an old friend for lunch. As neither of us had been recently, we agreed to meet at the cafeteria for lunch, arriving just as it opened. We made our selections and took a seat, as a few others strolled in after us. The place was not busy at all, but again, we got there as it opened.

And it it hit us. Here we were, two long time friends, both in our fifty's, and yet in that cafeteria, we were the kiddie table, sitting off to the side while the elders had their own tables. I still laugh about it when it crosses my mind.

One can eat rather healthy at a Golden Corral or a Furr's or a typical Chinese buffet place.
I know this to be true. I've seen other folks at my table do so on numerous occasions. :D

When I was a teen, we used to go to the Furr's at 63rd and MacArthur on occasion. About the only things remarkable I can remember about the place are the great desserts and that all the entrees were bland and lacked flavor. I needed to salt & pepper the crap out of just about anything I chose. I imagine it was the preference of the seemingly prehistoric clientele that frequented the place.

One can eat rather healthy at a Golden Corral or a Furr's or a typical Chinese buffet place.
I know this to be true. I've seen other folks at my table do so on numerous occasions. :D



Kevin! ;D

My mother used to take us to Anna Maude's and that was a treat. They had great pastries, especially the chocolate eclairs. Another good one when I was a child was Dodson's. Locally owned, one store for many years, and a second one opened in the late 50's to 60's. I also ate at Adair's fairly often in my early adult life. There was one on Lincoln Boulevard and I worked just North of 36th so it was pretty handy when I was in a hurry. Maybe my youth, or my stupidity, but I always liked cafeterias and ate at them through the 90's for lunch. A cafeteria was always on our lunch rotation. I haven't eaten at one in a long time so maybe they have changed. The one exception for me was Home Town Buffet or whatever it was called at the time (I think they changed hands at least twice, maybe three times), I thought their food was nasty. Unfortunately, the guys I lunched with liked it, so it was one of the cafeterias on our list.
C. T.

Cafeterias are a dying concept all over the country. I never, ever see them here in California, although I'm sure there are still some around.

All the chain cafeterias have pulled way, way back. I know there is still a Luby's on N. May and a Furr's in Moore but both used to have multiple locations in OKC.


I simply think people have way more -- and frankly, better -- options now than they did when cafeterias were a big thing.

The whole concept is almost certain to yield mediocre food, because they are preparing all types of dishes in advance, then letting them sit around. I am always suspicious of any place with a very broad menu: 'Jack of all trades, master of none'. And I really don't like buffets because food is prepared in advance and then just sits. Even McDonald's no longer makes burgers ahead of time.


There are plenty of restaurants that offer more variety than a cafeteria -- Applebee's & Chili's for example (breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, pasta, salads, appetizers, ribs, seafood, steaks, tacos, chicken, pizza, full bar and many deserts, and a kid's menu with a dozen or more items), and then places like the Cheesecake Factory take it to a whole new level. Even Sonic has an amazing array of food items.

My mother used to take us to Anna Maude's and that was a treat. They had great pastries, especially the chocolate eclairs. Another good one when I was a child was Dodson's. Locally owned, one store for many years, and a second one opened in the late 50's to 60's. I also ate at Adair's fairly often in my early adult life. There was one on Lincoln Boulevard and I worked just North of 36th so it was pretty handy when I was in a hurry. Maybe my youth, or my stupidity, but I always liked cafeterias and ate at them through the 90's for lunch. A cafeteria was always on our lunch rotation. I haven't eaten at one in a long time so maybe they have changed. The one exception for me was Home Town Buffet or whatever it was called at the time (I think they changed hands at least twice, maybe three times), I thought their food was nasty. Unfortunately, the guys I lunched with liked it, so it was one of the cafeterias on our list.
C. T.

HomeTown Buffet (at least the one on I-240) was immediately before that a "Duff's Smorgasbord," and it was ghastly. One of the worst restaurant/food things ever. Absolutely the worst chicken I'd ever had, just tasted old and stale. Everything we had just tasted nasty. Got up and left. I don't think it was around very long before it closed down, then reopened as HTB. Don't know if the two outfits were related/different names, or if they sold out, or what, but it put the B in Bad.

