12 Shady Things About Golden Corral You Need To Know

In the dog-eat-dog world of all-you-can eat buffets, Golden Corral has bested many of its competitors throughout the decades. That said, the company has had its share of ups and downs, including lawsuits.

Golden Corral first opened in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1973 and was started by James H. Maynard and William Carl. In the beginning, the restaurant was called The Golden Steer. Less than a year later, the restauranters were about to open up a second location; it was then that they changed the name to Golden Corral and the rest is history. The endless meal style isn't exactly a new concept, but what sets Golden Corral apart is its affordability. Now with nearly 400 locations across the United States, it has become a mainstay in the quick-service dining market.

Golden Corral says in its mission statement that, "We strive to offer a pleasurable dining experience that is affordable for every guest, at every restaurant, every day." But try as it might to adhere to that promise, the chain has hit a few bumps in the road throughout the years. Let's explore the sometimes-shady history of Golden Corral and what it has been doing recently to repair its wobbly reputation.

Back in May 2019, a woman was kicked out of Golden Corral in front of her family and other guests for wearing denim shorts and a tank top. She quickly went onto social media in a now-deleted post telling of her ordeal. Sueretta Emke visited Golden Corral for her son's birthday, but even before she hit the buffet located in Erie, Pennsylvania, she was approached by a manager and asked to leave because her attire was too, "provocative."

"I really do believe something was said to me because I'm not thin so it's not considered sexy," she wrote in the caption. "What really sucks was that was a new shirt. I've never owned a crop top before and I was nervous at first about wearing it but my husband loved the way it looked on me and encouraged me to wear it since I liked it so much. I really felt cute in it and now I never wanna wear that shirt again even though it was the first time I ever wore it and I felt good about myself in it."

The story made headlines; Today.com featured Emke's situation in an online story. In the end, a district manager apologized for his manager's behavior and offered her gift cards. "I do believe he will try to make changes at the restaurant," she said.

People with disabilities already have a rough time navigating public spaces. You would think a big chain restaurant like Golden Corral would be sensitive to that. But in 2018, the company was sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for the firing of an employee with epilepsy. According to The National Law Review, the buffet chain accused her "of being unwilling or unable to control her disability."

Another case from Farmington, New Mexico, was filed by the United States against the company for a Title III violation. The settlement agreement contends that Golden Corral, failed "to remove architectural barriers to access in the restaurant's parking lot, food service counter, and public toilet rooms."

In yet another lawsuit in Westland, Michigan, the eatery was accused of violating Americans with the Disabilities Act (ADA) by refusing to serve a mother and her son because of his genetic skin disorder. The above cases were settled; the mother and son were awarded $50,000 in damages.

Golden Corral might be a mukbanger's dream by encouraging endless visits to the buffet line. With obesity on the rise, the restaurant might be contributing to the ailing health of Western society. According to 2024 study published in the medical journal The Lancet, almost three out of four people in the United States are overweight or obese.

The all-you-can-eat aspect of a buffet might be clouding judgment, especially on an empty stomach. But there are some things that you can do in a buffet line to keep you mindful. A customer can use smaller plates which may psychologically encourage a diner to serve themselves smaller portions.

Also, having access to particular foods can result in "hedonic eating," a term according to the University of Kansas' Tera Fazzino that describes the rewarding aspects of food as opposed to psychological hunger. "The take-home point is really that people who tended to consume more carbohydrate and sodium foods — when they were freely available — were at greater risk for weight and body fat gain."

You might think that visiting the salad bar portion of Golden Corral would be its healthiest option, however, in 1999 food handling and hygiene were seemingly not a part of the standard operating procedures at a Nebraskan Golden Corral. An E.coli outbreak sickened 80 people who consumed contaminated lettuce after they visited the salad bar.

In 2013, a young male employee went viral after showing what happens to food during a health inspection. "Apparently what my company likes to do to get ready for inspections is put their food by the dumpsters. So, I'm outside, here's the dumpster area, I'm walking into it right now, and this is what my company likes to do with their food for inspection," the employee said. The video showed foods such as hamburger meat and baby back ribs swarmed by flies still in cooking pans.

Golden Corral saw the video and immediately responded. Eric Holm, a franchisee at Metro Corral Partners said, "None of these items were served to a single customer. All were destroyed within the hour at the direction of management." The manager of the offending location was fired. 

As many who have eaten at a buffet restaurant can probably attest, keeping the food warm and stocked on the line requires a heat lamp. This can mean that certain foods, like scrambled eggs, deteriorate in quality over time. One ex-employee of Golden Corral named Oliver Lee Bateman pointed out in a 2015 essay on Vice that at certain times of the day, the food is left to sit under these heat sources while the next menu items are being prepared.

Bateman noted that the worst time at Golden Corral for fresh food was that time between lunch and dinner. It was during this dead zone that less expensive foods often went untouched while the grill cooks were focused on dinner. Heat lamps are perfectly safe for keeping things warm if the temperatures are kept above 140°F. The problem is the quality of the food takes a dive if left too long under the bulbs.

Bateman says in the same article that the crossover time between lunch and dinner can be slow andemployees take advantage of the lull by taking smoke breaks, "leaving veritable Everests of un-bussed, half-eaten food plates to fester under the fluorescent lights." This was especially the case on Monday nights, one of his restaurant's slowest days of the week.

Dedicated Golden Corral diners probably have their favorite go-to items whenever they visit the restaurant. However, there are at least 17 Golden Corral buffet items you should skip. Whether it's the flavor or questionable ingredients, the menu choices on the list make a compelling argument about avoiding them altogether.

