Golden Corral

That lady that said there is lots of variety, but nothing actually tasted any good had this place pegged pretty well. I’m not big on buffets, but I’ve obviously been traveling in Springfield too long, and the heavy rotation of Olive Garden, Texas Roadhouse and Applebee’s had me desperate enough to come here. Needless to say, the bar was pretty low, and yet somehow Golden Corral couldn’t even live up to these lowered expectations. I’d keep telling myself: «It’s nearly impossible to mess up [blank], I’ll get some of this», yet I kept picking over the food, transferring two-​thirds of it to my «inedible» waste plate. I mean, broccoli with cheese sauce (broccoli optional) — how can they screw that up? Is genuine Velveeta cheese really too expensive for them to offer as part of their $ 12 buffet? Clearly, my brain could not conceive the negative effect that sitting for days on end under a heat lamp has on food. And then for the kicker, the soft-​serve ice cream machine was out of order (they even screwed that up…). I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone with a functioning sense of taste or smell.

My last two visits to golden coral has changed my opinion of this restaurant for the worst! a lot of the food was unavailable. And what was available looked as if it had sat out all night, and put back on the buffet. empty pans of eaten food on the buffet table, left unfilled to dry bake under the heat lamps .and let’s not even start on the filthy food prep areas, it looks like a food bomb exploded, and no one has time to clean it up? Carpet is nasty, plates are dirty, it’s a health violation in motion. restrooms? Don’t even go there ! the only thing decent there is the waiters very polite and helpful. Get it together golden. don’t think because your the only buffet that your standards can be disgraceful

I have to give it at least 2 stars because of the variety. I have 4 teenagers so it fills them up. But there is not one item we had tonight that actually tasted good. The steak sits under a heat lamp now with picks to tell you which is medium rare or well. It’s still a crap shoot because my son got m well and it was burnt on the outside but pink in the middle.
My entire visit I saw only 2 people cleaning. The carpet has food everywhere. The salad bar didn’t have one area that had been wiped down. There was spilt dressing in many of the containers. The green peppers and onions slices were at least a half inch wide. They could be used as frisbees. Several of the salad bar containers were empty.
The vanilla ice cream was empty. The dessert bowls were wet. Sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and fudge were everywhere. The carpet in front of the ice cream machine was filthy. I think they’re still using the original melamine plates from when they opened.
Most items were lukewarm. Overall it was unsatisfying. The pizza was doughy, and quite yucky. Service was good. Our server Stephanie was excellent.

Lukewarm, cheap, greasy trough of food.

I’m afraid I can’t give GC a strong review. Initially the food seemed a lot better, but in the last couple of years it seems to have declined. It’s a nice place on the inside, clean, spacious, etc.

The Golden Corral offers delicious American food at an affordable price. It’s a buffet and the selection is diverse. They have a desserts, pizza, steak, fruits, salad bar, fish, and more.
The food changes depending on the day of the week and time of day. The food is always hot and the buffet is never empty.
My favorite is the Bourbon Street Chicken and the Fried Chicken. The corn cobs are buttery, soft and juicy. The fruits are always fresh, not from cans.
Golden Corral is always packed during Sundays at lunch time, especially after church has ended.