Now that I think about it, I'm 99% sure that Duff's wasn't the first place to occupy that building on I-240, but for the life of me I can't remember what did. There was (well, is) a similar if not identical building on NW Expy that presently holds an Olive Garden if I'm not mistaken, and I suppose its possible they were in that building where HTB was and later moved to their current location in the Walnut Creek Shopping Center (which was, as I recall, a Joe Kelly's originally). Just don't remember with certainty what that building was....alas....memories ain't what they used to be :)



...There are plenty of restaurants that offer more variety than a cafeteria -- Applebee's & Chili's for example ...


True, and while I will be the first to offer how much my family enjoys Applebee's for precisely that reason, I will offer that the food made in most of those "classic" cafeterias was, certainly for the locally owned ones, made on-site, fresh, every day. The Applebee's et al have a great portion of their menu prepackaged and shipped in vacuum-sealed containers/polybags/what have you that is then reheated/reconstituted on site. And Dodson's fresh chocolate icebox pie was just the most incredible thing you ever tasted :)

I saw a picture in a historical web site of the Cattleman's Cafeteria. Where would it have been? I don't think it was related to Cattleman's Steak House.

I think, too, in many areas of the country most grocery stores have a fairly comprehensive array of hot and cold food bars, in house coffee joints, sandwichs made to order, etc., similar to what Whole Foods offers here.

This is the norm in many newer grocery stores.

SoonerDave,
The one on NW Expressway was/is on the North side, at the Expressway and 63rd intersection. I don't remember if it was Duff's or not but I'm certain it was three different names.
C. T.
There was (well, is) a similar if not identical building on NW Expy that presently holds an Olive Garden if I'm not mistaken, and I suppose its possible they were in that building where HTB was and later moved to their current location in the Walnut Creek Shopping Center (which was, as I recall, a Joe Kelly's originally). Just don't remember with certainty what that building was....alas....memories ain't what they used to be

I am still a fan of cafeterias, perhaps because of childhood memories. Anna Maude was always a treat, and we also enjoyed The Forum which was on the north side of Main St and had a large circular staircase leading to the upstairs serving line. I like that I can select a well balanced meal with normal serving sizes, not the extreme portions found at most restaurants these days.

True, and while I will be the first to offer how much my family enjoys Applebee's for precisely that reason, I will offer that the food made in most of those "classic" cafeterias was, certainly for the locally owned ones, made on-site, fresh, every day. The Applebee's et al have a great portion of their menu prepackaged and shipped in vacuum-sealed containers/polybags/what have you that is then reheated/reconstituted on site. And Dodson's fresh chocolate icebox pie was just the most incredible thing you ever tasted :)

The dishes served at Applebee's and Chili's are far more complex and diverse than the standard cafeteria fare.

Entrees in cafeterias where generally just basic stuff like meatloaf and roast with maybe some plain fish or chicken thrown in. If they did something like enchiladas they were usually incredibly bland.

So, the chains have to figure out a way to deliver consistency and somewhat fresh-tasting food when it offers items on the menu that might not be ordered for days at a time.

I'm not advocating for these places because I almost never eat at any chain, but I'm also sure the standard entree at Applebee's is far more flavorful than anything a cafeteria had sitting in it's steam bins.

The dishes served at Applebee's and Chili's are far more complex and diverse than the standard cafeteria fare.

Entrees in cafeterias where generally just basic stuff like meatloaf and roast with maybe some plain fish or chicken thrown in. If they did something like enchiladas they were usually incredibly bland.

So, the chains have to figure out a way to deliver consistency and somewhat fresh-tasting food when it offers items on the menu that might not be ordered for days at a time.

I'm not advocating for these places because I almost never eat at any chain, but I'm also sure the standard entree at Applebee's is far more flavorful than anything a cafeteria had sitting in it's steam bins.

I guess my memories of cafeterias aren't quite as jaded as yours, Pete :) There were some nice places back in the day. I know they're never coming back, as I guess no one else remembers anything other than the dreaded "steam bins." And I've not tasted a slice of pie anywhere that could come close to Dodson's chocolate ice box pie, steam bins notwithstanding.

