Hole in the Wall Buffet's and Restaurants

[WVH1977]

When I travel south for work there is a little place in a rundown hotel called Thunderbird Country Buffet in Florence, SC. Yellow ceilings and ice cold sweet tea that the waitress keeps full at all times. Everything is home made and delicious. I like checking out places like this that most folks would just pass by and never think about going in. Sometimes you find a gem.

 

[bmaverick]

At first glance at the title, I thought you were referencing Warren Buffet's restaurants that he owns. Some are dives that serve up great food. Others are just dumb burger chains.

The great gems are getting harder to find now. This dumb post-covid era has way less now as placed closed their door for good. Very ad.

Out in my area, there hasn't been much to brag about. The pizza out here is yuck, the custard ice cream is yuck, some of the stake houses are 'alright', there was a great family owned Thai place, but it closed.

If you are in a town and the people brag about Denny's, then there isn't anything good for miles around. This is sad.

 

[jaxs]

When I travel south for work there is a little place in a rundown hotel called Thunderbird Country Buffet in Florence, SC. Yellow ceilings and ice cold sweet tea that the waitress keeps full at all times. Everything is home made and delicious. I like checking out places like this that most folks would just pass by and never think about going in. Sometimes you find a gem.

And sometimes you wind up with ptomaine poisoning.

 

[setxjeff]

not a hole in the wall but a meat market that decided to open a restaurant next door. Awesome food esp off the steam table and hamburgers the size of your plate if you want one that big.
Roberts Meat market in Orange Texas

 

[mjarrels]

not a hole in the wall but a meat market that decided to open a restaurant next door. Awesome food esp off the steam table and hamburgers the size of your plate if you want one that big.
Roberts Meat market in Orange Texas

Morrisons caferaterias in TN use to be great. some the best liver and onions and spinish salad I ever ate. very resonable price too along with good cold sweet tea.

mark

 

[jaxs]

Morrisons caferaterias in TN use to be great. some the best liver and onions and spinish salad I ever ate. very resonable price too along with good cold sweet tea.

mark

Texas once had three cafeteria chains,liver and onions was me and the wife's go to at all of them since the kids didn't like it we never had it at home. They've all dried up now. Why? According to local food critics "customers don't consider cafeterias a dinning experience". I don't consider sports bars a dinning experience.

 

[Torvy]

Warren Buffett owns Dairy Queen...

In Texas, "sweet tea" is redundant. It's gonna be sweet unless you order it unsweet. I don't mind sweet tea, but don't need the empty calories, so I'll stick to unsweet.

Back in the day, in Brown's Valley, Minnesota there was a place called Ike's Chicken Shack. It was a smorgasbord (fancy word for buffet). Great food without all of the ambiance.

Seems the only buffet style places in see now are Chinese or pizza. The Chinese is like playing roulette. Lots of decent food, cheap, but sometimes it is awful. The pizza is always a loss or a push.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Brown's Country Buffet in Alachua Florida, fried chicken everyday, but my favorites are Monday's with fried chicken gizzards and Thursday's fried porkchops with plenty of country sides on the buffet everyday, about $12 drink included.

 

[Oaktree]

In Texas, "sweet tea" is redundant. It's gonna be sweet unless you order it unsweet. I don't mind sweet tea, but don't need the empty calories, so I'll stick to unsweet.

Seems the only buffet style places in see now are Chinese or pizza. The Chinese is like playing roulette. Lots of decent food, cheap, but sometimes it is awful. The pizza is always a loss or a push.

For whatever reason, buffet restaurants are not a "thing" here in New England, the sole exception being Chinese. I don't know why. Many of them serve some non-Oriental dishes too, like mac & cheese, french fries or chicken fingers. Most of the ones I've been to are pretty good.
Never seen a pizza buffet, though back in the 70s when I spent a couple years in the PNW there was one chain that did an all-you-can-eat one day a week. Wasn't a buffet though, waitresses would come around with carts with several varieties and serve it. First time I'd ever heard of pineapple on pizza...sounds weird but it's good. No anchovies though...

Is "sweet tea" just tea with some sort of sweetener in it or is there more to it? Seems to be a southern term.

