Does anybody still eat at Cafaterias?

[Brian556]

Back in the 80's-early 90's, my parents both loved to eat at cafeterias; it was the only type of resteraunt that my mother would take us to. Now, they are all gone (in my area, anyway).
In Texas, we would eat at Luby's and Furr's
in Florida, my father would take us to Morrison's

They had good food; and you didn't have to wait a long time for it. I don't know why they went away. I do know that the clientele was mostly older folks. Did this tradition just not stick with the younger generation for some reason?

This is one of the bigger changes to our way of life that has occurred in my lifetime.
Are they still alive any kicking in any other areas?

[mcdonaat]

Back in the 80's-early 90's, my parents both loved to eat at cafeterias; it was the only type of resteraunt that my mother would take us to. Now, they are all gone (in my area, anyway).
In Texas, we would eat at Luby's and Furr's
in Florida, my father would take us to Morrison's

They had good food; and you didn't have to wait a long time for it. I don't know why they went away. I do know that the clientele was mostly older folks. Did this tradition just not stick with the younger generation for some reason?

This is one of the bigger changes to our way of life that has occurred in my lifetime.
Are they still alive any kicking in any other areas?

We have a Piccadilly here in Alexandria that is always busy, and a Lubys in the surgical hospital. Monroe has the best one, and Baton Rouge has tons of Piccadilly restaurants.

Nexus 7

[bugo]

We went to Furr's in Fort Smith when I was a kid.

[roadman65]

Woodgrill Buffet in Orlando on International Drive.

I do not know if this counts because it is so common, but the Golden Corrall I have eaten at plenty of times before.  Not recently, though as Woodgrill has a better price.

[jeffandnicole]

There was a cafeteria near me that my grandparents would take me to quite often.  After my wife and I got married, we went there once and were probably the youngest couple there by 30 years!

They tried changing to more of a restaurant format near the end of its life that didn't last more than a year.  Been shuttered ever since.

If you're referring to buffets, Old Country Buffet & Golden Carral are still around.  Ponderosa condensed their locations but still exist.  Casinos (ie: AC & Vegas) still have very popular buffets...although they are no longer the cheap eats they once were: Many of the better casino buffets will run you $30 - $45 per person.

[formulanone]

I think they probably didn't resonate with a younger generation that experienced the terrible public school cafeterias of yore.

I've gone to them a few times for travels on the cheap, and some office buildings I've worked at still have them.

[Pete from Boston]

Since Rustler closed in the mid-80s, I can't think of a non-fast-food cafeteria-style chain.   We had a place here called Carl's Deli that had been around forever that had steam tables full of caserole and kielbasa and the like, but once the Big Dig wrapped up and the downtown became dominated more exclusively by white-collar types, it closed in favor of some kind of wrap place. 

[roadman65]

I do remember Morrison and Davis Brothers, but only ate in both of them once.  One was when I was small which was the latter, and I am not sure if Davis Brothers Cafeteria was a chain or just one among their many motels.

Morrison was all over the south and had one in the Florida Mall where Ruby Tuesday now is and another one in the now defunct Osceola Square Mall and the main Orlando one on I Drive near Sand Lake Road in the heart of the Orlando Non Disney tourist area.

To Add to this:  Colonial Williamsburg has one (or had one) in the Visitors Center on VA 132Y that was adjacent to the motor lodge that I ate at years ago.  It was good for a tourist type of fast food establishment.

Then the Smithsonian in DC with it carousel type of cafeteria where the steam table revolves in a circle and you take the food as it comes towards you were always neat when visiting the museums.

[hbelkins]

There were a couple of cafeterias that were popular in Kentucky when I was growing up. I remember one was in the Turfland Mall and we ate there occasionally when we went to Lexington shopping. I can't remember their names. I'm wanting to think one was called Blue Boar.

There was also a buffet chain that was popular at one time. King's Table was the name, and there was one on Southland Drive in Lexington that my dad liked. I also recall a buffet restaurant in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., that my dad liked, and was still in business when my wife and I got married in 1995 and started going to the Smokies a couple of times a year. I don't remember its name and don't know if it's still in existence or not.

I think the cafeterias were popular with tour buses.

[roadman65]

I forgot about K & W Caferteria in Williamsburg, FL (Not VA as Orlando has one too), but it was short lived on one end of the strip mall that hosted many other fast food stores that always went belly up each time it opened.

They were good and it was rather recently it was there, but still far enough in the past to be distant as all of you young people will soon find out that after age 30 time flies by real fast!

As far as buses go, now being a food server, I can tell you how hard it is to serve ala carte to large groups.  Caferterias are the best way to get the food out for large numbers of people as you make food all at once and it is distributed all at once with one orderly line.  Self serve is much appreciated over waiting for a server to finally get to you.

[Brian556]

quote from roadman65:

Self serve is much appreciated over waiting for a server to finally get to you.

Agreed .especially when it comes to drinks. Wait staff does not give you enough attention, and lets your drink run dry. Then you have to stop eating for at least 5 minutes before they bring you a refill. It's really annoying.