Now that I think about it, I'm 99% sure that Duff's wasn't the first place to occupy that building on I-240, but for the life of me I can't remember what did. There was (well, is) a similar if not identical building on NW Expy that presently holds an Olive Garden if I'm not mistaken

did a search for "1012 sw 74th" on the oklahoman's archives. the earliest ad returned (which was for duff's) was in january of 1983. in december of 1985, the place was called 'the choice buffet & deli.' i'm not sure how long after that the place was called 'hometown buffet', but i don't remember anything in between. -M

...as for olive garden, the first olive garden in the city opened in late 1987 at 6628 nw expressway which was the former site of a duff's. the second in the city opened in the walnut square shopping center sometime in 1989 in the former joe kelley's spot. -M

...as for olive garden, the first olive garden in the city opened in late 1987 at 6628 nw expressway which was the former site of a duff's. the second in the city opened in the walnut square shopping center sometime in 1989 in the former joe kelley's spot. -M

Aha! "The Choice!" I believe that was actually one of the original operating names that evolved into HTB. Knew there was a missing link in there!

Joe Kelly was a pretty big name in the restaurant business in that time frame, because I'm reasonably sure they also ran a bunch of Chi Chi's Mexican Restaurants - one on I-240 where yours truly worked as a busboy for a time. That was back before county-option liquor by the drink had been approved, but the place had an open bar and would periodically get raided by ABLE. The restaurant was busy all the time, too - we had two-hour-plus waits for tables back at the height of ChiChi's popularity. Things started to fade, as I recall, and rumors of unwise financial dealings began circulating around Joe Kelly, and eventually the whole thing went bankrupt. Hope I'm not getting the names confused on Joe Kelly, but don't think I am.

The Chi Chi's on 240 was eventually an IU Sports Grill, which failed, and the building was later torn down and turned into a Krispy Kreme, which failed, and now hosts "The Garage" burger joint under Hal Smith...

As sentimental as I am -- and I'm probably more so than anyone -- I also believe that things now are almost always way better than the "old days".

It's fun and heart-warming to look back on when we all were younger, but I have a scary-good memory that snaps me back to reality when I start to romanticize the past.

Things that have changed have generally changed for very good reasons, namely that there is lots more knowledge, sharing of information and much higher octane competition that leads to the perpetual improvement of almost everything.

For example, I often think of my old Mustang with great affection but then remember the time my brakes went out while was I flying down I-35, or the many times I was stranded on the side of the road. These are things that simply don't happen any more, even with the cheapest cars.

And one of my biggest pet peeves are parents that refuse to let their kids ride their bikes around or take the bus to school because "it's not like when we were kids". When in fact, in almost any measurable way, things are safer now than then.


99% of the food served in all these long-closed restaurants we all pine for would never stand up to today's offerings. A pie here or there, excepted. :)

I remember eating at Picadilly's in Crossroads Mall :)

^

I ate a Picadilly's quite a bit in the early 80's because I worked at the mall while in college.

[99% of the food served in all these long-closed restaurants we all pine for would never stand up to today's offerings. A pie here or there, excepted. :)[/QUOTE]

I agree with you Pete. So much has changed since the 80's with the Luby's BOOM, especially in Texas, where I grew going there every Wednesday at 4:15 with my grandparents. People now have higher standards on quality and service. They don't want food that has been sitting under a heat lamp for hours, they want it prepared especially for them. Once again, the Food Network and popularity of cooking has something to do with the general public's wants and needs. These cafeterias usually occupied a ton of square footage with enormous kitchens...the economics no longer worked. Maybe they will come back in the near future with some modern tweaks!

The company that I work for used to run a buffet, and we closed it down due to the fact that it became a never-ending sea of red ink. Our customers tended to over-eat or over-portion on the most expensive items in the buffet (these items are known as "proteins"), and our plate costs steadily grew each and every year. The amount of waste generated by the uneaten food every day was horrendous. We tried all sorts of subtle changes such as using smaller plates, reducing the protein selection, changing the layout of various items, using larger drinking cups (to fill people up with soda faster), etc., and none of it worked. It's simply a low margin business that is completely dependent on volume. If the volume drops, not only do you lose money but then the quality of the food suffers and then the quality issues drive even more losses down the line.

Tuck is right about changing trends--after we changed the concept to an a la carte one, hardly anyone complained and our business didn't even lose a step.

Joe Kelly was a pretty big name in the restaurant business in that time frame, because I'm reasonably sure they also ran a bunch of Chi Chi's Mexican Restaurants - one on I-240 where yours truly worked as a busboy for a time. That was back before county-option liquor by the drink had been approved, but the place had an open bar and would periodically get raided by ABLE. The restaurant was busy all the time, too - we had two-hour-plus waits for tables back at the height of ChiChi's popularity. Things started to fade, as I recall, and rumors of unwise financial dealings began circulating around Joe Kelly, and eventually the whole thing went bankrupt. Hope I'm not getting the names confused on Joe Kelly, but don't think I am.Kelly was, indeed, a rather big name in that time frame. I remember when he built the little place on the north side of 240, originally as a "McCracken's Mill" I believe. A son of a close friend and bowling partner was the first manager of it, so my wife and I were invited to the pre-opening party "on the house" and it was great.

