Raw Sushi and Seafood
Picture this: you walk into a hotel buffet and see colorful sushi rolls gleaming under heat lamps. Looks tempting, right? Well, eating raw seafood at a buffet isn’t the most risk-free choice, and chefs warn about shrimp and oysters if they’re not kept cold enough, as bacteria can grow rapidly. The problem gets worse when raw sushi and sashimi are left out at room temperature for more than two hours, which happens more often than you’d think at busy buffets.
Bacteria thrive in temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, with Vibrio bacteria found in shellfish causing symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea, and in severe cases, it can be deadly. People with weak immune systems should be especially careful about raw seafood at buffets, as they are more likely to get sick from food. Smart buffets keep sushi on ice, but that’s not always guaranteed when you’re dealing with high-volume service.
Mayonnaise-Based Salads
Those creamy potato salads and egg salads sitting pretty in the cold section might be hiding a nasty surprise. Cream-based foods and mayo-based salads like potato, tuna, or egg salad are risky at buffets, especially those that heavily use mayonnaise. But here’s something that’ll surprise you – it’s not actually the mayo that’s the villain here.
Many believe mayonnaise left in the danger zone contaminates potato salad, but mayo actually acts as a preservative that protects from bacteria, with commercially purchased mayo made with pasteurized eggs and high acid content that slows bacteria growth. The real culprits are the eggs and potatoes, which are potentially hazardous foods loaded with proteins and carbohydrates that bacteria needs to thrive. The USDA says not to leave food out for more than an hour if it’s 90 degrees or hotter, and mayo-based salads with meat, eggs, cheese, and pasta should be tossed if left out too long.
Chocolate Fountains and Dessert Stations
Nothing screams “fun dessert” like dipping strawberries into a flowing chocolate fountain, but chefs are warning against these crowd favorites. Chocolate fondue and dessert fountains at buffets can be risky because these stations are often touched by many people, raising contamination risks, and the chocolate can build up bacteria over time. Think about it – how many hands have dipped food into that same flowing chocolate before you got there?
Chocolate fountains are fun but risky because they can spread germs when many hands dip into the chocolate, increasing the chance of foodborne illnesses. Even something as innocent as a kid dropping their marshmallow or someone double-dipping can contaminate the whole fountain. It’s better to skip these desserts at buffets and choose pre-portioned, wrapped treats instead, as the risk of food contamination is too high for the fun of chocolate fountains.
Fried Foods from Shared Oil
Those golden onion rings and crispy chicken tenders might all taste a little different than you expected – and not in a good way. If cross-contamination bothers you, you might want to leave the fried foods in the buffet line alone, as the oil used for onion rings is likely the same that they’re dumping chicken tenders in. If your french fries taste a tad shrimp-y, well, you’ve been warned.
Restaurants that host all-you-can-eat buffets often fry foods in cheap oils filled with artery-clogging hydrogenated oil, and every time you put something in a deep fryer, it acts like a sponge and soaks up as much grease as possible. The cross-contamination issue becomes even more serious when you consider allergens. Someone with a seafood allergy could have a serious reaction from french fries that were cooked in the same oil as shrimp.
Salad Bar Greens
Fresh lettuce and spinach look so healthy and innocent sitting there in their chilled containers, but they’re actually some of the riskiest items you can grab. If we’re talking about foods commonly contaminated with E.coli, romaine and friends are at the top of that list, and salad bars are sometimes kept at improper temperatures which can further contribute to the risk of foodborne illnesses. While iceberg lettuce is a buffet’s prized green, dressed lettuce wilts and loses its crunch after a while, and hopefully it was washed properly lest we eat a mouthful of bacteria.
The real danger comes from the fact that dozens of dishes are often displayed close together, customers serve themselves sometimes without washing their hands, and food is exposed to the air for extended periods, with sneezes over platters and untrained customers handling food directly all increasing the risk. Even perfectly clean lettuce can become contaminated within minutes at a busy buffet.
Pre-Cut Fruit
The colorful, jewel-like display of cut fresh fruit at buffets seems like the perfect healthy solution, but pre-cut fruit isn’t as safe a choice as it may seem. Sliced fruit needs proper temperatures, with cantaloupe particularly vulnerable as this popular melon can’t ward off bacteria as efficiently as other fruits, leaving them susceptible to Salmonella, so if cantaloupe slices are just out in the open, it’s safer to pass.