Also, wasn't there a Morrison's on SR 50 near Downtown Orlando?

We have Golden Corral Here in Texas, too. I consider it a buffet, not a cafeteria. I really don't care for their food. Also, there seems to be a lot of very overweight people in there.

[txstateends]

Brian's right.  The DFW area has been whittled down to a very very few cafeterias.  You really have to hunt to find one.  I've seen this in Amarillo also.  They used to have several chains there, now IINM, there are just a couple of Furr's left (Luby's and Piccadilly had locations there but are all gone now).  Back when they were more plentiful, I noticed there were a few located by hospitals.  I'm not sure if those chains meant to locate in that way or if maybe I'm trying too hard to look for a coincidence.  Also, in the early history of several grocery-supermarket chains, some of them had co-owned cafeterias or were associated with them; Furr's was one I remember (the grocery chain split from the cafeterias decades ago) although there weren't always locations of both in close proximity.  A long-gone local grocery chain in DFW, Wyatt's, had a cafeteria chain also.  The grocery part got snapped up by Kroger (that was their original entry into the DFW grocery market), leaving the cafeterias to last for a while.  The last of Wyatt's cafeterias poofed in recent years without much fanfare.  Furr's is trying to modernize despite having to go bankrupt twice, move their headquarters, and downsize.  Now they have a concept called Furr's Fresh Buffet with some locations in the DFW area.  A local chain called Highland Park Cafeteria went out with much regret from its fans, but sometime (~2 years?) later, someone bought one of the buildings, somehow got the rights to the name, and has reopened that one location as a Highland Park Cafeteria again.  I haven't heard how it's doing.

It seems true that the cafeteria genre is most popular with seniors and those who grew up eating at a cafeteria regularly.  But lately, at least in the north TX area, it looks like buffet restaurants (at least more modern ones) are largely taking the place of cafeterias for those not into fast food, or a sit-down with menus.  Golden Corral is, as mentioned before, represented here, as well as quite a few local Asian-style buffets.

I don't remember the last time I ate at a cafeteria; it was probably a Luby's, and has to have been a while ago.

[Brian556]

I had actually forgotten about Wyatt's.

Cafeterias were a good concept.

A good variety of home-cooked type foods without having to tip a waiter or wait for it to be cooked.

It really sucks that there is now nowhere to get home-cooked type foods for those of us who don't have a woman to cook for us like families did in the good old days. It is really hard to eat properly and healthy these days.

The good thing about cafeterias was that their food was easy on tummy. Most fast and restaurant food really isn't. It would be nice to be able to eat a meal out somewhere other than Subway without worrying about getting the runs.

[hbelkins]

Confirmed that it was a Blue Boar in Turfland Mall in Lexington.

Also, the buffet in Pigeon Forge is Duff's Famous Smorgasbord.

[Mapmikey]

Also, the buffet in Pigeon Forge is Duff's Famous Smorgasbord.

We had a Duff's in Charleston SC in the early 80s...went when it was brand new and it was the first real buffet place I remember going to (middle schooler).  It closed down after a few years and I was surprised to see one running in Pigeon Forge when I ate there in 2003.

My wife and I find the National Park cafeterias we have been to (Yellowstone, Glacier, Grand Canyon) to be pretty decent.  Otherwise, we tend to try to find local places to eat when traveling.  until we get tired of that and get desperation salad (wendys, Culvers, Chick-Fil-A)...

Mapmikey

[Urban Prairie Schooner]

My grandparents were pretty much weekly patrons of Piccadilly's. Fond memories from when I was young, but they have slipped a few notches since then. It appears they no longer use cloth napkins. The food is cheaper and blander than I remember (ate there last week for the first time in a couple years). Maybe it's just an issue limited to that specific restaurant (one of the oldest in the chain, though it has been remodeled since I was last through there).

[agentsteel53]

what is the difference between a cafeteria and a buffet?

[hbelkins]

Cafeterias give you pre-measured items, you select them as you go through the line, and you pay for each one individually. Everything is a la carte. Say you get a bowl of cole slaw, a meat, two vegetables and a dessert. You'll pay a certain amount. The person with you gets a bowl of cole slaw, a meat, three vegetables and a dessert. He will pay more because he got an extra side. If he only got one vegetable, he would pay less than you did.

Buffets are typically pay one price and eat as much of whatever you want. The person who will only get a salad, one entree and a couple of vegetables is charged the same as a person who gets three meats, six veggies and three different desserts. And you typically serve yourself and make as many trips to the food bar(s) as you want.

[huskeroadgeek]

Based on the description above(a good description-I knew the difference between a cafeteria and a buffet, but didn't know a good way of describing it), buffets are still around and fairly popular, particularly all-you-can-eat buffets. But cafeterias have been slowly dying out for years. I used to eat at a couple of local cafeterias when I was younger and ate at Furr's a few times on family vacations, but I haven't eaten at a standalone cafeteria(i.e one that is not part of something else like a hospital or a school) in probably 20 years or so. I don't think we have any of the old-style cafeterias still around here, but we do have a few places that have all-you-can-eat buffets.

