Golden Corral Buffet & Grill — Restaurant in Ballenger Creek

This is the second year that I have placed an order either over the phone or in person and when it is time for me to pick up my order it's non existent. I came in on November 4, 2024, sat down at the table with the afternoon manager "at the time" and placed my Thanksgiving order for today. I called in this morning to ask what time did I need to pick up my order. The current bald guy manager hung up on me before I could get my words out. I called back and he's like yeah what you need. He told me that my order was not there and the manager who originally took my order no longer worked there. He informed me if I came in they would make the order for me. I arrived at the location and was greeted by the rudest "to go" cashier I ever met. His name is Ishmel. He was not accommodating at all. Then the manager who hung up on me earlier told me I would have to pay the weighted price for the 10 individual meals I preordered. Absolutely not. Then the black manager came out he wasn't helpful because he was trying to make it seem like someone was trying to be confrontational when all I was trying to do was get clarity on how I can get my orders filled since your management misplaced my original order. I told him what I ordered. He said "Ma'am we have alot people here it's Thanksgiving. It takes a while to make individual orders". I told him I understood and I was trying to be patient but y'all customer service is in the toilet right now. So he said he would go and make me 10 individual plates. Do you know he came out with just Turkey and Ham as the meats for my 10 plates and mash potatoes and gravy for my sides? The whole purpose of me ordering 10 individual meals was so my boys at the group home where I work at could experience a variety of food for Thanksgiving. For all of that he could've just gave me a whole Turkey and Ham and called it a day. The only professional staff their today was the short Mexican Manager. She kept her temperament. She was curtious. She was attentive. She was amazing. Matter of fact she was the one who helped me last year when they didn't put my order in the system. I will never patronize at this establishment again. The lack of empathy for paying customers is ridiculous especially when the error is...

This is the best Golden Corral that I’ve been to in this area. As vegetarians it’s not always easy to find a good place. Yes we pay for the full meal and skip the meat but we don’t go away hungry, there’s all the salad and hot vegetables you want. Rarely a salad bar item might be a bit low but we’ve never had a problem and if you just point it out I’m sure it would be filled. I usually start with a couple big salads, it’s a pretty good salad bar. Then grab some hot veggies. There is also fruit, not sure how sugar free some of it is. Also I asked about the spaghetti sauce and it is vegetarian at this location, at least the times I’ve asked. Then I try to minimize the dessert, sometimes that works. If we hit it on a weekday before 4 pm we get the Earlybird discount for seniors, just over $20 total, it’s easy to spend more elsewhere and get less. Don’t expect an upscale restaurant atmosphere, it’s Golden Corral. Whoever runs this branch does a good job.

There is a Golden Corral app, it’s mentioned on the receipts. If you use it to enter the code number on the receipt you can get points. We did that without any problems and got some nice discounts, once we both ate for 49¢, and I left a 1200% tip. I think we later had problems with this app, I thought I had 10s of dollars in credit but when I tried to use it none came up. I tried to contact the company through the app but never got a response. I don’t know how to see how much credit is available or when it is expiring (after a year but I don’t keep close track of each new credit). This is not the Frederick Golden Corral’s fault and I won’t rate them off for that. Just beware. The app is still worth it if you go...

This is the only Golden Corral I've ever been to, but I can compare it to other franchise and non-franchise buffet restaurants. In that sense, my local Golden Corral is easily one of the best buffets I've eaten at.

Some location-specific points:

First, the buffet line stretches nearly the entire length of the restaurant, with a wide range of foods. Easily a hundred feet or more of choices. Golden Corral serves everything from salads and cold sides to Chinese and Italian. You'll find a Mexican grill, steakhouse station (yes, you can get your steak cooked to order). Most of their offerings are available all the time, like their many comfort foods and their hand carved roast beef and chicken, while others might be served on a rotating basis, like Chinese BBQ spare ribs and Pad Thai Chicken.

Your first beverage is served at the front counter when you pay at the beginning of your visit, but refills come by way of the same table attendants who clear your plates between trips to the buffet line. Most of the time they're on top of your drinks, but when it gets busy, sometimes the beverage service suffers.

The dessert selection is fairly broad as well, with handmade cotton candy, handmade Rice Krispie treats, and what would a trip to Golden Corral be without their legendary chocolate sauce fountain? They draw you in with a bowl of fresh strawberries right in front of it for dipping.

In my experience, the best time to go is during the week for lunch. You probably won't see a big crowd then, but it does pick up for dinner. If you do have to go on the weekend, be sure you go EARLY. The place gets PACKED from about...