History Main / BuffetBuffoonery

# And finally, there will always be items on the menu that are not part of the buffet and will not be provided unless you order normally -- so, sorry, that fillet mignon with beluga caviar and champagne will always cost $500.

* [[BigEater Elma]] goes to a buffet with [[ThoseTwoGuys two of her work friends]] in chapter 2 of ''[[Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Elma's OL Diary]]''. [[RealityEnsues Predictably]], she ends up getting banned after eating more than 100 plates of food in the two hour time limit.

* ''ComicStrip/PiranhaClub'' has a series of strips where Sid took advantage of a buffet to feed his ExtremeOmnivore BigEater piranha Earl. After the first visit almost made them bankrupt, the restaurant started trying to keep Sid out, culminating in making him wait indefinetly for a table. This just lead to Sid feeding the vestibule couch to Earl instead.

* A ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' novel ponders the question how this would work in a world where trolls (9-foot-tall metahumans) exist. Their suggestion: Trolls are allowed, if they bring a customer along who isn't a troll.

* A ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2647 comic]] has a customer gloating to an apathetic restaurant clerk about how he filled his pay-by-weight salad with cheeses, dressings, cashews and olives. Of course, now he has to eat the result. [[spoiler:The votey extra panel reveals he got a heart attack from it.]]

* ''Webcomic/NothingNiceToSay'' has an early strip where Mitch takes massive advantage of a diners All You Can Eat Enchiladas offer, to the point that the waiter threatens to clean his table and kick him out the next time he uses the bathroom. Mitch replies thats why he brought a bedpan.

** When Homer took the family to a brunch buffet, he made sure to tell the kids to stay away from the "sucker" foods like breadrolls (he ''punched'' the server offering him oatmeal), and stuffs himself with so much shrimp he cant move, proclaiming that "he won".

* In one strip, ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} and Jon are looking for a restaurant, and Garfield points to a place called "Ernie's Eat Till You Explode". ("Let's just say I have good feelings about it," says Garfield.)

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', the wizards, notorious diners all, are seen to construct elaborate architectural models using celery and lettuce leaves so as to increase the depth of a bowl by up to three times its intended size. The ''Unseen University Diary'' says that student wizards are not allowed to go for the All-You-Can-Gobble-For-A-Dollar menu at Harga's, because they gobble far too much, and have also been banned from the salad bar at the Groaning Platter, following the invention of the [[BagOfHolding Tiny Salad Bowl of Holding]].

* In ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'', the wizards, notorious diners all, are seen to construct elaborate architectural models using celery and lettuce leaves so as to increase the depth of a bowl by up to three times its intended size.

# Also restaurants always have the legal freedom to refuse to serve (or even kick out) customers, especially if they are being rude to everybody else.

** An all-you-can-eat seafood buffet founders once Homer shows up and eats for hours, actually forcing the restaurant to go on food runs several times to keep the pantry supplied (which he eats). The guy in charge, Captain Macallister, has Homer thrown out, leading to a lawsuit. In the end, the owner just charges people to watch in horror as Homer eats endlessly.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Fillmore}}'', Fillmore and his dad strategize about which foods to eat to get the most value for their money.

# And finally, there will always be items on the menu that are not part of the buffet and will not be provided unless you order normally -- so you can't pay $2.50 for that $1.000 fillet mignon.

** An all-you-can-eat seafood buffet founders once Homer shows up and eats for hours. The guy in charge, Captain Macallister, has Homer thrown out, leading to a lawsuit. In the end, the owner just charges people to watch in horror as Homer eats endlessly.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}}'': Young Dilbert's father had a ''very'' LiteralMinded interpretation of "All You Can Eat" at a seafood restaurant.

* Customers going to extremes to eat as much as possible (fasting before going; staying in the buffet for absurd lengths of time, sitting or even standing right in front of the buffet), sometimes even eating all the food and leaving others hungry.

* ''ComicStrip/PiranhaClub'' has a series of strips where Sid took advantage of a buffet to feed his ExtremeOmnivore BigEater piranha Ernst. After the first visit almost made them bankrupt, the restaurant started trying to keep Sid out, culminating in making him wait indefinetly for a table. This just lead to Sid feeding the vestibule couch to Ernst instead.

** Another ''Dilbert'' strip featured Dilbert going out on a date with an obese woman. He tried to take her to a buffet, but she said that she's already been banned for life, presumably for eating too much.

* A ''ComicStrip/HagarTheHorrible'' strip had Hagar carrying away the entire contents of a smorgasbord.

* ''ThePiranhaClub'' had a series of strips where Sid took advantage of a buffet to feed his ExtremeOmnivore BigEater piranha Ernst. After the first visit almost made them bankrupt, the restaurant started trying to keep Sid out, culminating in making him wait indefinetly for a table. This just lead to Sid feeding the vestibule couch to Ernst instead.

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* ''Film/TheNuttyProfessorIITheKlumps'' has a buffet sequence that borders on MundaneMadeAwesome. It starts with the Klump family walking up to the restaurant in silhouette before announcing themselves. ("Klump, party of six. And we are ''hungry!''") Cut to a fast-paced montage of them practically ''attacking'' the buffet line. It ends with a pan shot of the table with all of the food trays empty...except for the fully stocked salad tray.

* A skit on ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', possibly one of their "Limits of the Imagination" thriller spoofs, had a couple go to an 'All-you-can-eat' restaurant and be later told "It's not all you CARE TO eat, it's all you CAN eat!" and they look and see the other patrons are being force-fed.
* On ''Series/HillStreetBlues'', a man sat right in front of the salad bar and refused to leave until he'd 'eaten all he could.'

