Chinatown Buffet — Restaurant in Champaign

I went with some coworkers that I met at our employers training camp to get some supper at this establishment. The first thing you see as you are about to open the door is a notice posted by the health department about "contamination by hands". I will be honest and say I'm not quite sure what that means but it doesn't sound good. We continued inside and look around to see a strange koi pond and what appeared to be a half constructed table made from plywood over by the wall. I first thought that were going through a remodel but quickly dismissed that idea because nothing else pointed to that conclusion. When we were seated, the waiter asked what we wanted to drink. He didn't smile and spoke no more than necessary. It kind of gave the impression that he didn't want to be there. After we got our drinks, we got up to get some food. I found the chicken was either tough and hard to chew or slimy and hard to swallow. The vegetable lo mein had an overpowering taste of garlic and even the mac and cheese was dry. I went to get some soup and found they had two bowl sizes, a giant bowl that was, in my opinion, much too big and reasonably sized bowls that were sitting on a tray of standing water for who knows how long. After drying the reasonably sized bowl to the best of my ability, I tried the soup. After all, it is extremely difficult to make bad soup. Yet they managed to do so. It was strangely thick, greasy, and bland all at the same time. At this point, I was done. The waiter brought us our bills so we could pay and go. My bill was $14.22, which is only slightly higher than what I would pay back home. I was one of the last two to pay. I hand the waiter $15 hoping without hope that they would be able to finish strong. Stupid of me, I know. He brings me my change, sets it down in front of me, and walks off after saying "Your change". I may not be a rocket scientist but I do know basic math. ($15-$14.22=$0.78) So I know he messed up right away when I see some ones in my change. I count it just to be sure. $5.68 is what he brought. If I paid him $20, he would owe me $5.78, but I didn't and he didn't bring me $5.78. He brought me $5.68 so I go to the till and flag him down. I explain his mistake and, instead of thanking me for my honesty or apologizing for his mistake, he rolls his eyes, takes the $5, tosses it in the till, and walks off. As he is walking away, I say "You still owe me a dime." He doesn't even acknowledge that I spoke. So I shook my head and left. I am shocked and disappointed that this place is able to stay in business being as terrible as it is. If it were possible, I would rate...

I was in the mood for Chinese food for lunch and a quick Google search brought up a number of places but the Chinatown Buffet was very close to where I was. A drive into the parking lot did not bring my hopes up since the parking lot looked dirty with trash laying here in there. The outside of the building was pretty much the same as the parking lot with a dirty building and dirty windows. Walking was much different from the outside. The restaurant was fairly clean except the floors looked like it had gone through a lot of walking traffic and that was due to a lot of customers in the restaurant for the lunch time rush. I was pleasantly greeted as soon as I came in. I had two waiters tending to me so I always had a clean plate and my drink was always full. The food selection was huge with 8 buffet islands. #1 was loaded with desserts. #2 & 4 had a salad bar and fruit. #5 was a buffet island that had a "Fill your own ingredients bowl" which would be cooked by the chef. #6, #7, and 8 was a nice varied selection of Chinese food along with pizza and chicken wings and some American dishes at the end. I went through and got a small portion of almost everything from #6, #7, and half of #8. I got too full to partake from the other buffet islands. The food had flavor and I did eat everything off of my plate/s. I would give the food a 3 1/2. Some of the dishes were hit or miss. The General Tso Chicken and the Spicy Chicken were very soggy. When eating at the finer Chinese restaurants it is usually crispy. The service was really good and the employees were very friendly. The restaurant inside was decorated in a very drab dark wood with old decorations. I definitely felt like I traveled back in time in there. Will I eat there again? If I was in the town of Champaign and if Chinatown Buffet was close by then "yes" I would. You'll definitely get more than your money's worth...

Man, oh man, this place... If you're looking for a food coma, come on down. Eat. Until. You. Can't. Move. It's great! I've got like 5 things there that I really like, and I pile em high! So high, in fact, that I went there with my date and 2 others, and they had to just assume I was setting behind the heap because they were hearing my voice! Eventually, I was like Wilson (Tim Allen's neighbor... iykyk) because all they could see were eyes and nose. Behind the food, I was two-fisting forks, and I was working the body like Mohammed Ali. Plus, there is this one waiter there who is as happy as a pig in slop. He refilled my coke once, and on the second refill (I swear on the bible), he pointed his finger in the air and said "New Cups!" Bro... dog... son... idk what it did to me because I felt like I had leveled up at the frickin Chinese buffet. When I finally left, I was thankful to know a guy, because he brought his excavator to the front door and I plopped into the bucket. He drove me to my car, and just dumped me on the roof of it. Probably not a good idea, because I've never actually heard metal sigh before. But I'm telling you, first hand, it was the best 18 something dollars I've ever spent. You know you've got your money worth when your date asks you "umm.. are you gonna be okay?" It was beautiful. I'll be going back, and I'm getting a high five from that waiter for sure....