We’re not talking about sugar content – rather, it’s the way pre-cut fruit attracts bacteria that can be detrimental to your health. Once fruit is cut, its natural protective barrier is broken, making it much more vulnerable to contamination. Combined with the fact that it’s sitting out for hours where people can sneeze or touch it, that healthy-looking fruit salad becomes a potential health hazard.
Soup from Warmer Pots
That hearty chicken noodle soup or creamy tomato bisque might look comforting, but buffet soups can be problematic for several reasons. A good soup warms the soul, but soups need all kinds of TLC, especially proper stirring to ensure optimal results, and that buffet pot probably hasn’t been touched in a while, leaving behind a cauldron filled with hot spots or an unsettling film. Without proper stirring, you might get a spoonful that’s scalding hot or surprisingly lukewarm.
You should avoid soups and pasta dishes filled with butter and cream, as all of those are packed with saturated fat, which increases your cholesterol and can damage your heart muscle, with red sauces like marinara being better options over white sauces whenever possible. The temperature control issues are especially concerning with cream-based soups, which can become breeding grounds for bacteria if they’re not kept hot enough.
Bread and Rolls
Here’s where it gets tricky – those shiny, butter-brushed, soft and fluffy rolls at buffets are tantalizing, especially when they’re warm and fresh to the point that they practically melt in your mouth, and we’re not saying to avoid them because they’re gross. The problem is strategic, not safety-related. Bread and rolls are cheap for restaurants to make, so they often load up their buffet lines with a selection of different carb-loaded items, but why fill up on cheap, simple starches when you could be feasting on juicy prime rib, succulent roast turkey, and as much orange chicken as your plate can hold?
Many buffets set up the line so that cheap and filling items, like breads, potatoes, and creamy pasta dishes are at the front, so it’s recommended to take a walk through the buffet before serving yourself to get a better idea of all the foods on offer. Smart buffet operators know that if you fill up on bread first, you won’t eat nearly as much of the expensive protein dishes.
Carbonated Drinks
Wait, what’s wrong with grabbing a soda at a buffet? The revenue soft drinks have generated at bars and restaurants is more than $225 billion so far in 2024, so clearly people love their fizzy drinks. No one can be blamed for wanting a refreshing drink to accompany their meal, but there are reasons not to get it that will outweigh the satisfaction of that crisp carbonation, with the biggest reason being how filling it can be.
When you drink something like Coke or Pepsi, the carbonation leads to a buildup of gas in your stomach, causing expansion that leads to bloating and can make you feel full with less desire to go back for more food, so it’s better to opt for water instead. If you’re paying for an all-you-can-eat experience, you want to actually eat all you can, not get stuffed on bubbles and syrup.
Sprouts and Microgreens
Sprouts are often considered one of the healthiest foods you can eat, containing a higher dose of beneficial nutrients than in their unsprouted seed or fully grown plant states, but they can also be one of the most dangerous foods to eat. The reason sprouts can be dangerous is because they grow in damp environments and it’s hard to get them thoroughly cleaned, with seeds and beans needing a humid environment to grow, making that extra moisture more susceptible to bacterial contaminants like E. coli, salmonella, and Listeria.
When sprouts are served raw in the buffet salad bar and not cooked to a food-safe temperature, you could be in for a world of hurt, so you might be better off skipping those salad bar sprouts and opting for some cooked vegetables instead. The irony is crushing – these super-healthy foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals can actually make you seriously ill if they’re contaminated.
Looking at all this information, it’s clear that buffets present unique challenges that regular restaurants don’t face. Official figures suggest approximately 2.4 million people in the UK fall ill each year due to food-borne illness, but because many people recover at home without reporting symptoms, the Food Standards Agency estimates there are closer to 18 million cases of food poisoning per year. While buffets can be enjoyable and offer great variety, being aware of these potential pitfalls can help you make smarter choices and avoid becoming part of those statistics. The key is knowing what to look for and when to pass on certain items, even if they look delicious.
