Ocean Buffet — Restaurant in Saint Robert

I visited Ocean Buffet in St. Robert yesterday with my adult son, and I can honestly say I will never return.

The restaurant appears to be run by a family—a mother who serves as the waitress, and two daughters, one greeting and seating customers, the other at the cashier. When we first arrived, I politely told the greeter that I had never been to this restaurant before and asked how it worked. She ignored me. After seating us, I repeated my question, still trying to understand whether I needed to order or follow some specific procedure. She again offered no explanation and walked away. I eventually asked another customer if I could just go up and serve myself, which they confirmed I could.

As for the food, I sampled small portions of several items. Nearly everything was some version of deep-fried, breaded meat coated in sweet sauce—no nuance of Asian spices like ginger or five spice, just sugar. It felt like someone’s caricature of what Americans want: deep-fried sugar meat. The food wasn't rancid or inedible—just low-quality, reminiscent of something you'd find pre-made at a discount store. I ate most of my plate, except for two small items I didn’t like and left a single bite of each.

What followed was frankly astonishing: as I went to get another plate, the mother (waitress) approached my adult son—not me—to tell him I needed to be “more responsible” about what I put on my plate. Not only was this an inappropriate way to deliver a message (indirectly, and to the wrong person), but I couldn’t help but wonder: would she have said that to a man dining alone? Or was I chosen for this treatment because I was a woman—presumably someone she could scold without fear of confrontation?

When we left, we had to pass by the cashier, the second daughter. She wouldn’t look at us, wouldn’t speak, wouldn’t say thank you or goodbye. Her face was twisted in a frown of barely concealed contempt. I asked her directly, “Is something wrong? Did someone in your family pass away? Why are you treating us like this?” She refused to respond. I finally asked, “Do you hold contempt for us?” and she appeared to mumble “yes.”

I have never been treated with such hostility in a restaurant. I don’t know what motivates this family to operate a public-facing business while treating their customers with disdain. But I will never give them another dollar, and I would encourage others to take their business elsewhere—there are plenty of places in town that still understand the basic principles of hospitality and respect.

Dining out should not come at the cost of...

We visited Ocean Buffet shortly after opening, and while the food was okay in some areas, the way my family was treated was deeply disrespectful—and I won’t be returning.

The food was mostly overly sweet, and some of it was lukewarm—even though we arrived just after they opened. The shrimp hadn’t been cleaned and was filled with waste, which was off-putting and concerning from a hygiene standpoint. That alone would have been enough to sour the experience, but unfortunately, it was only the beginning.

The service was by far the worst I’ve ever encountered. From the moment we walked in, the two Korean daughters at the front treated us with open contempt. No greeting, no smile, no basic courtesy. When my mom politely asked how the buffet worked (since we’d never been there before), she got no answer—just silence. One of the daughters sat us down without a word and walked away. My mom had to ask another guest whether we were supposed to wait for plates or serve ourselves.

Later, after my mom tried a few small bites of food she didn’t like and went back to try something else, the mother, who was waitressing, came over to me, not her, and told me to tell her to “be more responsible.” I was shocked. She hadn’t taken an unreasonable amount of food—she left two bites on her plate after trying unfamiliar dishes. That kind of policing, especially directed at the wrong person, was both inappropriate and demeaning.

Finally, at the cashier, my mom—who had remained polite throughout—asked one of the daughters if she had contempt for us. The daughter mumbled “yes.” No apology, no attempt to hide it. That summed up the entire experience.

Only the chef seemed to be trying, but the atmosphere of disrespect overrode everything. It was clear they did not want us there.

I will never return. The food isn’t worth being treated like an inconvenience or worse—like you're not...

An above average Asian buffet restaurant. In addition to a good selection of Asian buffet staples, they have hibachi and sushi included with the cost. For the same price of the buffet, you can also cram a to-go box full of food (other than sushi). Price is on the higher side of reasonable. I usually eat there once or twice a month.

Noteworthy pros:

During dinner only, they have pretty good dumplings. I also particularly like the deserty coconut shrimp and savory chicken on a stick. The mushrooms are usually pretty good too. For buffet sushi, it's pretty good (i.e. it's mediocre / roughly on par with what you'd get at a grocery store). Table service, though largely just drink refills and taking used plates, is generally average to good. There's generally something for everyone, though only a few cooked veggie options in addition to the traditional salad bar. Pretty much never have to wait for a table.

Main cons:

Much of the food feels pretty heavy and rather 'Muricanized (fried, fatty, and/or greasy, added sugar, lots of meat). The ice cream machine just adds syrup to vanilla ice cream / is kinda "meh." The dessert options are generally just a little underwhelming. I feel like being charged full buffet price for a take out box is a bit overpriced but often go that route for the convenience. Often get two meals out of the box though.

Conclusion:

Arguably one of the best all-around restraunts in the area with a decent bang for the buck and good variety, though somewhat lacking in cooked lighter dishes....