That same son later helped open the very first TGIF in OKC, in the building near NW Hiway and Rockwell that's now occupied by Fazoli's.

After the initial bankruptcy of Kelly's enterprises, he opened a small place called Gator's on Country Club Drive, just east of May and slightly south of Grand. It didn't last long, but all of us at "Automation Resources Inc." ate there often since our own offices were less than half a block away...

When I was young, my family would go to Adairs Cafeteria on Lincoln Blvd. I always got fried chicken and always had dessert, meringue pie. Umm umm umm!

...as for olive garden, the first olive garden in the city opened in late 1987 at 6628 nw expressway which was the former site of a duff's. the second in the city opened in the walnut square shopping center sometime in 1989 in the former joe kelley's spot. -M

I remember Duff's on the south side of NW Hwy , east of Rockwell. It had the carousel that had the food on it and it came out from behing the wall to the left and you could stand there and make your selections as the food went by. It went back into to wall on the right where it was restocked out of view.

We used to kid my foreman at the time, who was a very large man, that he would just grab a fork and a chair and sit down in front of the carousel and eat what he wanted as the food went by. :D

I have a fond memory of The Choice on 240. It has absolutely nothing to do with the taste of the food because i cant imagine I was more the 7 or 8 at the time but one if not several of the buffet stations there revolved and I distinctly remember thinking that was the best thing Id ever seen at the time.

Growing up a Navy brat I have eaten at cafeterias from one coast to the other. When you're young and hungry dang near everything tastes good. The best cafeteria style meal, for me, was Wednesday night Church supper. You get a bunch of Southern Baptist Women together and have them bring their signature dish. If heaven has a buffet that's what it is.

Luby's closed 25 locations in 2009, in fact there are two in Oklahoma (OKC/Tulsa) and one in Arkansas (Little Rock), the rest are all in Texas and are managed by the Pappas group out of Houston as a separate group. They also bought Fuddrucker's out of bankruptcy in 2010.

Although it closed due to new buyers for Founders Tower, I always enjoyed Queen Ann"s Cafeteria. Great food and the quality was great. I also enjoyed Lady Classen which was on about 71st and May Avenue. I hear the Boulevard Cafeteria in Midtown is still open. Their food was good as well.

The company that I work for used to run a buffet, and we closed it down due to the fact that it became a never-ending sea of red ink. Our customers tended to over-eat or over-portion on the most expensive items in the buffet (these items are known as "proteins"), and our plate costs steadily grew each and every year. The amount of waste generated by the uneaten food every day was horrendous. We tried all sorts of subtle changes such as using smaller plates, reducing the protein selection, changing the layout of various items, using larger drinking cups (to fill people up with soda faster), etc., and none of it worked. It's simply a low margin business that is completely dependent on volume. If the volume drops, not only do you lose money but then the quality of the food suffers and then the quality issues drive even more losses down the line.

Tuck is right about changing trends--after we changed the concept to an a la carte one, hardly anyone complained and our business didn't even lose a step.

Thanks for sharing this. I know you work for a very high-profile operation, so your perspective is particularly valuable.


I had wondered about waste and your post confirms that it is very high, which is bad on many levels.

As sentimental as I am -- and I'm probably more so than anyone -- I also believe that things now are almost always way better than the "old days".

...snip...

99% of the food served ....in all these long-closed restaurants we all pine for would never stand up to today's offerings. A pie here or there, excepted. :)

Oh, yeah, plenty of nostalgic glasses here....having said that...

Hmmmm....99%? I dunno about that. I mean, let's face it, Applebee's (or Chilis) putting a chicken breast over beans and rice or building a hamburger aren't exactly examples of culinary brain surgery. Dodson's, in its day, had breaded veal cutlets, beef stroganoff, made-from-scratch yeast dinner rolls, and more vegetables than you could shake a stick at - and ones that were usually properly cooked. That's something the chains are only now getting slightly better at: their "vegetable medleys" accompanying most entrees are still either undercooked or cooked to mush. Don't get me wrong - I realize that the old cafeterias had their practical constraints by the nature of their format, nothing cooked to order, but I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to concede the 99% factor :)

All I was offering in the discussion was that, given every kind and variety of slop people will eat these days, I'm just surprised that some contemporary take on the old cafeteria format hasn't found its niche in the market. And perhaps the bulk-food "buffets" are precisely that.