 

[Torvy]

Real sweet tea is made with simple syrup. The specifics are a closely held secret among aficionados.

Pizza Inn and CiCi's are chains around here that have buffet-style pizza. In the Northern Plains they have Pizza Ranch that has pizza and fried chicken in their buffet.

 

[jeff9366]

When the Sysco and other wholesale food vender sales people get the closeout "fresh" food list on Thursday, for Friday delivery, they immediately call the buffet restaurants. The buffet customers, you and I, may be eating Friday's leftover fish, oysters, shrimp and chicken on Tuesday.

 

[nbking]

We have a couple hole in the wall restaurants. El Rey taco shop, is very small, three tables, but they have a great salsa bar, and the burritos are massive, probably 50 things on the menu, very very good.
And Flappys pizza, huge slices like Sbarro in the mall, they have pizzas ready to eat by the slice, 10 draft beers on tap, and probably 20 different pizzas combos, like the chuck Norris, chicken and waffles, obi wan pepperoni, white trash, mighty meat etc. Plus other good meals if you don't want pizza. Any of the pizza's can be made into a calzone, burger, or on a bed of fries. Funny thing, if you get the Flappys logo tattoo to join the club it's a free 2 slice combo every week for life. Lol
Haven't been to a buffet in awhile, but always loved the Rio in Las Vegas seafood buffet, and the Paris buffet from around the world.

 

[RobertN]

Real sweet tea is made with simple syrup. The specifics are a closely held secret among aficionados.

Pizza Inn and CiCi's are chains around here that have buffet-style pizza. In the Northern Plains they have Pizza Ranch that has pizza and fried chicken in their buffet.

Simple Syrup is just 1:1 water:sugar

Personally do not like sweetened tea. Prefer to sweeten to taste myself. My Texas family swears by it, but I prefer Grandma's sun tea, often with no sugar.

 

[5030]

Warren Buffett owns Dairy Queen...

He owns the outfit that built your RV too.

 

[jaydee325]

Won't eat buffets.

But, I love a great hole-in-the-wall restaurant. One of the more memorable ones was a BBQ joint in Austin, Tx. I'd have just walked by the place it looked so bad from outside. Some friends I was with said it was a must experience. Boy was I glad I followed their lead. Wish I could remember the name of it!

 

[Gee Ray]

This place is in the middle of no where but it is worth the drive.

Duck's Dam Diner ; 9685 SE Highway 464C. Ocklawaha, FL 32179

Other good ones.

Steph's Southern Soul Restaurant at 14519 5th St in Dade City, FL


A strange name but good food,

Kafe Kokopelli, 37940 Live Oak Ave, Dade City, FL 33523​

 

[Torvy]

He owns the outfit that built your RV too.

Unless you consider an Outback an RV, not MY RV. Haha

Berkshire Hathaway...Buffett's biggest company... is the best example of an international conglomerate I can give students. They own most or all of many diverse brands that most people, even kids, have heard of. BNSF, Fruit of the Loom, GEICO, Duracell, Brooks (sportswear/shoes), Clayton Homes, ACME Brick, Benjamin Moore...just a sample of a few of his companies under BRK.

 

[Torvy]

Haven't been to a buffet in awhile, but always loved the Rio in Las Vegas seafood buffet, and the Paris buffet from around the world.

My 1st apartment in Vegas was a couple of blocks from the RIO (I remember it being built around '87-'88, iirc). Later, I had a job down the road and we would hit their breakfast buffet. Good memories of a much thinner me!

 

[5030]

Unless you consider an Outback an RV, not MY RV. Haha

Berkshire Hathaway...Buffett's biggest company... is the best example of an international conglomerate I can give students. They own most or all of many diverse brands that most people, even kids, have heard of. BNSF, Fruit of the Loom, GEICO, Duracell, Brooks (sportswear/shoes), Clayton Homes, ACME Brick, Benjamin Moore...just a sample of a few of his companies under BRK.

Why I have and buy stock in Berkshire Hathaway. Good stable investment.

 

[5030]

Back on topic... My wife and I have found that diners off the beaten path usually have the best meals at the best prices. We don't do 'fast food' places as a rule but prefer seeking out 'mom and pop' places to eat while on a trip anywhere.