buffets

Jed Oelbaum - All-You-Can-Eat Buffets: The Scourge of Modern Behavioral Economics

interesting article! and so many interesting factoids i'll list them here!


“Given a choice between…their absolute favorite food or…a choice from a buffet of options, capuchin monkeys will opt for variety.” ... people ate almost 43 percent more M&Ms when there were 10 versus seven colors of candy in the bowl. In fact, the more options we have, the more us hungry, hungry hominids will eat in general, leading to the next point in buffet economics: the glutton factor."

"Other researchers have correlated the quantity of repeat trips one makes to a Chinese buffet with a set of traits, including body mass index, or BMI. While this conclusion—overweight people eat more—might seem obvious, the researchers also connect the quest for seconds and thirds with factors like plate size, how long one spends surveying their options before taking their initial serving, and whether the patron is seated facing, or turned away from, the steaming trays of lo, chow, and other various meins."

"People also may think they’re at buffets to eat a lot of cheap food, but according to science, the cheaper that buffet is, the less happy you’ll be... low prices at buffets leave people feeling less satisfied. That’s right, paying more for one’s food is a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, also tied to our sense of value."

"Eat at pricier buffets with as many options as possible, in order to maximize your own satisfaction and the appeal of the meal you’re taking on. Use a large plate, and sit facing the buffet. By doing these things, you increase your chances of actually “beating the house”


me? i don't like buffets (according to the author, this is because i'm apparently a jerk!) because i can never eat even close to the charged amount. therefore, i prefer breakfast buffets. because i don't generally fill up on bread items like waffles, pancakes, toast (i prefer meats) and i LOVE berries, which are expensive.

my usual modus operandi at a buffet is to hit up every station, but one at a time. unless i know i won't like something i take a little bit of every item and go back to my table to try it all out. this way, if it turns out i don't like something and don't want to finish it, i waste very little. after finishing my samples from that station, i go back and get the items i like. if i didn't like much, i move onto the next station and repeat the process. i always try fill my plate and generally eat everything on it. i start with salad and finish with dessert. sometimes i try the soup, but not usually since i find most soups rather salty, and besides, they take up valuable stomach space. or, if i'm interested in the soups. i'll fill up on the main courses first then move back to soups. i also generally do not try to "over" eat on the expensive items. i like what i like and i'm not going to eat food i don't like just to "make it worth my money."

usually, at home, i eat until i first feel full. then i'll finish my bowl. when eating out, if i can't finish what's on my plate, i'll generally eat half so i can take the rest home. i don't like taking home less than a meal. it seems wasteful. when at a buffet i always overeat, lol. another reason i hate buffets! but i tend to eat slowly so can actually eat way more than i normally do. i seem to have a very elastic stomach. a time or two, at a $40+ vegas buffet i've actually eaten until my stomach hurt after. :( that was stupid and i don't intend to do it again. tho, coincidentally, i usually have to poo midway thru a long meal. and always after eating a big meal, within the hour!