Editing Buffet (section)

==All-you-can-eat==
[[File:Soft drink taps at restaurant Thai Silk.jpg|thumb|right|Most buffets offer water and other soft drinks without limit, but charge extra for alcoholic drinks.]]

The [[all-you-can-eat restaurant]] was introduced in [[Las Vegas]] by Herbert "Herb" Cobb McDonald in 1946.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://lasvegassun.com/news/2002/jul/09/strip-visionary-mcdonald-dies/ |title=Strip visionary McDonald dies | newspaper=Las Vegas Sun | date=July 9, 2002}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{Cite news|title=Coronavirus: The slow death of the American all-you-can-eat buffet|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53410931}}</ref> The buffet was advertised in flyers for only one dollar, and a patron could eat "every possible variety of hot and cold entrees to appease the howling coyote in your innards".<ref name="BBC"/>

Many [[boarding school]]s, colleges, and universities offer optional or mandatory "meal plans", especially in connection with [[dormitories]] for students.  These are often in an "all-you-can-eat" buffet format, sometimes called "all-you-care-to-eat" to encourage [[healthy diet|dietary moderation]].<ref name=Lam>{{cite web|last1=Lam|first1=Bourree|title=All You Can Eatonomics|url=http://luckypeach.com/all-you-can-eatonomics/|website=Lucky Peach|access-date=2015-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150413002749/http://luckypeach.com/all-you-can-eatonomics/|archive-date=13 April 2015|url-status=usurped|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="Tiffany">{{cite web |last1=Tiffany |first1=Kaitlyn |title=When did America's heart turn cold on buffet chains? |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/4/3/18290479/buffet-chain-restaurants-decline-bankrupt-golden-corral |website=Vox |publisher=Vox Media Inc |access-date=2019-04-04 |date=3 April 2019}}</ref>  The format may also be used in other institutional settings, such as [[military base]]s, large factories, [[cruise ships]], or [[medium-security]] prisons.

In 2007, the first [[All-you-can-eat seats|all-you-can-eat seating section]] in [[Major League Baseball]] was introduced at [[Dodger Stadium]].<ref name=ap>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/27/sports/baseball/27dodgers.html?_r=0|title=Dodger Stadium's All-You-Can-Eat Seats Are a Popular Draw|newspaper=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press|date=27 May 2007|access-date=9 July 2014}}</ref> The trend spread to 19 of the 30 major league parks by 2010,<ref name=si>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2010/07/20/all-you-can-eat-ballparks|title=Growing Trend: All-you-can-eat sections at big-league parks|magazine=[[Sports Illustrated]]|date=20 July 2010|access-date=14 July 2014}}</ref> and numerous minor league parks by 2012.<ref name=sweep>{{cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/3223/all-you-can-eat-sections-sweep-baseball|title=All-you-can-eat sections sweep baseball|first=Doug|last=Williams|date=11 June 2012|access-date=9 July 2012|work=[[ESPN]]}}</ref> The basic menu includes traditional ballpark food such as [[hot dog]]s, [[nachos]], [[peanut]]s, [[popcorn]], and [[soft drink]]s.<ref name=usa>{{cite web |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2008-03-06-Concessions_N.htm|title=Eating Away the Innings in Baseball's Cheap Seats|first=Michael|last=McCarthy|work=[[USA Today]] |date=7 March 2008|access-date=17 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=post>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/where-the-empty-calories-just-keep-on-coming/2012/04/30/gIQAJiPMuT_story.html|title=Where the empty calories just keep on coming|first=Tim|last=Carman|date=1 May 2012|access-date=15 July 2014|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> In 2008, all-you-can-eat seats were also inaugurated in numerous [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] and [[National Hockey League|NHL]] arenas.<ref name=fox>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/baseball-fans-get-never-ending-ballpark-buffet-much-to-the-dismay-of-nutritionists/|title=Baseball Fans Get Never-Ending Ballpark Buffet, Much to the Dismay of Nutritionists|website=[[Fox News]] |agency=Associated Press|date=21 March 2008|access-date=20 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811152343/http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/03/21/baseball-fans-get-never-ending-ballpark-buffet-much-to-dismay-nutritionists/|archive-date=11 August 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Some buffet restaurants aim to reduce food waste by imposing fees on customers who take large amounts of food, but then discard it uneaten.<ref name="Paavola">{{cite web |last1=Paavola |first1=Laura |title=Vantaan ensimmäinen aito teppanyaki-ravintola otti heti kovat keinot käyttöön: Sakottaa asiakkaita pois heitetystä ruoasta |url=https://www.city.fi/opas/vantaan+ensimmainen+aito+teppanyaki-ravintola+otti+heti+kovat+keinot+kayttoon+sakottaa+asiakkaita+pois+heitetysta+ruoasta/13355 |website=City |access-date=2024-04-30 |language=fi |date=27 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Morris |first1=Jonathan |title=Cornwall pub charges customers for 'excessive' carvery leftovers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crm2em2y8dgo |access-date=30 January 2025 |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=2 October 2024}}</ref>