The One Buffet — Restaurant in Texarkana

I am sorry in advance because I know there are some people who will be offended by this post. With that being said, I am going to tell the truth regardless of whether others like it or not because this is based on my experience.

I love Chinese, Creole, Ethiopian, French, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mediterranean, Soul Food, Thai, Vietnamese and the list goes on. I love food because food tells a story about the person who cooked the food. I remember watching my grandmother cook when I was a little girl. I was always helping her from the time I was 5 or 6 years old. I have always been aware of the memories and life experiences which can be tasted and felt when I eat other people's cooking. Food is not about just getting full. Good food is about feeling cared for and loved. Good food is about friendship and struggle. Good food transcends who we are and speaks a language that we can all understand even when we can't understand the words coming out of one another's mouths.

I visited The One Buffet in March 2018. My daughter and I were discussing the fact that we have not eaten any really spectacular Chinese food since we moved to New Boston, TX from Dallas, TX. One day my cousin recommended The One Buffet and stated that it was an awesome Chinese restaurant. He said it was a little pricey but that the buffet was really good. One day my daughter and I visited the restaurant and we ate from the buffet. I have to say that I was very very disappointed. Many of the food selections were sweet. Even though the staff was very friendly and the restaurant was very clean, this is not Chinese food.

I know for a fact that original (traditional) Chinese food is fresh and uses a lot of fresh vegetables for their ingredients. I also know that there is a secret menu which Chinese people order from because Americanized Chinese food is too sweet. I understand that the average American may not appreciate traditional Chinese food but what I ate at The One Buffet was very disappointing. I would love to see these guys step up and showcase a menu which is closer to their roots and not full of unnecessary sugar. Chinese people are some of the hardest working determined people in America. They have added so much to the American culture. Please showcase your skills and allow us to taste the foods which are indicative of who you are and where...

DONT DO IT. My last review for them was a four star and It just gets worse as time goes on. It's even more expensive now, but the food hasn't changed. $17.99 for 1 person is severely overpriced. The food was disgusting. Old dried shrimp mixed with fresh. The shrimp wasn't deveined, and was like a piece of leather. The general pso tasted sour, even the after taste was stomach churning. I almost got sick. The lady I was with said hers had grey looking meat (Beef) mixed in with what looked like fresh so she was finished soon after also. After 2 uneatable bites and spitting it back out. I brought it to the waitresses attention. I didn't want it free but after paying and not eating it was a waste of money. Mine not theirs. Waitress just stood there apologizing but that was it. No manager to fix it or anyone. Don't waste your time or money like I did. Paid for lunch but left hungry. Pics attached for proof. Called and I got answered so I proceeded to tell him about my experience and he tells me that there wasn't even a manager on duty a manager until 4:00 which is why no one came to talk to me. Then lied and said they change the food every hour but when I said I watched a guy come out of the kitchen and pour fresh food on whole food he said we're not going to throw away food is that what you want us to do and I said yes especially if it's grey looking when you bite into it and he replied back no way. Rude and unbothered he said I should have told someone there not call so I said I did I told the waitress who took it to the kitchen and I never saw her or anyone else (I.e a manager) and as soon as I said that he hung up on me, while I was still talking because I mentioned how dumb to have a restaurant open with no manager on duty for when things like this happened. Don't waste your money or time. Or go right after they open so you're not getting fresh mixed with Lord knows how old. I can't believe this place is still open. I'd rather eat at the one on Summerhill rd and that's saying alot since I haven't been back in after...

The food was ok but the service totally killed it for me. I know what it is like to be suffering from hard times but it is no excuse for how the waitress/bartender treated us on 1/10/2019 at approximately 8:45pm. I cleaned the table and was very civil throughout the duration of our meal. The waitress brought us our ticket before we were even done with our first plate! I chose to say nothing. When we finished our meal (and the waitress corrected the ticket after i got a drink) I paid exact money which she proceeded to refuse payment because of a lack of a tip. I said nothing and I offered a dollar. She gave us a nasty look and stated "I mixed your drink. This is not enough." so my fiance gave her two more dollars. After that my friend gave her two 20$ expecting change and she never brought it back taking ANOTHER 4$. He was planning on tipping 3$. I personally feel this is no way for an employee at ANY establishment to be treating their customers. This was my first AND last time going to The One. I was highly disappointed with how I was treated.

Now back to the food I personally think it was not bad for a buffet. I understand that it is hard to run a profitable buffet and cuts to quality have to be made so I am giving some leniency to my review for this purpose. The drink I got, called the M.V.P., was extremely satisfying. If it were not for the terrible treatment of service I definitely would have come back and maybe recommended it to some of my college friends as a great place for study groups. After the service issue I cannot recommend it at all unless you can tolerate being treated...