King Buffet of Orem — Restaurant in Orem

I've eaten in some of the best Chinese restaurants in S.F.'s, NY's, Philadelphia's and LA's Chinatowns. And, I've eaten in some of the worst. I'm sorry to say, this is the worst excuse for Chinese food. When it comes to Chinese food, I have never had anything as bad as some of the food I had at King Buffet in Orem.

About the only thing food wise it has going for it is the Mongolian BBQ, but even it's a bit lacking. The service was great. Nothing to complain about the service.

If the owners/operators of the restaurant are reading, here's some recommendations.

1. Don't let food sit out in the steam tables. I wasn't about to even try the fish dishes as they were dried out and looked like cardboard. If things are slow, bring out smaller amounts, but then throw the food out if it starts to dry out or sits too long. Perhaps covers over each heated dish would help.
2. The sushi was the same story. Even some of the nigari was drying out. That's not good for raw fish because it leads to bacteria growing on/in the meat.
3. Season the food! The so-called BBQ ribs tasted like they had been boiled in sugar water. It didn't have any of that Five Spice flavor one would expect from Chinese ribs. The broccoli beef, same story. I expected some of that salty-savory flavor I in the sauce. Instead, it tasted like it had been flavored with watered down soy sauce, and nothing else.
4. The sauces in the Mongolian BBQ section are kind of one-note, and that note is soy sauce. The flavors I'd expect to find are soy, mirin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, chili oil and sweetness as a starter. While they had beef, chicken, pork and shrimp in the meat section (which is what I'd expect), the veggie section of the BBQ was quite limited. I'd like to see things like snow peas, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, carrots, and more veggies.
5. The fried foods were just sitting out way too long. They were soggy and tough instead of crisp. An infrared light over them would help maintain the crispiness of the food.

I probably won't ever return to King Buffet in Orem. There were just too many mistakes in the food...

I really wish I could give this place more than two stars.

My roommate said this place was great but I believe that was years ago.

Most of the food there today was very sub-par. Tons of different options and yet most of it is garbage, kind of like life though honestly...

Sushi was okay and as the pictures show, the Mongolian is the stand-out here. Basically everything else is just half-baked, cold, lukewarm, or gross. Don't even ask me about the fried bananas.

Went with a friend and it fell below expectations for sure. I enjoyed talking with my friend though. Went at lunch time so it was relatively quiet. That was surely a plus.

The server was great and I felt bad for him. Everything besides the people seems to be tainted in some way. Even the ice water tasted a bit funny. This place does make you think about what you are doing with your life, which I appreciate.

I read a lot of reviews before and after my visit. My suspicions that this place is going downhill seems to be the collective sentiment. $28 (and that's with the tip) for two people for this quality is ridiculous, but I learned my lesson - most things just aren't worth your precious time or money. Selectiveness is good.

It's a shame though because this place really does have so much potential, and I believe it was living up to it better in its earlier days.

I'd take someone here again to share that life lesson with them and the Mongolian and that's about it. I really think that lesson is worth sharing - I know my friend and I will never forget it.

We'll just have to see if this place is able to rise up to its former glory someday. I've been to way better Chinese buffets and believe this place could still improve.

I keep a place in my heart for hope. This place surely has potential to rise to its former glory, and I hope...

Date of Visit: 8/11/2018

OVERVIEW - 4.0 Decided to finally give this place a try after discovering that it existed a few weeks ago.

LOCATION - 5 Pretty good location tucked in the back corner of a strip mall, but it has tons of space on the inside.

PRICE - 3 When everything was totaled up at the end, it felt pretty steep to me. Drinks is where they get ya. $1.99 per glass (free refills).

PRODUCT/SERVICE - 5 The food was actually spectacular. The only thing I didn't like that much was the cheese won tons, mainly because I prefer them with cream cheese in the center. I loaded up on all kinds of good stuff like pineapple chicken, sushi, fried rice, pizza (which tasted like the cheap Totino's pizzas, which I actually like the taste), and other stuff including jello.

POINTERS/PERKS - 5 Come on a weekday for lunch, that's when it'd be the cheapest. They charge dinner price on Saturday's and Sundays, regardless of the hour.

EMPLOYEES - 2 Customer Service is their downfall. While we were waiting to be seated, I was momentarily distracted by my daughter, and then next thing I knew was the waiter was miles ahead of us, oblivious to the fact we weren't even following him! For a good 40 yards to our table, never once did he turn around to see if we were following him. Our waitress had such a long face and looked as if she had no desire to be there. From our table, I could see the waitresses accumulating and talking while occasionally going out to collect our plates or refill our drinks. The waitress even seemed to be put out when I requested another fork with a napkin, as they only gave us two when we were a...