No-carb eating couple booted from buffet

[popcornbird]

I just read this on CNN and thought I would share. I can't believe the restaurant manager called the police on the couple because they were eating too much roast beef!

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/04/2....ap/index.html

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- A couple on a low-carb diet were kicked out of a buffet restaurant after the manager said they'd eaten too much roast beef.

Sui Amaama, who along with his wife have been on the Atkins Diet for two weeks, was asked to leave after he went up to the buffet at the Chuck-A-Rama in suburban Taylorsville for his 12th slice of roast beef.

"It's so embarrassing actually," said Isabelle Leota, Amaama's wife. "We went in to have dinner, we were under the impression Chuck-A-Rama was an all-you-can-eat establishment."

Not so, said Jack Johanson, the restaurant chain's district manager.

"We've never claimed to be an all-you-can-eat establishment," said Johanson. "Our understanding is a buffet is just a style of eating."

The general manager who was carving the meat Tuesday became concerned about having enough for other patrons and asked Amaama to stop, Johanson said.

Offended, the couple asked for a refund. The manager refused and called police when they would not leave.

The couple said they have eaten at Chuck-A-Rama's $8.99 buffet at least twice a week, but did not plan to return.

[aly]

Geez! They shouldn't have asked for a refund. They could have politely stopped and there wouldn't have been a scene. I think I'm on the restaurant's side on this one!

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by aly


Geez! They shouldn't have asked for a refund. They could have politely stopped and there wouldn't have been a scene. I think I'm on the restaurant's side on this one!

I don't know who's side I am on! I just thought it was so funny! Gosh..........imagine eating 12 pieces of steak at a restaurant, then getting told to stop. SO embarrassing! He he

[aly]

Teehee ... if a restaurant manager ever asks me to stop eating, I'll know that is a sign that I need to DIET.

Ironically they were already on one! HAH!

[Nomilynn]

I think I'm on the restaurant's side as well.. that is a LOT of meat... YUCK.. plus, it's very expensive. I think the manager had a right to ask them to curb their meat intake at that point

[lovemyshiba]

What are these people, nuts!!!????

I would have kicked them out too!!
$8.99 for 11 servings of roast beef--they got a hell of a deal!!!
Asking for a refund--typical restaurant customers--anything goes wrong, and they want a refund. They probably would have asked for a refund if they didn't like the music that was playing too

I get annoyed with customers on the Atkins diet too--they want me to cater to every need they have, meanwhile, the restaurant I work in is pizza, pasta, and sandwiches--we have 4 salads on the menu--that's all they can have. Yet they are shocked when I can't give them what they want with no carbs--WHY DID YOU COME HERE??????????????


That's a great story though, thanks for sharing it!!!!

[sirrahved]

I agree, the restaurant had every right to kick them out.

12 slices of roast beef is disgusting! That's NOT how the Atkins diet is supposed to work!

[Felicia's Mom]

I heard that on the radio today but didn't know it was twelve times. I will go with the resturant on this.

[catnapper]

My vote is for the restaurant as well... not even my husband (who can really pile away the food) or my 17 year old son (the human garbage disposal) could eat that much TOGETHER! That is a lot of meat.

We go to a buffet that has clearly posted "enjoy all you can eat" and we go to buffets that don't... we understand that those that don't have it posted aren't all you can eat establishments. And you know what? The cost for the All-you-can-eat place is nearly twice the cost... certainly much more than $8.99.

[Corinna]

Catnapper you have a pair like mine too. The 20 yr old can really put it away still growing 6' tall 120lbs . The hubby 6'5" well we will skip the weight just say under 250 .
I think the customers should be commended for trying to lose weight but they need to reread the Atkins book. There are potion sizes not a free for all. Thats where too many people are getting messed up on the diet (or any) . We (hubby and I) have just finisnhed a course on nutrion and most people have no idea of sizes. Hubby thinks he'll starve to death on the sizes He 's slowly getting the hang of it ,but he works of most of the days food at his job(hardwood flooring) .
As a nation our kids are fat becouse not just of eating wrong foods but portion sizes and inactivity .
Sorry about the lecture I just was amazed at the things we learned at our class. I want to loss down to the weight the dr. said so I can may be get rid of my diabetic meds(she thinks I could ) .