[iowahighways]

Back in the 80's-early 90's, my parents both loved to eat at cafeterias; it was the only type of resteraunt that my mother would take us to. Now, they are all gone (in my area, anyway).
In Texas, we would eat at Luby's and Furr's
in Florida, my father would take us to Morrison's

There was also Bishop's in the Midwest, where my mother worked for a few years when I was growing up. They had over 30 cafeterias in the mid-1980s but their last two -- in Dubuque, IA, and Moline, IL -- closed in 2012. (However, some supermarkets in Iowa now sell their pies, including their signature chocolate ambrosia pies.)

[Roadrunner75]

Standalone cafeterias are uncommon now in New Jersey to my knowledge (outside hospitals, government buildings and private companies), but there was Weber's Cafeteria in Woodbury.  I looked it up and apparently it's for sale.  A couple of photos of its dated décor are here (for now):
http://commercial.century21.com/listing/666-n-broad-street-woodbury-nj-08096-C2135579038

I also remember KMarts in the area used to have them in the back of the store (late 70s/early 80s), before being replaced for a little while by Little Caesar's Pizza.  They always seemed dark and empty...

[Pete from Boston]

Standalone cafeterias are uncommon now in New Jersey to my knowledge (outside hospitals, government buildings and private companies), but there was Weber's Cafeteria in Woodbury.  I looked it up and apparently it's for sale.  A couple of photos of its dated décor are here (for now):
http://commercial.century21.com/listing/666-n-broad-street-woodbury-nj-08096-C2135579038

I also remember KMarts in the area used to have them in the back of the store (late 70s/early 80s), before being replaced for a little while by Little Caesar's Pizza.  They always seemed dark and empty...

I never saw a Kmart cafeteria, but I remember the lunch counter in Paramus (perhaps left over from Grand Way?).  Lots of department stores had food service in those days.  Most of the higher-end stores had a classy sit-down, while Sears and Macy's/Bamberger's had various counter items.

I do recall cafeteria service on toll roads (New York Thruway, perhaps?) going back 30-35 years ago. The cafeteria experience felt unglamorous and utilitarian, not unlike a school cafeteria.

[briantroutman]

Most people probably wouldn't think of them in this category, but until the past few years, many (if not most) Roy Rogers locations at Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpike service plazas operated essentially as cafeterias. You'd pick up a tray at the head of the line, slide it past warming racks with pre-made burgers and pre-filled fry boxes, and pay at the end.

In an undergrad sociology class, I watched an old documentary about people on the fringes of society, and one was a transsexual from the NY metro area who said he and his friends would go to Roy Rogers on the New Jersey Turnpike because the cafeteria arrangement made it very easy to steal food. I don't recall absolutely anything else about that course, but I remember that clip like I watched it yesterday.

I've never seen this cafeteria-type setup at a standalone Roy Rogers, so I assume it was limited to concession operations. All the recently renovated PA service plaza locations have reverted to the standard fast food counter scheme.

I also remember KMarts in the area used to have them in the back of the store...

Up until a year or two ago, my hometown Kmart had a full-service restaurant with table service–imagine a Denny's with a smaller menu. I seem to remember hearing that old in-town Woolworth had a Harvest House cafeteria, but when they moved to the suburban shopping mall around 1980, the then-new Harvest House was basically generic fast food.

I'd say IKEA is the last bastion of true cafeterias inside retail stores.

[jeffandnicole]

Standalone cafeterias are uncommon now in New Jersey to my knowledge (outside hospitals, government buildings and private companies), but there was Weber's Cafeteria in Woodbury.  I looked it up and apparently it's for sale.  A couple of photos of its dated décor are here (for now):
http://commercial.century21.com/listing/666-n-broad-street-woodbury-nj-08096-C2135579038

I also remember KMarts in the area used to have them in the back of the store (late 70s/early 80s), before being replaced for a little while by Little Caesar's Pizza.  They always seemed dark and empty...

Webers is the one I was referring to!  Actually, when my parents took me there, we always parked in the lot out back and entered that way.  I never knew what the front entrance looked like (or that we were actually using the back entrance) until many years later.

The Kmart in Glassboro, NJ had a cafeteria.  The cafe area us now a Hollywood Tans.  I generally absolutely hate Kmart and never go in one anymore, but the few I have been in thru the past number of years had removed any food options, whether it be a snack bar, pizza, etc.  (About the only thing I go into Kmart for is their Christmas display items, which tend to be good stuff as reasonable prices)

[Roadrunner75]

Webers is the one I was referring to!  Actually, when my parents took me there, we always parked in the lot out back and entered that way.  I never knew what the front entrance looked like (or that we were actually using the back entrance) until many years later.

I had pretty much the same experience at Weber's.  My dad liked to go there in his later years, and the few times I was there we'd enter through the back parking lot.