* ''{{Nanny}}'' used this joke a lot, mostly with Fran's BigEater JewishMother Sylvia, but even Fran herself indulged in it on occasion. One episode had her hiding shrimp from a cruise buffet in her purse.

* A ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/?id=2647 comic]] has a customer gloating to an apathetic restaurant clerk about how he filled his pay-by-weight salad with cheeses, dressings, cashews and olives. Of course, now he has to eat the result.
--> '''Customer''': Must..enjoy...terrible taste! [[spoiler: the votey extra panel reveals he got a heart attack from it]]
* ''NothingNiceToSay'' had an early strip where Mitch takes massive advantage of a diners All You Can Eat Enchiladas offer, to the point that the waiter threatens to clean his table and kick him out the next time he uses the bathroom. Mitch replies thats why he brought a bedpan.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet founders once Homer shows up and eats for hours. The guy in charge, Captain Macallister, has Homer thrown out, leading to a lawsuit. In the end, the owner just charges people to watch in horror as Homer eats endlessly.
-->''"Yar, 'tis not a man. 'Tis a remorseless eatin' machine!"''

--> '''Manager''': Where is it all going?!

--> '''Dietist''': N-not everything needs gravy... there's some carrots right there... that cheesecake was for everyone...
* ''WesternAnimation/DrKatzProfessionalTherapist'' - patient Barry Sobel recounts his father's suspicious nature, extending to all-you-can-eat steak restaurants - he insists "Don't eat the breadsticks! By the time you get to the steak you're too full. That's how they get'cha!"

* ''TheCritic'' episode "Lady Hawke" had a scene where Jay is showing Olivia around New York, and they pass a Chinese Buffet, with Jay hungrily staring through the window. The staff recognizes him and panics.
--> '''Waiter''': It's the monster with many mouths! Kill the lights!!
* ''{{WesternAnimation/Dilbert}}'': Young Dilbert's father had a ''very'' LiteralMinded interpretation of "All You Can Eat" at a seafood restaurant.

* ''Film/TheNuttyProfessor II'' has a buffet sequence that borders on MundaneMadeAwesome. It starts with the Klump family walking up to the restaurant in silhouette before announcing themselves. ("Klump, party of six. And we are ''hungry!''") Cut to a fast-paced montage of them practically ''attacking'' the buffet line. It ends with a pan shot of the table with all of the food trays empty...except for the fully stocked salad tray.

* In Shape of You by Music/{{EdSheeran}}, the couple goes to a buffet on their first date. Because they want to save money, the woman fills up her bag. (The man merely fills up his plate.)

* Used as a side gag in one of the "Grimtooth's Traps" books. Grimtooth commented that he'd gone to a diner for its all-you-can-eat elf special, and was told after his first plate, "You've had your elf; that's all you can eat!"

** And then there's Dilbert's dad. He went to an all-you-can-eat buffet during the Christmas shopping season of 1992, but never left, because he hadn't yet eaten "all he could eat." His family didn't even realize what he'd been up to until June of 1996, and all evidence suggests that he's ''still there'' today. In an episode of [[WesternAnimation/{{Dilbert}} the animated series]], Dilbert actually meets his dad at the restaurant.

** And then there's Dilbert's dad. He went to an all-you-can-eat buffet during the Christmas shopping season of 1992, but never left, because he hadn't yet eaten "all he could eat." His family didn't even realize what he'd been up to until June of 1996, and all evidence suggests that he's ''still there'' today.

* [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-19817457 According to the BBC]], two diners have been banned from an all-you-can-eat restaurant in Brighton. The diners have accused the restaurant of not living up to its policy, while the owner claims they were banned for being rude to other customers.

* The [[StarvingStudent characters]] on ''Webcomic/PiledHigherAndDeeper'' engage in this [[http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=707 to stretch their food budgets]].

* ''Film/TheNuttyProfessor II'' has a buffet sequence that borders on MundaneMadeAwesome. It starts with the Klump family walking up to the restaurant in silhouette before announcing themselves ("Klump, party of six. And we are ''hungry''"). Cut to a fast-paced montage of them practically ''attacking'' the buffet line. It ends with a pan shot of the table with all of the food trays empty...except for the fully stocked salad tray.

* In one strip, ComicStrip/Garfield and Jon are looking for a restaurant, and Garfield points to a place called "Ernie's Eat Till You Explode". ("Let's just say I have good feelings about it," says Garfield.)

* In ''ComicStrip/{{FoxTrot}}'', Peter cleans out an entire buffet, leaving nothing for his family. In another strip, he takes advantage of the all you can eat special at the pizza place where his friend Steve works at, and eats for six hours straight, only stopping when Steve tells him to leave at midnight (seeing as the special has ended, and his manager is ''pissed''. Peter pushes his luck further and asks if he can have some to go.). In [[http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/2016/03/27 this later strip]], he believes "all you can eat" is a requirement.

* There have been numerous guides written for maximizing one's visit to a buffet. Typical tips include things like where to sit, what to wear, what sort of exercise to do beforehand, when to go to the bathroom, and what to drink (nothing, of course, because liquids are cheap and fill up your stomach). See, for example, [[http://www.punny.org/money/eat-your-moneys-worth-at-any-all-you-can-eat-buffet/ this]] and [[http://topcultured.com/the-2010-all-inclusive-all-you-can-eat-buffet-guide/ this]].