Shoney’s Restaurant

All started well for breakfast THEN as I sat facing the bar I see an employee fixing her a bowl of biscuit and gravy. No big deal UNTIL she stopped at the end of the bar and ate it. Another employee walked up and they had conversation. She moved and let him pass into the bar. He began to check the clean plates (or so one would think). I thought ok that’s good UNTIL he, with bare hands, began picking off stuff of plates and putting them back in the «use these clean plates». I told the server when she asked about my breakfast. Said she would tell the manager, female. Well manager goes into bar pours water and DID NOT remove plates hand picked clean, bare hand picked clean. Seems they have no problem with cleaning the food surface of plates with their bare hands and putting them out there for us to eat. No gloves, picking and rubbing plates. DISGUSTING. I won’t be back.

The words «seafood buffet» caught my eye as we were boogeying down the street didn’t have time to note the name of the restaurant; so when it was time for «lupper» at 3:00 PM or so we circled back and lo and behold it was «Shoney’s.»
We adjusted our expectations and entered.
This place was SPOTLESS, virtually gleaming!
And they were cleaning the clean when we sauntered in!
Bolstered by the appearance of the place we adjusted our expectations again!
That adjustment was quickly offset when we sat down with our plates.
The first bite of hot seafood was not hot, nor was it warm, nor was it tepid, but rather the ambient temperature of the room.
It was a cold day, so that was probably somewhere around 68 degrees.
We hadn’t started with grilled orange roughy, (not offered), but rather deep or pan-​fried perch maybe? And cajun catfish, (fried of course), and clam strips and teeny tiny shrimp all deep fried stuff.
The only non-​fried item that seemed available was the new «catfish», tilapia!
It was cold as well.
There are few things more distasteful than cold fried seafood.
Suddenly the tenor of «all you can eat», quickly shifted to «all you can keep down.»
In the interest of not testing the parameters of the latter, most of the plate was left unmolested and we turned to the salad bar component.
It was fine.
We’ve all experienced the feeling, countless times we’ve been asked how everything was by the waitress and had nothing adverse to report, and now we have something to say, and nary a query is made… curses!
Up to the cashier we saunter with credit card in hand and lo and behold the Manager checks us out and asks «How was everything?»
My response? «The service was excellent, but the hot food on this buffet was the COLDEST „hot“ food I have ever had in my entire life!»
He was quite apologetic and asked if we had told our waitress, to which I responded «No, no inquiry about the food was fielded!»
Again he apologized and took $ 5 off the bill.
A very nice jesture.
They must have blown the fuse that operated the steam tables and not known it.
Based on the cleanliness of the place and the eagerness to please exhibited by the staff, I really wanted to report favorably on this place, but alas it’s going to have to wait for the next visit during which I will have to order from the menu.

Tables are always sticky anytime I have been there.