Eastern Buffet — Restaurant in Lexington

3/31/18 I can not rate on the food but, customer service skills and unprofessionalism I can. I have never been in this place before we only stop because we were passing through Columbia. We walk in I said hello ( no reply from host) I then ask can we have two booths please, she then walks us to a table beside another family. I said again thinking maybe she didn't hear me can we have two booths please, she said no I heard you the first time no no booth you have to many people. I said that's why I asked for two, she still said no. I then turn to my friend I was with to ask her a question, but before I could ask her anything she said no no booth only table to many people! My friend notice that she was being nice nasty and rude by trying to cut me off when I tried to ask her something. So my friend asked why do we have to sit here? Their chairs are bumping into this table chairs (which the other family chairs were bumping into the chairs where she wanted to seat us when they got up to go back to the buffet). Also that family was the only people on that side off the restaurant no one else was on that side at all, so there were plenty of booths and other tables empty! Apparently she waved for the guy because she got mad because we didn't want to sit there and start speaking a different language! She handed him the ticket book and walked off, that was it for me I just told everyone we will find a better place down the road somewhere I'm not fixing to spend my money here at all, not with a person who has been nothing but rude from when we walked in the door! We proceeded to the exit the guy then says, okay if you want two booths I will seat you over there! I just said Thank you but no Thank you! That ticket would've been well over $90 not including we always leave a big tip when we get together with the kids! We thought it would of been a nice establishment to eat ate since we pass it coming into Columbia and we looked at reviews before we went, I guess we shouldn't have ignored the low reviews, my opinion Eastern Buffet isn't...

Flavorless food. Soft, mushy, no flavoring at all on green bean havacovier. I actually had to add salt in a Chinese restaurant. The "fried rice" lacked any color and flavor, extremely pale and gooey with an occasional green pea. Sweet and sauce tasted watered down, missing some flavor and thin to pour. In addition, we sat near the small high walled corner which immediately to the left was used for ice, soda fountain and tea. Inside the same small residual space immediately toward the right side of the same 2 employee space (@ max) was used as a "bus station" for dirty dishes. Not only was it loud and busy, but waiters and waitresses feverishly threw the dirty dishes and trash into the top container, slammed the dirty dishes in the right corner of this small area only after loudly bumping the dishes on the side of the container to remove left food and trash. Of course this practice unfortunately, blocked access to the unused sink. After quickly performing the above and placing used utensils in the side space of the bus containers, the same employees filled cups with ice from the uncovered ice reservoir just below the soda fountain and poured beverages to take to the patrons. Of course there were no gloves or washing of hands between this hasty "round robin" process of bussing and sorting of the dirty then turning immediately around to fill and refill...

My husband and I decided to go out tonight with our two young daughters. We have not been there since last year, and we remembered it was very good last time. However, the air conditioning was not working and the thermostat was reading 84, but we figured it would be okay. However, once the steam from the buffet and the grills came into play with no air conditioning, I felt sick. It was like a sauna and extremely uncomfortable. I asked the girl at the front if I could just get a plate to take home, because I could not eat in the restaurant. She was very nice and understanding. She handed me a to-go box and explained that their air conditioning had broken late in the day and they could not get anyone to come out and fix it. I fixed a plate and we went to pay our bill. The cashier said I could not take the to-go box out of the restaurant without paying for it (plus the cost of the dine-in buffet I could not enjoy) and it did not matter to her that I could not eat because of the hot temperature in there. I told her it was 84 degrees in there and that I had already asked another employee (who was standing right beside her) and she still said no food could leave the restaurant without paying for the to-go plate. She was talking to me like I was trying to steal the food and I gave up. I got upset, handed her the to-go box, and left the...