All-you-can-eat buffets, a win-win formula?

Being able to swallow sushi, skewers, grilled vegetables and sautéed noodles without counting the plates or change is the promise of all-you-can-eat buffets. Faced with inflation, this catering model is attractive. What is the recipe for their success? On the outskirts of Toulouse (Haute-Garonne), in the middle of a commercial area, a place is all the rage: it is 7 p.m., and the queue is already stretching in front of an Asian establishment, which offers an all-you-can-eat formula on evening for 22 euros per person.

Diversify to attract customers

In the evening, the restaurant has an average of 300 covers, a significant attendance. This is the first pillar of the model according to Qiun Xu, the buffet manager. “There must be a lot of customers for it to be profitable. The margins are lower than a classic restaurant”, he confides. Another all-you-can-eat buffet in Val-d’Oise has chosen to diversify, and offers, for 18.90 euros at lunchtime, also fries, French pastries and seafood. “Extraordinary”, rejoices a customer. To practice low prices, more than 50% of the products are frozen, and purchased in bulk.