Why do old people love all you can eat restaurants?

[JVS]

Is there some kind of massive old person glutinous orgy going on that they hide during normal mealtimes by nursing a cup of coffee. When everyone else leave do they continue living the life of Caligula?

[NewWaveChick1981]

1. It's a phenomenon of getting older.

Prices are so much higher than you can ever remember, and you feel like you're getting your money's worth. At least that's how my father-in-law explains it.

Don't forget---the old folks like to eat dinner at 4 PM and get the "early bird special" too. :rofl:

[Broken_Hero]

6. good explaniation

thats exactly what my dad, and my father in law say....:) My fathers favorite running joke is...

Do you remember those little bite size snicker pieces? They usually sell for a nickel a piece, and every time my dad see's them, he picks it up, and says "They haven't changed their prices in 50 years"..........

[NewWaveChick1981]

13. Thanks...

LOL! :rofl: Yeah, the price might not have changed, but boy, they have shrunk Snickers.... :rofl:

[Courtesy Flush]

11. I could never eat dinner at 4 pm

Good god. I'm pretty old (47), and I still eat dinner as late as 9:30 (10:30 Eastern time)

[NewWaveChick1981]

12. The episode of Seinfeld where Jerry's parents want to hurry up and

get the early bird special sums it all up. Jerry complains because it's just the middle of the afternoon and not dinnertime yet. :P

We usually eat anywhere between 6 PM and 10 PM. 7-8 is the norm. :)

[swimboy]

2. Every second counts?

:shrug:

[Richard Steele]

3. What NewWaveChick said.

I'm only 37, and I'm feeling the effects
of that phenomenon already. I love the
all-you-can-eat buffets just for the AMOUNT
of food for the money.

[xmas74]

18. I'm on your side.

Buffets tend to be cheaper, have more variety and are great if you have a kid. The bonus is all the attention my daughter gets when we are the only younger people in the restaurant!

[progmom]

4. you're trying to start a flame war

I can see right through you! :P

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Actually, old people tend to have diminished appetites.

But these all-you-can-eat places have relatively cheap food, and the customers can have as much or, more likely, as little as they want, drink a cup of coffee, and hang out for awhile with a few friends without spending much money.

On the rare occasions when I've been to (shudder) Old Country Buffet, most of the customers I've noticed are not old people. There do seem to be a lot of younger, very fat people with very fat, badly-behaved children.

[Critters2]

8. Agreed...It's the VERY fat people that I notice.

[Crabby Appleton]

7. many years ago

when I worked in a not-all-you-can-eat restaurant but that had a salad bar and an early bird special, I came upon a couple of old ladies at the salad bar with a big piece of foil they had brought in that they were loading up with stuff to take home. I pretended I didn't see them.

[matcom]

9. Old People Are Simply Wrinkly Children - They Both Wear Diapers

they should be banned from public places altogether

:D






























:hide:

[Richardo]

16. .

:spray:

[Haole Girl]

10. They lived through the depression

Ask an elderly person about it sometime...and about the rations. Then, it will make more sense to you.

[JVS]

15. Sometimes I wish they had a "Jerking off" emoticon

I don't need to ask these fools about the depression. My grandparents didn't just live through the depression, they were actually old enough to be members of the shitty job market. Anyways, what does that have to do with people with supposedly diminished appetites paying between $5-$8 when they could easily be full by taking $3 to taco bell or Wendy's. This frivolity is inexcusable.

[HEyHEY]

14. I bet cause they like the selection

They probably don't cook anymore and like going in to get little bits of what they like.

[philosophie_en_rose]

21. And buffets are more "sit down dinner"-like and less rushed, too.

My parents took us to all-you-can-eat buffet in the next town over, because it was more comfortable. Why sit at plastic, hard booths with bright McMarketing and screaming kids everywhere, when you could eat in a fancy, faux-Country family setting? And it was a good way to transition little kids to more formal restaurants.

I never eat at buffets now (buffet fried food smell makes me sick), but I can understand older people sitting down to a nice dessert and coffee - just to talk to friends or eat in a comfortable place. Plus, $8-10 is about the price of a lunch at Denny's or Applebees. It's a good deal to be able to choose a variety of things to eat.

[datasuspect]

17. maybe because they get it for cheep

and can have a selection?

i dunno.

most old people i know don't really eat much anyway.

[RumpusCat]

19. Old person peer pressure

We know that they don't eat much and could easily spend $3 at Wendy's getting a cheeseburger, an order of nuggets and a Coke instead of spending $7+ for a charade at the buffet. The only reason I can think is that the Old Country Buffet is the 'behind the gym' of the old people world where the cool ones hang out, chain-smoking* and nursing their endless cups of coffee. Kind of like when all of the emocore kids hang out at IHOP all night.

If my mom starts drifting towards the buffet restaurants I'll have to talk to her about how real friends don't pressure their friends to eat at buffets and how you can be just as 'cool' going to Picadilly even tho' it's not a real buffet.

:D

* In states where this is still legal.

[Left Is Write]

20. Define "old people."

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

22. Older than me.

(I'm 26.) :D

[Call Me Wesley]

23. Locking.

This thread is a buffet of insensitivity.

Call Me Wesley
DU Moderator