[Cataholic]

Looks like I am going to be the only person that comes down on the side of the gluttons.

I think restaurants do the 'all you can eat buffet' for one reason- it is a money maker for them, increases mouth traffic (as opposed to just foot traffic) and works most of the time- since most of us only eat so much of the food 'usually' found on the buffet.

So, when the customer got the better end of the deal, the management said to get out. I don't know what the management meant when they said they thought buffet was just a style of eating. If you list an inclusive price for a buffet, well, it is understood to be an all you can eat buffet. Did the customer see the sign that said "for 8.99, you can eat the following items..."

The restaurants decision was not based on any diet (Adkins or otherwise). So, to say, "well, those people weren't even following their diet" is kind of beside the point, isn't it?

[popcornbird]

I too, honestly, think it was rude of the manager to stop them........as long as they never had set limits, I don't think that was right. I still found the story funny. What a scene made over something as simple as roast beef! *still wondering how someone on a diet could eat 12 pieces* They must have REALLY enjoyed the meal. He he...........Really, I don't think I'm on either one's side. I thought the manager was rude.........then I thought the consumers were going way overboard in the amount of food they ate too.

[Miss Meow]

I still can't fathom how people eat at a place called Chuck-A-Rama. Doesn't 'chuck' mean 'vomit' in America? It does here!

This reminds me of the Simpsons episode when Homer and Marge go to Captain Shanty's and Homer eats them out of food, so he's put in the window as a freak show

[catnapper]

Miss Meow, I was wondering the same thing! LOL.

I honestly don't think the manager was rude. I'm sure that they had chicken, hamburger, fish, cheese, veggies, etc in addition to the roast beef. The people were being a bit rude and slefish. I'm also sure the manager respectfully asked them to choose another food item... not "hey, dude, stop eating the roast beef!"

I've been to buffets where it was all-you-can-eat that people might as well have dumped the silver tray onto their plate - they took that much food. I stood there waiting with my plate, only to get the crumbs from the bottom whilst they got about 20 servings on their plate. The managers HAS to think of other patrons. What would have this couple said if they ran out of roast beef after their first slice? Demanded their money back because the advertised meat was gone?

[Twisterdog]

I am totally against the restaurant on this one.

It is really none of anyone's business what or how much people eat.

Everyone assumes and knows a buffet like Chuck-a-rama IS all you can eat. You can go back as many times as you want to ... you can eat 20 plate fulls of food is you want to. That is how a buffet works. And you pay full price, even if you eat $1.00 worth of lettuce, too. That is how buffets make their money.

If these people would have gone up to the buffet and gotten twelve serving of chicken, for example, no one would have noticed or said anything. They only said something because someone is standing there slicing the roast beef, and roast beef is probably one of the more expensive items on the menu.

And as for worrying about running out of roast beef, that is a complete lie. Several of my friends worked at a big buffet like this one while we were in college, and they go through enormous amounts of food. They probably serve five or six complete roasts per night at least, there is no possibly way twelve slices are going to matter. What if twelve people ate twelve slices instead? Of course they are going to keep more than enough food on hand!

I find it completely deplorable that the manager would say anythng to these people. Rude, insensitive and tasteless. And they lost their business, so also stupid. And this chain also probably lost the business of every person on the Atkins diet nationwide now, as well ... and there are probably millions of people on that diet right now. Not a smart business move at all.

I still can't fathom how people eat at a place called Chuck-A-Rama. Doesn't 'chuck' mean 'vomit' in America? It does here!

Well. "up-chuck" is slang for vomit here, but I'm not sure it's widely used. Chuck-a-rama gets it's name from a Chuck-Wagon, which is what the wagon where the food was prepared and served on a wagon train was called.