Well, we live near ATLANTIC CITY and visited on Sunday and we went to a buffet as we couldn't find a good reasonably priced place to eat in this town and were walking down the boardwalk and saw a sign for about $7.00 all you can eat. This buffet appears to be part of the adjoining Casino and we thought the quality would have been decent. That was the first mistake. The sign leads us up a single person wide escalator to the second floor were two cashiers are at the top gabbing away paying no attention to us. We figure this must be the entrance as there is no way to return to the boardwalk because the escalator is one way with no other outlets, but to enter the Buffet. We pay the $7 and enter the horror that was to come. We begin by looking for a seat an head for what should be a scenic view of the ocean, but all the windows are covered with salty sea scum or something disgusting, so we move back towards the interior. We find out upon sitting that we had to pay for the drinks from our waitress. We then head up to the food were we pass the same decrepit people that were eating at this establishment and the waiters that looked very sleepy and unhappy. We grab some crusted plates and could only think of the people who ate of them before us and asked if I really wanted to continue. The selections were like some kind of warmed TV dinner type food. Being hungry and thinking it couldn't be that bad or they wouldn't let them stay open. Scooped up some sliced turkey, gravy, potatoes, and meatloaf. Then returned to our table. The gravy wasn't bad and helped wash down the rest of my meal. Felt like I had eaten a brick of lead and I had what felt like sand in my mouth. I guess the gravy was thickened with beach sand. Didn't bother for a second plate and thought maybe some desert would make me forget, but the pies looked like they had been out for two days, so we grabbed our jackets and headed out, but we couldn't get out nor find the exit. Finally we find the only exit which was a small exit door that looked more like a small fire exit door with no windows, just a plain white door. This unassuming exit door lead us to a stairway that had a stench of urine that would make anyone gag and this is just after eating the worst meal of a lifetime. They must have people keeping warm in there at night and just go to the bathroom on the grungy rug. We run down the narrow stairs covering our mouth and nose as the boardwalk is in sight. We make our way out the door and move to open space where I see a good place to eat.
We see JOHNNY ROCKETS RESTAURANT just beside some construction walls only 20 feet from the buffet of horror. I've been trying to get to a JOHNNY ROCKETS for two years now and thought the closest one was in PHILADELPHIA, but this one opened 5 months ago and we had a blast as we ordered BLT's and milkshakes while playing the jukebox. All the employees stop what they are doing when the theme song to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER plays and they spread out and dance in unison to the famous Travolta dance. We had wonderful time recounting every horrid moment at the buffet all the while thinking we would be sick within a few hours.
When visting ATLANTIC CITY stop by the FRENCH QUARTER BUFFET at the SHOWBOAT CASINO HOTEL. That is were we usually go when entering this city, but we thought we would give this cheaper other Buffet a chance.
Anyone have horror Restaurant experiences? Or have had any good Restaurant experiences?
Post Edited (12-20-04 18:33)
My wife and I went on a cruise with the people from her office (paid for by her boss) and all anyone could talk about is loving the food on the boat. All I can say was that the cookies and pastries were great , but mass produced food is mass produced food (I ate lots of it in the military). It wasn't a night mare but it was a disappointment, I mean we were on a friggin' ship and we only had seafood one night out of seven.
There was lots of food and it was around all the time, but it wasn't the high quality everyone kept telling us.
My DEAR,SWEET,LORD!! I think I visited this same buffet in 1998!!! I've mind blanked most of the experience, but I do remember long communal tables and the color brown....lots of brown.
If it's the same joint, I only lasted about 5 minutes before I stumbled for the exit, down the stairs and to the bar immediately to the left of this establishment. Of course, there is probably more than one rat hole buffet in Atlantic City, but you described this one so vividly...has to be the same place.
