Golden Corral is known today as a buffet-style diner that doesn’t hold back on serving up the best value in breakfast buffet options. The restaurant chain prides itself on making dining affordable for everyone, creating a laid-back, family-centric dining vibe. When the first restaurant was opened in January of 1973, the dining experience and menu looked very different to reflect needs and interests of diners of the time. These days, the chain made a huge comeback after a period of struggling and has made several changes since first opening over 50 years ago.
With the first store opening in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the restaurant chain was mainly a family steakhouse rather than a buffet spot. Making a visit to Golden Corral in the ’70s revolved around family-friendly atmospheres and low-cost dining. For starters, the menu was very simple, and mostly centered around steak. During the ’70s, the restaurant offered its signature Golden Corral Steak, which came with baked potato or fries and was the restaurant’s specialty. You could also order a hamburger, beef tips, honey cured ham steak, rib eye steak, and shish kebab. The prices typically ranged from 99 cents for a hamburger to $4.19 for a large sirloin steak meal.
Differences between dining at Golden Corral then and now
Many buffet chains have come and gone, but Golden Corral has stuck around for those who really appreciate the homely dining option. A major shift during the ’80s shaped the Golden Corral that most know today. At the time, diners were less interested in red meat, which was a problem for Golden Corral’s steak-focused menu. First, Golden Corral added a salad bar — but the chain also wanted to include main menu options that weren’t focused on red meat. Therefore, during that decade, the restaurant chain switched from its steakhouse vibe to offering a broader range of buffet items. Because of this, the entire structure of the restaurants had to be reimagined to fit the buffets.
Today, you’ll typically find a wide range of ordering options to reflect modern dining. Originally, pricing was based on standard dishes; nowadays, it differs depending on the time of day you choose to order. The buffet costs significantly more at dinnertime, approximately $16 to $19, and ranges from $11 to $15 for breakfast and lunch, depending on location. Diners can also order take-out buffet, which is another shift in how the chain can be experienced. Golden Corral doesn’t look as it once did, but it’s still got some tricks up its sleeve — like being one of the restaurants with the best pot roasts, hands down…