<description>&lt;p data-start="0" data-end="89"&gt;πŸ₯΄πŸ½οΈπŸš« &lt;strong data-start="8" data-end="79"&gt;Hometown Buffet: The Absolute Bottom of the Tchotchke of Mediocrity&lt;/strong&gt; 🚫🍽️πŸ₯΄&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="91" data-end="480"&gt;This week, we revisit a meal that has haunted me since 2014: &lt;strong data-start="153" data-end= "172"&gt;Hometown Buffet&lt;/strong&gt;, the worst restaurant experience of my life. Joined by &lt;strong&gt;Trey Burch&lt;/strong&gt;, I relive the sleepy Sunday morning buffet that somehow managed to fail at &lt;em data-start="314" data-end="327"&gt;everything.&lt;/em&gt; From nonexistent service to questionable sushi, this trip back to mediocrity's basement proves exactly why this chain is extinct (and deserves to be).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="482" data-end="1166"&gt;πŸ“‰ The Rise and Fall of Hometown Buffet: 4 Bankruptcies and a "Scatter Bar" Concept&lt;br data-start= "565" data-end="568" /&gt; πŸ₯΄ A Nearly Empty Sunday Brunch is the Reddest of Flags&lt;br data-start="621" data-end="624" /&gt; 🚫 No Service, No Bussing, Just a Neighboring Table for Dirty Plates&lt;br data-start="692" data-end="695" /&gt; 🍣 Trey Eats Sushi at a Low-Grade Buffet (and Lives to Tell About It)&lt;br data-start="764" data-end="767" /&gt; πŸ₯“ Every Food Item Somehow Worse Than the Last&lt;br data-start="813" data-end="816" /&gt; 😷 Sneeze Guards Positioned Way Too High to Help Anyone&lt;br data-start="992" data-end="995" /&gt; 😑 The Manager Who Told a Guest Her Refund Was "Unfair"&lt;br data-start="1050" data-end="1053" /&gt; πŸ’€ Declared: The Definitive 0.00/10 on the Tchotchke of Mediocrity&lt;br data-start="1123" data-end="1126" /&gt; πŸͺ¦ A Buffet So Bad, I'm Glad It's Gone&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="1168" data-end="1237"&gt;πŸ’¬ COMMENT BELOW: What's the worst restaurant you've ever eaten at?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="1239" data-end="1542"&gt;πŸ“’ SUPPORT THE SHOW &amp; JOIN THE COMMUNITY:&lt;br data-start="1280" data-end="1283" /&gt; πŸŽ‰ Patreon (Bonus episodes, full Yelp segments &amp; more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast&lt;br data-start="1368" data-end= "1371" /&gt; πŸ’¬ Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4&lt;br data-start="1436" data-end="1439" /&gt; πŸŽ₯ Watch full episodes: youtube.com/@finediningpodcast&lt;br data-start="1493" data-end= "1496" /&gt; πŸ”— All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="1467" data-end="1511"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Patreon Producers:&lt;/strong&gt; Sue Ornelas &amp; Joyce Van&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="1464" data-end="1508"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Patreon Subscribers:&lt;/strong&gt; David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, &amp; Travis Langley&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="1464" data-end="1508"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Free Patreon Followers:Β &lt;/strong&gt;Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, &amp; Aaron Hubbard&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p data-start="1513" data-end="1627" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node=""&gt;πŸ‘‰ &lt;strong&gt;NEXT WEEK:&lt;/strong&gt; The Bridge Season begins with the history of &lt;strong&gt;Outback Steakhouse&lt;/strong&gt; with my guest, returning favorite &lt;strong&gt;VyVy Nguyen&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;</description>

"Fine" Dining

Michael Ornelas

Hometown Buffet: Absolute Trash

OCT 29, 202579 MIN
"Fine" Dining

Hometown Buffet: Absolute Trash

OCT 29, 202579 MIN

Description

πŸ₯΄πŸ½οΈπŸš« Hometown Buffet: The Absolute Bottom of the Tchotchke of Mediocrity 🚫🍽️πŸ₯΄

This week, we revisit a meal that has haunted me since 2014: Hometown Buffet, the worst restaurant experience of my life. Joined by Trey Burch, I relive the sleepy Sunday morning buffet that somehow managed to fail at everything. From nonexistent service to questionable sushi, this trip back to mediocrity's basement proves exactly why this chain is extinct (and deserves to be).

πŸ“‰ The Rise and Fall of Hometown Buffet: 4 Bankruptcies and a "Scatter Bar" Concept πŸ₯΄ A Nearly Empty Sunday Brunch is the Reddest of Flags 🚫 No Service, No Bussing, Just a Neighboring Table for Dirty Plates 🍣 Trey Eats Sushi at a Low-Grade Buffet (and Lives to Tell About It) πŸ₯“ Every Food Item Somehow Worse Than the Last 😷 Sneeze Guards Positioned Way Too High to Help Anyone 😑 The Manager Who Told a Guest Her Refund Was "Unfair" πŸ’€ Declared: The Definitive 0.00/10 on the Tchotchke of Mediocrity πŸͺ¦ A Buffet So Bad, I'm Glad It's Gone

πŸ’¬ COMMENT BELOW: What's the worst restaurant you've ever eaten at?

πŸ“’ SUPPORT THE SHOW & JOIN THE COMMUNITY: πŸŽ‰ Patreon (Bonus episodes, full Yelp segments & more): patreon.com/finediningpodcast πŸ’¬ Discord (Food talk, memes, cursed Yelp): discord.gg/6a2YqrtWV4 πŸŽ₯ Watch full episodes: youtube.com/@finediningpodcast πŸ”— All links: linktree.com/finediningpodcast

Patreon Producers: Sue Ornelas & Joyce Van

Patreon Subscribers: David Ornelas, Kellie Baldwin, Jeremy Horwitz, Herbert Amaya, Simone Davalos, Scott Bennett, Amy Reinhart, Josef Castaneda-Liles, & Travis Langley

Free Patreon Followers: Joe Warszalek, Lauren Cummings, Grace Krainak, Keri Estes, Robert Duran, Patrick Elliott, Michelle Elmer, Dave Plummer, Nicholas Volney, Michael Gerard, Tracy Molino, Phuong Duong, Tyler Robinson, Brandon Gully, Mason Cruz, Michael Milito, Mez, & Aaron Hubbard

πŸ‘‰ NEXT WEEK: The Bridge Season begins with the history of Outback Steakhouse with my guest, returning favorite VyVy Nguyen.