Empire Buffet — Restaurant in Putnam

there truly is no other buffet like empire. We usually get walk in take out, alot of times very close to closing as my s/o is an on call tow truck driver. No matter what, the woman who is usually at the front desk is ALWAYS so kind and hospitable. She remembers our usually goods and promptly makes them if they happen to be out, regardless of them closing in 10 minutes. Most times she ends up throwing in a small container of lo mein, or mei fun, just whatever was left in the pan. Today she tried to give us ice creams but we're not too big on soft serve, however she made sure she sent us with some sodas atleast. On top of all that, literally the second we got in our truck I realized I forgot my napkins and plastic ware inside, as I realized this she was already running out to give it to me. It's been a good couple months since we'd been there after being weekly customers before our move and she STILL remembers us and our preferences. You truly will not find this kind of customer service and attention to detail...

Everybody has a different opinion of what is good food. This is mine. On the recommendation of a local, I came to eat at The Empire Buffet. I was told that they had many food options to choose from.

Well... No. I walked in at 5pm on a Friday night. There are 3 smallish stations with food. The Generals chicken was mislabeled and cold. The fried dumplings were more filler than meat and pretty flavorless. The mozzarella sticks were actually good. The peanut chicken was ok. I had some chicken tenders and they were also good, but could have been hotter. The sugar donuts were doughy but crunchy at the same time. The pork fried rice had shrimp in it so I didn't have any. The best item I had were bacon wrapped pineapple. They were a nice interplay of sweet and salty. They had a variety of desserts including soft serve. In conclusion, if I had the opportunity to return to The Empire Buffet, I wouldn't. There are better places to eat than this. (Royal Buffet in Willimantic...

I've been eating here for years. The fact is, there's really no good Chinese food anymore. It's all either okay, or bad. With Empire Buffet, for years now it's been consistently okay, never bad. That's a good thing, because if you want okay Chinese food (which is the best you'll get around here), then you can count on this place.

The food itself isn't the whole story though. It's the people. Honestly, they're always so kind, so accommodating. When I'm there, they ALWAYS ask if I want more of this or that - anything they're low on. It's good that they don't just have piles of food in the buffet - they keep the pans less full, so it stays fresher, and they'll happily cook you up a fresh batch. They always greet me kindly, are kind to my children, and the service is quick. It's not the most charming place to dine in, so we always take our food to go.

If you want some of the better Chinese food around, this place checks the box, and I'd say you should...