A quiet place to get a varied meal with most things prepared in-house was just taken for granted back in the day.



I remember eating at Picadilly's in Crossroads Mall

You know, I grew up not ten minutes away from CM, and I don't know that we ever ate there - or if we did, it was just once or twice, and promptly forgotten. Couldn't tell you why. It always smelled good and seemed nice, but just never hit our list, as it were - although when I was a (little) kid, eating out was a pretty big deal, and a special treat was to go to the Glen's HikRy Inn Sunday Smorgasbord. Now *that* was a great treat...if ya want to go sentimental, Glen's is a great place to start :)

I think a lot of the appeal of cafeterias on this thread has to do with nostalgia.

Growing up, I hated when we went to a cafeteria. I always thought the food tasted as bland as the atmosphere looked in those places. I think that has a lot to do with why cafeterias have gone away. People like a place with atmosphere and a smaller menu done well. Plus the people who liked cafeterias has slowly gone away. That customer base is very few and far between these days.

when I was a (little) kid, eating out was a pretty big deal, and a special treat was to go to the Glen's HikRy Inn Sunday Smorgasbord. Now *that* was a great treat...if ya want to go sentimental, Glen's is a great place to start :)

Glenn's was a great place. And, if we didn't go there, another treat was a couple miles west to Nicolosi's. .. Loved that place too.

And while your talking about vegetables. Chilli's has had "seasonal vegetables" on their menu. I don't care what time of year you go in there and order them, it's always broccoli.

Dodson's and the Queen Ann where the best

Rezman,
And don't forget J&R Chicken Ranch! Wasn't it West of Nicolosi's?
C. T.
Glenn's was a great place. And, if we didn't go there, another treat was a couple miles west to Nicolosi's. .. Loved that place too.

And nobody's yet mentioned Glen's Hikry Pit, which was across 10th from the Hikry Inn itself and served nothing but BBQ. So long as the Glen Eaves family ran it, it had the best BBQ to be found in NW OKC.

Back in the late 50s, whenever we could find $10 that didn't have to pay a bill, we'd head for the Hikry Inn to get a pair of the $3.95 sirloins with all the trimmings. And whenever Wally Brown, at the big organ in the back room, saw us come in, he'd segue into "Tico Tico" especially for us. Wally's a long-time ham radio friend...

The company that I work for used to run a buffet, and we closed it down due to the fact that it became a never-ending sea of red ink. Our customers tended to over-eat or over-portion on the most expensive items in the buffet (these items are known as "proteins"), and our plate costs steadily grew each and every year. The amount of waste generated by the uneaten food every day was horrendous. We tried all sorts of subtle changes such as using smaller plates, reducing the protein selection, changing the layout of various items, using larger drinking cups (to fill people up with soda faster), etc., and none of it worked. It's simply a low margin business that is completely dependent on volume. If the volume drops, not only do you lose money but then the quality of the food suffers and then the quality issues drive even more losses down the line.

Tuck is right about changing trends--after we changed the concept to an a la carte one, hardly anyone complained and our business didn't even lose a step.

I think what you just described here is virtually a mirror image of what HomeTown Buffet became. Their prices seemed to go up on a nearly biweekly basis, up to the point where we all just started looking at each other and saying, "you know, the prices are just too high." And we stopped going - at least nowhere near as frequently as we once did, and one day, we saw the place was closed.

Sounds to me like they experienced precisely what you described - ever escalating plate costs that they just couldn't recover.

One thing I've never understood is breakfast buffets, especially ones with scrambled eggs. I mean, yuck. Under any kind of heat, they get rubbery and nasty in a hurry, pancakes get dried out and nasty....just....ugh. I remember Shoney's used to have a breakfast buffet here years ago, and I tried it once en route to work......ugh.

All these musings remind me of the little cafe at Wister Lake, a few miles away from Poteau. Sunday lunches were either Mama's chicken, or her pot roast or a drive over to the cafe just above Lake Wister. Mighty tasty food to be had on Sundays where I grew up.

The cafe had a small handwritten sign that was simply Please take what you want. Please eat what you take.

