Golden Corral Buffet & Grill — Restaurant in Boynton Beach

Golden Corral was founded in 1971 by James Maynard and William F. Carl. The first Golden Corral Family Steak House opened in 1973 in Fayetteville North Carolina. The early Golden Corrals were steak restaurants, not all you can eat buffets. In the 1980's Golden Corral rebranded and expanded to include a buffet with 160 hot and cold items. During this time the restaurant added the Brass Bell Bakery. A brass bell used to ring every 15 minutes when the hot rolls were ready. Those fresh rolls are still my favorite bakery item.

The Company is privately owned and in 2015 Lance Trenary was appointed CEO. As other all you can eat buffets saw their sales declined, Golden Corral operated on a 100 year plan for the company making their decisions for the long term instead of cutting corners for a quick profit. Golden Corral began instituting a remodel that has been shown to generate better sales for the company. The new design makes the buffet area more attractive and shows an open kitchen. 30 of the 489 locations received the updates in 2018.

Obviously Golden Corral was struck hard by the Covid Pandemic. The restaurants near me still have permanently closed. It is sad to see the weeds overtaking the abandoned building in Pompano. I had so many good memories there of family meals while my daughter was growing up. Everyone can pick what they like. It seems like the Golden Corrals north of me and in the center of the state have managed to survive. At first they all shut down and then they started reopening as take out and a cafeteria style restaurant but this model was not sustainable in the long run because they couldn't turn a profit with the number of workers needed to serve the food. This restaurant in Boynton Beach has managed to survive the pandemic. It was my family's choice to eat here after a visit to the nearby South Florida National Cemetery.

My first impressions when walking in was that the restaurant looks spotless. Everything looked super clean and the buffet looked pretty much like it did before Covid although a few alterations. There are gloves offered but I didn't see anyone using them. The restaurant is huge so it was easy to social distance away from everyone else. Prices seem to have gone up. We cam in a little after 4 so we paid the dinner price. A drink and meal was over $19 which is kind of pricey in my opinion for what you get.

Food selections look pretty much the same as they have always been. You have a large salad bar, hot foods including meat and vegetables, grilled steak, a carving station with ham, and the dessert bar with cakes, pies, pudding, and ice cream but no more chocolate fountain. Everyone in my family loves the carrot cake. The food is not gourmet but it is filling. Expect to find a lot of chicken, pot roast, fish, ham, sweet potatoes, sausage and peppers, a taco bar, meatloaf and broccoli, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, hot vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, and bourbon chicken.

I wanted the steak but they never cook enough to keep up with the demand and the piece I was given was practically raw. Everyone wants it and you are always stuck waiting for them to cook more. I ended up with some fried shrimp, a little pot roast, and a salad. You would have to eat a lot of food to get your money's worth and I don't enjoy that overly full feeling. They did have the beloved rolls but the pie boxes were left out on the counter and the pies were served still frozen. I get that they don't make their desserts here but couldn't they at least warm the apple pie up,

I think I'm losing my taste for Golden Corral. I have enjoyed past visits to this chain mainly for the nostalgia of pre Covid days. This visit I hardly ate anything and what I did wasn't great. If you are going to eat here go for lunch for...

Dining Review – August 4, 2025 Venue: Golden Corral Reviewer: WM

Timing is everything—and arriving just ahead of the dinner rush proved rewarding. The buffet unveiled several new selections that added a welcome twist to the familiar spread, offering both surprise and satisfaction.

🥗 Culinary Execution The chefs at the salad bar continue to impress with their precision and freshness. Each component was crisp, well-seasoned, and artfully arranged. Grill masters lived up to their title, delivering seared perfection with confident flair. The wait staff, meanwhile, provided service that bordered on ceremonial—graceful, attentive, and quietly efficient. It was hospitality with a white-glove touch.

🍰 Atmosphere & Hygiene While the ambiance remained family-friendly and inviting, the dessert section saw a noticeable uptick in congestion—particularly among patrons with respiratory sensitivities. Given the mix of elders and children, this wasn’t entirely unexpected. That said, the restaurant’s hygiene protocols are commendable, though a few enhancements—such as additional glove stations and strategically placed hand sanitizer—could elevate guest comfort during peak hours.

💬 Final Impression The experience was both nostalgic and reliably consistent. From the quality of the food to the warmth of the service, it’s a place that understands its rhythm and delivers with heart. Reasonably priced and rich in atmosphere, it remains a dependable destination for families seeking comfort, flavor,...

So I have a handi-capable person in my party. Sadly they cannot walk far. We brought her electric wheelchair chair here. Once we paid we informed the manager ( who is also seating people) that we are a party of 3 and we need space for her chair. He said I will be right back. While he was gone another person who worked for the company walked up and said you can go over there and to the left. I said we have a wheelchair chair and he said it was fine. Me, my mom and my niece walked to the location he told us to go. Once we got there I realized she couldn't get in the area he was telling us to go. Another worker walked up and moved two chairs and said here, you can sit. Another customer was getting upset. Turns out he was giving away another person's table to us. It didn't matter anyways because again she couldn't get there to sit. The employee who moved the two chairs asked if we were going to sit there or not. I replied to him and said she can't get to it, and if she did get there, Everytime she wanted to go to get food, she would have to have all those people move. It's not right to have to inconvenience everyone just to sit us here. He said it's okay we will have them move. I said well we don't want to have them move. He stormed off and said I'm just going to get the manager. When the manager walked up to us, it was the original person trying to sit us. He apologized and said let me sit you in a better location. It was a...