You've been to Atlantic City Deej? You get around Oklahoma, Yugoslavia and now Atlantic City? It must be the same place as their are many many dives in Atlantic City, but I don't think there are more than one bad buffet. That's so funny that you must have found this same awful place. We had a whole days entertainment talking about the horror of this place and probably permenant life memories. The funny thing was that once you go up the escalator there is no way out. It's a one way trip. There is no down escalator only the putrid stairway on the opposite side of the buffet. Do you remember anything about the name of this place? Or what casino it was near?
Post Edited (12-21-04 07:36)
Scott wrote:
> you go up the escalator there is no way out. It's a one way
> trip. There is no down escalator only the putrid stairway on
> the opposite side of the buffet.
That's funny. It's like they put everything into a nice illusion of luxury on the way in, but once you're there....screw it. They don't even care how you leave, 'cause you won't be back.
Wouldn't be surprised if most dumps like this are located in tourist towns, where they can get a steady supply of first-time diners. If they depended on the repeat business of locals, they wouldn't last long.
Scott wrote:
> You've been to Atlantic City Deej? You get around Oklahoma,
> Yugoslavia and now Atlantic City?
I was visiting my sister, who at the time lived in Wildwood. I remember that we parked quite a few blocks from the boardwalk, and we first stopped in one of Trump's casinos. Otherwise my memory is pretty vague on the whole thing. But, I do remember that there was a bar immediately to the left of the exit from the buffet, where I spent a few happy moments after leaving my family upstairs in the hell hole.
AndyC it was a no doubt a decisively streamlined one way ride. The turkey was a warmed processed turkey, not the freshly cut carving of a real bird.
Deej, if it had a single width escalator leading directly up to it then it is certainly the same place. This Buffet was connected to Bally's Casino and the bar I think has been turned into the Johnny Rockets mentioned before about five months ago. Next time your in town we'll approach the manager together. By the way Wildwood is one of the very best places in the summer in New Jersey. I used to go there every Monday night in the mid-80's to watch the weekly Pro Wrestling show at the old convention center. Met and spoke to a number of Pro Wrestling stars and people in the business who did the Wildwood boardwalk before match time.
I doubt I'll ever be in town again, Scott. The sister I was visiting has since moved to New York state. I agree with you on Wildwood. I had a much better time there, than in AC, the boardwalk was nicer. That was my first and only visit to the New Jersey shore, and I was pleasantly surprised. I particulary enjoyed Wildwood and Cape May.
>We grab some crusted plates and could only think of the people who ate of
>them before us
I would have left right there...
>The funny thing was that once you go up the escalator there is no way out. It's a
>one way trip. There is no down escalator only the putrid stairway on the opposite
>side of the buffet.
I'd have gone down the up escalator.
I didn't tell the whole story. Before we arrived at the Buffet of terror we went to the Tropicana to check out a new section of the Casino Hotel called THE QUARTER (not to be confused with the French Quarter at the Showboat). Someone at work told me something about how cool it was with the Soviet style restruant called RED SQUARE and the Cuban restruant. (Not sure about the names of the restruant?). Co-worker said it's great and that you wouldn't feel that it was Atlantic City. After checking it out it was ok, but not that great. It has a Cuban style square with a Cuban band playing for passerbys. The prices were outrageous, so we went to the buffet just below at the Tropicana and they were closed between Brunch and Dinner for one hour. We went to Atlantic City to check out the Tropicana and get something to eat as we didn't eat breakfast as we knew we would be eating out. We walked half the boardwalk with no hope in sight in this dismal city. Finally the big green sign $7 All You Can Eat............ We went in and did our best with what looked edible and I picked the cleanest plate I could find. I was like Clint Eastwood in the desert in THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY. Delerious. Famished even. Never let your guard down JohnL or you may be taken in by the Buffet of Horror. The whole experience was like going through a funhouse in the dark. You might even be able to make a buck creating a restruant based on this one and call it HORROR BUFFET.
If I was as quick on my feet as you JohnL I would have done the same thing. I'll heed your advice next time I venture into that city again.
