What's next for all-you-can-eat buffets?

Proponents of this position hold that the format cannot carry its own costs: a counter must look full to work, so paying for food nobody eats is structural, and every way of cutting that loss removes the reason diners came.

Proponents of this position hold that the format's economics are too strong to abandon: a fixed price set against average appetite delivers predictable revenue per head and an unmatched sense of value, and demand for both is unchanged.

This position holds that the model survives in altered form: the promise of unlimited quantity at one price persists, while the open counter that delivered it gives way to shorter ranges, served rounds and leaner service.