Golden Corral Buffet & Grill — Restaurant in Santa Maria

I wanted to be a fan however left GC in Santa Maria disgusted and disappointed. First off, we were charged for dinner when we dined here earlier this week. Breakfast had just ended so that didn't make sense since it was lunch time, not dinner time. I didn't make a big deal as I had a coupon, but the cashier did not let me use the coupon and called her supervisor over. He looked at the coupon and said he couldn't accept it because it didn't have a barcode. There was a code on the coupon he could have manually entered. We ended up wasting $80 bucks on food that was just OK.

What really killed it was the restroom situation. We had been on the road for about 3 hours and popped into the restroom real quick before hitting the buffet. The restroom was absolutely FILTHY. DISGUSTING. It smelled like sewage and it was clear that the toilets had had overflown at some point in the morning as the floor in all of the stalls were wet and dirty. Each available stall my kiddos and I walked into was not flushed and had open garbage bins sitting on top of the toilet that were filled to the top almost overflowing. The only stall that was flushed and didn't have urine all over the seat had a garbage bin with toilet paper up top covered in smeared feces with was close to eye level when we walked in. It was so gross! We obviously didn't use that stall and waited for another. The sink area was a mess as well with some of the soap stations without soap. Luckily we found one with soap.

The handles of the serving spoons, tongs, etc. were sticky. The food as I mentioned was just OK. I wanted to start off with a salad, but the salad options didn't look too fresh. The lettuce looked wilted. I got some biscuits and gravy. The biscuits were hard and the gravy didn't taste very good. You could tell they don't add milk to it as it was flavorless.

I appreciated that there were hand sanitizing stations available which we used after touching the sticky serving utensils. We ended up losing our appetites and left after eating only a little bit of food. Basically don't take the chance of eating here unless you want to leave hungry, disgusted or sick which is how we felt after dining here. A waste of $80 bucks! I told my husband we should have eaten at Olive Garden instead...

Let me preface this by saying I have been to Golden Corral locations across the country. I love Golden Corral, and think there should be sonnets written about their yeast rolls with honey butter.

This was our first time visiting the Santa Maria location, and I was thoroughly underwhelmed. Even for a lunch buffet, the choices were limited, and a good number of items were just meh. For example, the mac 'n cheese tasted fine, but the sauce was thin, almost watery. The fried okra tasted just fine, but the texture was on the chewy side. The salad bar area had just about everything I could possibly want, so I was stoked! Until seeing that the lettuce was brown 🤦‍♀️ Lastly, the dessert selections left much to be desired.

Now, on to the good stuff. Their fried chicken was FANTASTIC, and my husband said the pork chops were just as good. The pizza looked great, though neither of us tried it. The gravy might have been so-so, but the mashed potatoes were pretty decent. The staff up front was polite, but our server/busser was friendly and attentive without crowding us, just the nicest lady. Also, safety measures are in place to keep the spread of germs down, including hand sanitizer in multiple spots around the dining room, and single-use gloves to wear on the hand you're using to touch ladles and tongs. We figured that part out, but it would've been nice for the cashier to explain it before we went to our table.

Overall, I'm on the fence. I think the food will probably be much better at dinnertime or on the weekend. However, given that the yeast rolls didn't have that glossy buttery sheen and airy fluffiness that they're known for, I don't know if I'm willing to spend another $50 on a...

I was shocked when I read the 5 star reviews and actually came on May 2nd at 5:30 to experience the complete opposite. As soon as we stepped in, the place was not crowded it was over populated, I felt like a bee im a honey comb. Everyone was pushing, bumping, stepping on everyone from how packed it was. We're not able to get from point A to Point B without someone brushing against us. The food was scarce and bland, not a lot of variety as one would anticipate. 98% of the time you are not able to have room to get the food you want from how packed the place is. I left after my first round with a big sadness since Golden has been one of my ever favorites growing up.. However, the waitresses were very friendly and caring about customers needs, and you wear a glove before touching the tongs to serve yourself, bathrooms were really clean too. It was a bummer the price was $20 per person, but that's expected with COVID. However if you are looking for a good place with social distancing and preventative measures, this is not your place. I will give it another chance sometime in the far future.

EDIT: September 21st, 2021

Okay I didn't dine in but instead ordered through Door Dash. I ordered the meatloaf with a side salad and side sweet potato casserole and it comes with a bread roll (the honey butter they include is super good). They were nice to compliment me with 2 cookies. Anyways I've had a lot of meatloaf in my life but this one is actually pretty good! And the sweet potato casserole is great!! Golden Corral seems to be making some changes (Good changes) from last time I tried their food. However I will have to come again in person and try it out again. Will...