Post Edited (12-24-04 17:00)
>Never let your guard down JohnL or you may be taken in by the Buffet of Horror.
Never! When it comes to food and cleanliness, I'm one of the pickiest people around. If I see even the tiniest spot of mold on a piece of bread, I'm not eating it, even if it's the size of the head of a pin and you tear out a quarter-sized piece of the bread around it. I don't care how hungry I am.
>If I was as quick on my feet as you JohnL I would have done the same thing. I'll
>heed your advice next time I venture into that city again.
Or you could do what I saw a guy in a movie do once (not sure what it was); Go to the top of the escalator, put your hands on the railings on either side (the part that isn't moving), swing your feet up and also put them on the railings and slide down, avoiding the steps altogether. :)
When I saw the title to this topic, I expected to read about some cheesy movie...well, I guess real life is sometimes worse than a movie.
JohnL wrote:
>Or you could do what I saw a guy in a movie do once (not sure what it was); Go to the top of the escalator, put your hands on the railings on either side (the part that isn't moving), swing your feet up and also put them on the railings and slide down, avoiding the steps altogether. :)
Sounds like the position for Crab Soccer JohnL. It also sounds like you played a lot of TWISTER, so now I can see how both games apply to real life situations. Thanks for the advice. : )
>When I saw the title to this topic, I expected to read about some cheesy movie...well, I guess real life is sometimes worse than a movie.
odinn7 wrote:
odinn7 looking back at this story I noticed that my writing of the story with the bad grammer and such may have been just as horrific as my dinning experience . Sorry to have put everyone through both. : )
Post Edited (12-24-04 21:58)
>Sounds like the position for Crab Soccer JohnL. It also sounds like you played a
>lot of TWISTER,
Actually, I've never played Twister.
C'mon JohnL...you never played Twister with girls when you were younger? Let's have the truth now, don't be shy :-)
>C'mon JohnL...you never played Twister with girls when you were younger? Let's
>have the truth now, don't be shy :-)
Unfortunately, no. I had a rather sheltered childhood. :(
Twister is nothing. Have you ever played strip Twister, where every time you fall over, you have to remove an article of your clothing? Now, I hear that is a game to remember.
ONe thing i learned years ago - never eat at casino buffet's. NEVER! From Vegas to Shreveport, only bad things can come of it. It's fitting tho, why not take a gamble at eating too. A cheap buffet is a casinos way of keeping you in their building and leaving from eating. The assure of inexpensive food and alot of it, you think they're going to serve you the finest? It's probably stored in unsafe temperatures and days old. Most of the time they are not labelled so you really don't know what you are eating.
One rule of thumb I have with buffets is they are a potential health hazard so i never eat at one unless it's from a trusted restaraunt I have frequented on many occasions in the past.
Even the best buffets that I have been to have an ocassional crusty plate or a hot wet one with a bit of the last diners meal still clinging to it.
Look at it this way. Maybe buffets are a good way to build up your immunities. : )
Just something about the idea of dining out where your food has to be protected by a sneeze guard....which only works if you are tall. Short people and children can sneeze away. Not to mention people i've seen who touch the food or drop some of theirs and pick up that piece of chicken and drop it in the appropriate bin. It's really not that much more repulsive than some third world countries where i've seen them hanging up pieces of meat to sell on the streets.
Forget the sneeze guard - the spoons which sit in the bins all day are probably loaded with snot and sneeze and cooties and we have to touch them to dish out the food. god bless purell
Post Edited (12-29-04 12:58)
Reguardless of plates, utensils, and buffet guards eating out in general is risky. Any fast food joint or eating establishment has employees who work sick. They have to work to pay their bills and the employer dosn't say anything. Even your check out at grocery stores or any business cashier close enough to hand you your cash. No way to avoid it, but it sure is fun trying. : )
Post Edited (12-29-04 13:44)