All-You-Can-Eat Buffets Are Back In Wyoming And Across The U.S.

Some people are seemingly discovering — or rediscovering — what others have long known: Buffets are one of the best bangs for your buck.

Yelp recently released a report forecasting that all-you-can-eat buffets are among the dining trends to watch this year. 

That’s because of a 252% spike in the number of people searching for an all-you-can-eat buffet nearby on the platform in the 12 months ended in August, compared to the same period the year before.

That’s right, buffets are back, which is welcome news to both buffet buffs and buffet bosses in Wyoming and beyond.

“I love it,” Mike Darby, owner of Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel & Restaurant in Cody, said of the prospect that more people will queue up for its buffets in the future. 

For $35.99, dinnertime diners can eat to their heart’s content from a spread that includes prime rib, salmon, buffalo ribs, pecan cranberry Brussels sprouts, bread pudding, and much more. 

In 2025, Darby estimates that a record 12,000 to 13,000 diners loaded up their plates for The Irma's dinner buffet, which is its most popular of a few different buffets and available year-round. 

But buffets continue to be a bit polarizing — some people love 'em, others hate 'em — and converting the buffet wary among us is something that Darby does rather frequently in the peak summer tourism season. 

If diners start asking a lot of questions, he suggests they’ll get more answers by taking a gander at the buffet — and one look at the prime rib often seals the deal.

“Absolutely, that catches their eye,” Darby said. “People will say, ‘Oh my gosh, this is just amazing.’” 

Buffets Bounce Back

Health concerns and a general decline in dining out during the early days of the COVID pandemic dealt a near-fatal blow to the buffet business, and national chains like the Old Country Buffet closed up shop altogether. 

"That was obviously the low-water mark of buffets because of the obvious threat of virus," Darby said of 2020.

To entice buffeters back, the Irma invested in new sneeze guards and other safety measures to feel comfortable again, and there's been a noticeable uptick in business in recent years, Darby said. 

One perhaps unexpected advantage of a buffet is that because everything is on display, diners can decide if the food and hygiene is up to their standards. 

Not Your Mother’s Buffet

The buffet businesses that survived the pandemic have, slowly but surely, been joined by some new competitors in recent years. 

Among the reasons why people may be coming around on buffets is that many “modern” buffets have become downright destination-worthy by offering premium dishes that might include fresh oysters and a more interactive dining experience, according to Tara Lewis, Yelp’s trend expert.

While Asian cuisines are “definitely at the forefront of the all-you-can-eat trend,” the broader interest in buffets is also telling, Lewis said. “It shows that diners are seeking both exceptional value and memorable dining experiences across a range of cuisines.”

Those Yelpers are catching onto what Greg Ching of Lafayette, Colorado, has long liked about buffets: They’re a good value, you can control portion sizes, and you have an opportunity to try new foods. 

For Ching, who eats out at a buffet about twice a month, the key determining factor is how hungry he is. 

“There are days when I’m busy playing pickleball for five hours and I’m famished by the time I’m done,” he said.

While Ching has watched as the price of buffets, like virtually everything, has gone up in recent years, most of his favorites in the greater Denver area cost somewhere in the $35 range. 

What makes for a visit-worthy buffet is a combination of freshly made dishes that span appetizers to soups to desserts and the type of cuisine itself — Ching prefers Asian or seafood-heavy buffets that might include dishes like crab legs or lobster tails. 

“I’ve had some really great buffet food,” Ching said.

The Economy Is A Factor

Ching wouldn’t be surprised to see more people lining up at his favorite buffets in the future, as he said the state of the economy may drive other diners in search of a good value. 

The economy is definitely something that weighs on Phil Klebenstein lately, especially because there’s seemingly no rhyme or reason why his restaurant may be busy or slow on any given day. 

Though Cody sees a crush of tourists, some out-of-towners likewise come through nearby Powell and are sometimes surprised to find a good Chinese buffet there. 

“We get people coming through town throughout the year, just passing through to visit family or whatever, and a lot of them say how good the food is and how it’s better than where they live,” said Klebenstein, who owns Jen’s Chinatown with his wife, Jen, who hails from China.

But the majority of the lunch, dinner, and to-go buffet business at Jen’s Chinatown comes from repeat diners who are locals, and even though the couple strives to offer a good value, he said the economy still is a factor in whether people will go out to eat at all. 

For $12.50 at lunch or $15.50 come dinnertime, buffeters at Jen’s can take multiple spins through a smorgasbord of about 20 different options, where dishes like the coconut shrimp, crispy shrimp, Kung Pao chicken, and General Tso’s chicken are always fan favorites, Klebenstein said.

Whether or not Wyomingites are part of that buffet bonanza is hard to know, as Yelp couldn’t provide state or regional specifics. Still, the data suggests that, at the very least, more people have become buffet curious lately. 

And for Klebenstein, that buzz around buffets makes him optimistic. 

“That is a little bit of good news,” he said.