Golden Corral Buffet & Grill — Restaurant in Joplin

For over a decade, this was my favorite place to eat. I used to brag about it to all my friends and co-workers. It was clean, the food was great, the employees friendly. No more. After Manager Ben T. left, the restaurant started to decline. It's now a total disaster.

Last night, March 3, we went in for dinner, and wanted to sit at a booth. We waited for it to be wiped down while two employees stood in a corner chatting for several minutes and ignored us. We finally started to clean the table ourselves, which prompted the female employee to finally run over and start engaging with us. English is not her first language, and we didn't understand what she was saying. She finally picked up the drinks we had set down and moved them. She informed us the tables had to be "sanitized" because the restaurant had gotten in trouble with the Health Department. And she said that someone would have to sanitize the other tables before they would sanitize the one we wanted. Well, that was kind of scary.

I talked to the manager and she simply said, "We're having an off night." Well, yes, the steak was gristly, the shrimp was under-cooked and had a bad aftertaste, many items weren't being replenished and the dining room was absolutely filthy. I told the manager we would not be coming back and her attitude was, "Oh, well ... okay."

Well, okay. We had a good run. My spouse and I ate there on our first date, and we used to take our family and friends there for birthdays and special occasions. We knew everyone who worked there, and they knew us. Last night was a sad end to a...

I know, I know, you're thinking "Seriously? 4 stars?" But hear me out. Now's the part where you think, "OK, Mr. Chef, you may have great hair, but what do you know about food?"

Golden Corral makes the majority of their food from scratch. Kudos to the team for knocking out the sheer volume and diverse selection of menu items they produce. The staff keeps the line stocked with hot perennial favorite comfort foods that are made fresh in-house. To any of the critics who may have something to say about freshness- you're at a buffet homie, sometimes you're going to get the last piece from the bottom of the pan.

The most amazing thing is how consistent this GC is. Never once have we had an unpleasant meal. It's not a fine-dining experience, but the food is on par every time.

Its around $15/person and kids eat cheap, especially factoring in how many trips to the dessert bar they're going to make! Breakfast is also very affordable and just as good as the offerings for lunch and dinner.

This is the place if you're looking for homestyle vittles perfectly prepared in a well-oiled machine of a kitchen.

Also... a great place to people watch! If you're seated facing the fried fish section of the buffet line, pay particular attention to the stance the diners take when they lunge in deep and twist their torsos ever so slightly to get that perfect angle and extra 2" of reach as they root around the pan for the most succulent nugget of cornmeal dusted whitefish. The fam and I affectionately refer to the posture as the...

My family got together for Christmas for the first time in years, and we came to Golden Corral because this is where our late mother used to love to eat. It was on the Sunday after Christmas, so it was very crowded. We were able to get through the check-in line quickly, we were treated courteously, everything was clean, and the waitresses and waiters absolutely hustled! The young lady that helped our table was amazing she was personable, and she was kind to the children in our group. She even helped us take a group picture. I really enjoyed her. I was unable to eat because of multiple food allergies, but the rest of the people in my group said the food was good. And the kids found plenty to keep them enticed. I used the bathroom while I was here, and it was spotless, and anytime a table was emptied there was somebody right there cleaning it immediately. I'm impressed with the method that they use of turning the napkin container on its side with a sign that says "this table has not been sanitized", so that the cleaners know exactly where to go. All of the wait staff were masks although none of the patrons did. I was very pleased with our experience. The only reason I didn't give this a full five stars is because I wasn't able to eat so I could not honestly tell you how...