Hopper's Pizza Buffet — Restaurant in Lewiston

Hello All! So if buffet and $10 didn't convince you, then this review will be all you need. First - I myself am a family oriented small business owner. I can easily tell the love and effort put into this business while trying not to break people's wallets, because I put the same type of effort into my business. Times are kind of hard in mid 2023. I also waited to leave a review until I had tried a couple of different aspects, and at different times. But I knew the first time I walked in and it was a familiar feel. (It's a business owner thing) Finally, I also wanted to bring my father in (a retired former business owner also) and he's the toughest client anyone could ask for. The result? I think I finally understood how he felt taking me to buffets when I was younger. Happy was an understatement for him. Hopper's will also make you pizza that you want upon request, (if buffet isn't full already) dessert pizza also at dinnertime, breadsticks, cinnamon balls, salad/toppings that don't need 10 jugs of ranch to make it taste good, all the soda or tea you could drink, and then ice cream. Yes the ice cream toppings are just flavored sauces....but you want more toppings? That costs a pretty good chunk of money. So I think that if they sold plastic 3.5 oz containers of w/e toppings you wanted for $1, that would be more than fair. (Or there's always the candy arcade machine...) Even if they never do that, it's still better than 99% of places to eat when comparing value/cost. On top of that, you have arcade machines, and although some of them need some TLC (I know that they aren't truly broken because that's my field) they could be in far worse condition from having hundreds to thousands of kids and adults use them. Not to mention, it's likely that Hopper's is renting the space to the actual owners of the machines, so it's not really even their responsibility. So stop reading this review, get out of your car, and go inside. If you're worried about the pizza and the quality comments from others: Remember everyone's tastes are different. It's not gross, it's just doesn't appeal to you, because it's actually pretty high quality hand made pizza. But overall, whether you go for the buffet, get take and bake for later, or you/spouse are just tired and want to make sure your family is fed and kids are happy for the night... You won't find a better deal! The pizza quality/taste are awesome, the service is amazing, and that business owner and his wife have trained their kids/employees well in customer service. If NOTHING else appeals to you, go to simply support a local family owned business trying to make it in this crazy world, without having to charge a hungry family with 2 kids 100 bucks or more to eat out. I have 4 TEENAGERS, wife, myself, and then my stepmom and dad. WITH DRINKS... it was right at 100 bucks for 8 people. (and then 20 bucks for kid's arcade of course.) Hope I see you all there next time I go. Go...

UPDATE 7/2023: I've increased my star rating to 5/5 stars. They really have done a lot to add value to their experience. The price is roughly the same as before (a bit better, actually) but now there is self serve ice cream, better selection of pizzas, and more arcade machines. They have all the prior stuff I listed, as well. Overall, this is an experience that the whole family looks forward to every time.

Old review: Hopper's Pizza Buffet is a buffet with pizza, so what more could you ask for?

Overall the pizza was pretty good and the variety wasn't bad, either. They had Multi-Meat, Supreme, Hawaiian, Chicken Alfredo, Veggie, and some others that I can't recall, but my point is Hopper's is covering the bases. Of course, what would a pizza buffet be complete without bread sticks, salad, soup, and dessert pizza? These were also present.

The atmosphere is clean and inviting. There's booths and tables for whatever your party's size is. They even have a few arcade games, as well.

The only gripe I have is, while I enjoyed the experience, I didn't think it was worth the money. Our group of five which consisted of three children and two adults cost right at about $50. I don't mind shelling that much for a fantastic experience, but for that much money, I wouldn't say the food quality matches the expense. I can get better pizza in the valley for less money and still get leftovers. Our bill did not even include fountain drinks.

I want Hopper's to do well and believe that the valley sorely needs a restaurant like this. This place reminds me a bit of The Pizza Ranch, but the quality/price ratio isn't quite there, yet. Still, we'll probably be back eventually,...

Love the food, but there are a couple of issues with eating in that have recently surfaced. A manager or possibly an owner (heard from others it was an owner but can't confirm) was loudly berating/cursing at what was either an employee or family member (it felt like a mother/son relationship, but I'm not 100% sure) in front of a group of customers waiting to be helped at the counter when there is clearly an office right there that can be utilized. Highly unprofessional. My second issue is we frequently take our kids to use the arcade to win tickets for prizes, and our last visit we were told that children can no longer use every ticket on their receipt. E.g. My son had 272 tickets, he got a prize that cost 200 tickets meaning 72 tickets were left. Rather than the normal procedure of embossing that ticket receipt and writing down the new total with the employees initials, we were told we weren't allowed to use the remainder. I stated how that was never done in the past, so the girl "let it slide this time." I spend more money on the arcade than I do on the actual food just to be told we can't even use all of the tickets? Absurd. If that's going to be the case, perhaps in all of these updates they should look into upgrading to a card system like Lancers and other places that have arcades with tickets/prizes. If I'm told they can't use all of the tickets again, I'll likely just take my kids to Lancers instead. Their food is better and cheaper, you ultimately get more food since you can take the leftovers home, kids get to use ALL of their tickets, the prizes are better, and the employees are typically always kind...