Depending on the location, these foods include steak burgers, baked fish, and pot roast. Per the article, the baked fish looked visually appealing, but the texture was mealy and the flavor, well, flavorless. Another item on the long list is an American favorite, steak burgers. Our writer noted that the burger patties were bland and the bun was too thick, adding more bread than needed to each bite.

Then there's the pot roast ... This was another dish that look good appealing, but was anything but reminiscent of a home-cooked meal from mom. Instead "sogginess" tended to be the theme of Golden Corral's pot roast.

The traditional Golden Corral experience requires that guests pay the proper fee upfront, according to their age and the time of day, find an empty table and start filling their plates with the many food items available on the buffet line. However, if a guest doesn't want to mingle with people or navigate a bustling dining room, they can always order their food to go.

On the Golden Corral website, guests can choose a Meals To-Go option at participating locations. It doesn't mean you can belly up to the buffet with a giant tote bag and carry it all out.

For takeout options, guests pay a one-time price depending on which service hour it is and they can pick an already prepared meal.  There is also a Pay by the Pound choice but that requires them to go into the restaurant. The question is whether getting a meal to-go rather than grabbing it yourself in the dining room is worth it.

When we do the math, a traditional sit-down affair for an adult costs between $14.49 and $17.29 for breakfast and dinner respectively. Lunch is $12.99. That includes everything in the buffet for as many visits as guests choose to make. However, since the To-Go plan is a set price the cost of a single fried chicken meal is $16.49. 

Golden Corral's to-go menu might be a convenience for some who don't want to dine inside the restaurant, but it's not a viable source for vegetarians. The all-you-can-eat vegan-friendly buffet is a rarity if almost non-existent, with most buffets featuring an abundance of meat options and far fewer plant-based food options. 

Golden Corral's choices on its to go menu are exactly that: Meats such as steak, chicken and pot roast. There are sides but they only come in small individual containers, and there is only one basic salad option. Golden Corral's website is abundant with nutritional information and even lists vegetarian as one of its dietary options. However, it cannot guarantee the accuracy of its data because of, among other things, the handcrafted nature of the menu items. Additionally, it is a self-serve restaurant which means there is the danger of cross-contamination.

For customers who want Golden Corral's meat-based to-go food, there are a lot of options, however, the chain might be inadvertently excluding its vegetarian clientele who will go elsewhere for their dietary needs.

Many companies utilize a rewards program where the more you spend the more you get back. Golden Corral has its own rewards system where, for every dollar you spend, you get one point; reach 100 and you will get $10 off your meal. That seems like a great program.

However, there are a few caveats you should know about before you sign up. Rewards are deducted after discounts, taxes and gratuity. They cannot be earned with alcoholic purchases. Furthermore, rewards cannot be earned with catering orders and cannot be earned by using a third-party app. They do expire after a year.

Finally, all U.S. and Puerto Rico restaurants participate in Golden Corral's Rewards program, except Punta Gorda, Florida. We have searched the internet as to why that location is the only one that doesn't issue or accept rewards, but thus far there isn't a reason. It could be that individually owned franchises don't have to accept company coupons or rewards. (In 2023, Subway owners were forced to redeem coupons whether they wanted to or not.)

We did find that the Punta Gorda restaurant has discounts of its own. In the past, it's offered $5 off for Mother's Day and a 20% discount for teachers.

If you plan on traveling for your birthday and want to eat at a Golden Corral buffet you might be out of luck. The chain offers an exclusive birthday program but you have to be signed up as a Good As Gold Club member. The company says it might add the benefit to its regular rewards program in the future.

"Guests registered for Golden Corral Rewards will still receive offers and news about Golden Corral," Golden Corral's FAQ website states. "But now will also be rewarded for dining with us as well. Members of the Good As Gold email club receive an exclusive offer on their birthday." One stipulation is the offer is only valid at the location the guest selected when they first signed up. 

There is an option to update the preferred location after a Good As Gold Member receives a confirmation email after they sign up. Some Gold As Gold members on Reddit, however, claim they have had trouble getting their birthday reward email even though they claim to have signed up.

In this day and age, even something like working for a large company can put a person at risk of having their identity stolen. In 2024 Golden Corral was involved in a class action lawsuit that accused the company of leaking sensitive employee information. The breach was identified back in August of 2023, and it involved over 180,000 people whose personal information was stolen. The data that was leaked involved social security numbers, driver's license numbers, financial information and credentials.

It's reported that Golden Corral wasn't aware that the stolen information was being used but it offered free credit monitoring services to those impacted by the breach.

"While Golden Corral is unaware of the misuse of any personal information impacted by this event, individuals are encouraged to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft by reviewing account statements and explanations of benefits for unusual activity," the company said according to Security Week.

In 2011 Golden Corral introduced its chocolate fountain dessert bar. It was a popular inclusion to the buffet line and people seemed to really enjoy it, especially children. Guests used to be able to freely dip their selections into the silky flow, but after COVID, plexiglass was installed in front of it to prevent contamination. One of the problems was kids were reaching around the plexiglass. In the COVID-fearing world of 2021, it wasn't the best hygienic practice.

Recent reports claim that the fountain is still available, however, The Takeout recently contacted Golden Corral spokesperson, Mckenzie Karnes, who delivered an update.

"As Golden Corral emerged from the COVID-19 shutdowns in 2020, they made the difficult but necessary decision to remove the chocolate fountains from all locations nationwide as part of a broader effort to streamline operations and ensure a safe, efficient guest experience," Karnes said. "In keeping with our commitment to continuous innovation and enhancing our offerings, they have since introduced ICEE machines to the bakery area, which have been enthusiastically received by our guests." Sorry chocolate fountain fans, it was fun while it lasted.