Nooooooooooo problem.
I don't know if they ever charged Pops extra when we pulled up with him, Mama and four hollow legged boys, but they probably shoulda.

Rezman,
And don't forget J&R Chicken Ranch! Wasn't it West of Nicolosi's?
C. T.
Yes it was. The last thing in there that I remember was a Senior Nutrition Center.

Rezman,
And don't forget J&R Chicken Ranch! Wasn't it West of Nicolosi's?
C. T.

Yes, If I remember correctly, it was between Nicolosi's and what was then Will Rogers Bank. Cattycorner from Nix lumber Co. .... which by the way, is still hanging on after all these years.

All these musings remind me of the little cafe at Wister Lake, a few miles away from Poteau. Sunday lunches were either Mama's chicken, or her pot roast or a drive over to the cafe just above Lake Wister. Mighty tasty food to be had on Sundays where I grew up.

The cafe had a small handwritten sign that was simply Please take what you want. Please eat what you take.

Nooooooooooo problem.
I don't know if they ever charged Pops extra when we pulled up with him, Mama and four hollow legged boys, but they probably shoulda.

Did you grow up in Poteau? We stayed the night there, back in August, and I just fell in love with the place. We ate at an establishment that the desk clerk at the hotel recommended: Warehouse Willy's (VERY tasty and interesting experience, in an old building, in the middle of the old downtown area). It was neither a buffet nor a cafeteria, has been there for many years, and seems to be doing very well. I mention that it is neither a buffet nor a cafeteria to give this post some vague thread relevance. (Sure wish that I'd been aware of that road to the top of The Highest Hill in Oklahoma--"Cavanal" or something like that. The summit might be a good location for a scenic cafeteria . . . I say "might" because I haven't actually been there).

When I used to take my students on the occasional field trip, that often involved eating somewhere, we usually went to Hometown Buffet or Golden Corral. I always used to tell them: "Eat as much as you want but don't try to sneak out food for later or leave a bunch of stuff on your plate. I'm telling you this because if you like eating there (and they did like it, very much) and want to continue to have the opportunity to do so in the future that's how you have to play. If you don't, one of two things will happen: we will get barred from ever coming back or the place will go out of business because of greed and waste. I know that you are going to do whatever you choose to do, but I'm just telling you the possible consequences." The little lecture seemed to be fairly effective, at least for my little group. If everyone had thought about stuff like that then Hometown Buffet might still be around.

Catfish Cabin used to have a buffet location in Midwest City. We frequented the place. About that time, I was acquainted with two brothers who were both "big guys" and one night they showed up at Catfish Cabin and started shoveling in the shrimp. I think they ate for about two hours until the owner actually ran them off and forbade their return. I mention that to illustrate the truth of my lecture to my students back in the day. (Catfish Cabin has also gone to The Graveyard of Failed Eateries.)

Yes RM, from 60-79, then in and out from 79-86, though mostly in. Even when living in Tahlequah for two years, we were working in Poteau most weekends for an NFP we both cared about. We came to Norman in '86, and for a long time went back 2 or more weekends a month, but slowly became more entrenched out here on the prairie over time.

Willy's is a local favorite to be sure.

If you count all the corporate cafeterias I would say the industry is booming. They just only open for lunch now.

I suppose Nebu is technically a cafeteria, just a new breed of one.

And everyone raves about the food.

If you count all the corporate cafeterias I would say the industry is booming. They just only open for lunch now.

So, maybe when They open a Scenic Cafeteria on top of Cavanal (or whatever it's called) in Poteau--the coolest little city in Oklahoma--They could call it Poppa Aubrey's?
(sorry . . . this is about random musings regarding the failure of cafeterias rather than my previously entirely unknown preference for Poteau. i apologize. =)

I might suggest that they post a couple of signs next to the door:

"There Is No Free Lunch"

"Don't Coloradocate* Oklahoma. Especially Poteau."

*an unapologetic rip-off of the old bumpersticker:
"Don't Californicate Colorado"
with a tip o' the hat to the sign outside of Lyons, CO, c. 1968:
"Lyons, CO. A Nice Place to Visit but Don't Unpack"

Yes, If I remember correctly, it was between Nicolosi's and what was then Will Rogers Bank. Cattycorner from Nix lumber Co. .... which by the way, is still hanging on after all these years.
It was at Purdue, right by the Atlas Iron Works sign.