Friday, March 02, 2007

Golden Corral now open

Grand Forks' newest restaurant, the Golden Corral, is now open for business on 32nd Avenue South in front of Kohl's. I believe this is a soft opening and a grand opening will take place in the near future.

Has anybody been there yet?

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

My family and I ate at the Golden Corral today and were in awe of the quality (and quantity) and variety of food.

Best of all, perhaps, was the diverse ethnicity of the waitstaff who were all very busy AND very eager to make sure everyone was pleased.

Best of luck to the management and staff at The Golden Corral. Welcome to the Grand Forks area; we're glad you're here!

Anonymous said...

FWIW (M.H.'s job is secure)

Saturday around 1pm it was really busy but still a couple of empty tables. The wait staff is really efficient at cleaning them off and the chairs barely had time to cool off before they were occupied again.

A person can make choices to eat as healthy as they want or to blow the heck out of any diet because the selection is so varied.

It looked like a lot of food was prepared just behind the counter. Not everything tasted "fresh" meaning it wasn't like Mom used to make it, but it was well worth the price.

(I think it was $8.58 each, including drink while 3&under eat free.)

To me it beats a lot of places in GF and all of the buffet's.

This is just based on one stop and it'll take a few trips to actually get a good "taste" of the place.

GrandForksGuy said...

I think it was $8.58 each, including drink while 3&under eat free.

Do you mean that $8.58 was the price of the meal AND the drink, or that the meal was $8.58 and the drink was extra?

Anonymous said...

meal $6.99

soft drink $1.59

GrandForksGuy said...

Wow, that sounds really reasonable. Was that a lunch price or a dinner price? I'm thinking this is going to be a very popular place...

dale said...

That would be for the lunch meal. Dinner is about $10 per person + drink.

We just went there tonight and... meh. Nothing great, nothing terrible. I had two steaks (well, two pieces of round steak, it ain't t-bone they're serving up) -- the first was very good, while the second was ick.

Of the rest of it, the tuna salad, macaroni and cheese and pot roast were pretty good, nothing else was very notable. I'm not eating sweets for Lent, so can't testify to anything on that station.

The total for the three of us was $33, add $3 for the "tip" to the person who cleared the table once in a while. The service was very good, but it seemed like they had waaaaay too many people working, which added to the general chaos of too many people in too small of spaces.

Overall, a pretty ho-hum experience. Patti says if we go back by July, it will be soon enough for her.

Anonymous said...

I ate their Saturday afternoon and the for breakfast on Sunday, I have to admit both meals and service was excellent.

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, but another place for North Dakotans to eat until they explode - not my idea of a good choice. I'm not a fan of buffets.

Anonymous said...

Well guess what, Joey??

Guess we won't be seeing much of each other at the GC.

Eric J. Burton said...

Yum, another buffet in Grand Forks,
Sweet.

Anonymous said...

I went there two days ago. The choice of foods was incredible. And it was fresh! Great to see people actually making the salad bar products and all the desserts (and lord, are there desserts!) right there behind the line. Definitely a great place.

Anonymous said...

OK, very important question that I hope someone visiting here will read.

What brand of beverages do the Golden Corral and Texas Roadhouse serve? Coke or Pepsi?

Inquiring minds wish to know! (For when I and friends come up to GF to spend money over the 4th of July...)

GJB

Anonymous said...

They carry Pepsi products also extas to like Dr Pepper, Sobe and Moutain Dew through a fountain.

And the regualr stuff like Coffee, Tea, Rapsberry Tea, Sweet Tea (like in the south).

Hope this helps you.

BAW

Anonymous said...

I thought the food was Awesome...but too many people and way too loud! I felt almost ashamed...all the food choices and then there are people that have nothing to eat :(

Anonymous said...

I've been to the one in Bismarck once. It was over lunch, and they were not serving steaks. Lame! Otherwise the selection was okay.

I don't know about the GF location, but in Bismarck the tables are jammed in together really tight. It's very crowded, thus it's really loud.

Overall I think it's okay, but I'll be going back to North American Steak Buffet next time. Nothing beats steak on demand, and apparently that's something you won't find for lunch at the Golden Corral.

Joshua Slayen said...

One may say that my friend and I are "buffet connoisseurs."

We made the following observations:

1. The "eating music" that is played over the loud speaker is soothing, yet very degrading.

2. Great conversation, and extremely profound people in the line up.

3. Reasonably priced!

4. Although the atmosphere was pleasant, there was a sense of feeling like a bunch of animals trapped in a cage...aimlessly indulging on the various menu options, and sipping on our 'Perrier' (IE. Regular mountain Dews, three re-fills each).

5. Very slim and fit customer base (IE. There's a salad option). Who says buffets are unhealthy?! :)

6. In-meal Story time: When we went to get our beloved bread basket...as we were gleefully walking away from the baked goods section towards the dining cage, the server went out of his way to stop us, and paintbrush our bread with a hearty dose of butter. And it gets better! He stopped us again and jokingly said "Catch!" He threw two more butters at us! It was a hoot. The buns rocked.

6. Advice to potential customers: Bring a mid-sized chainsaw to get through the fat on the steak...but if u can break through, get ready for a heck of a treat!

7. Quote of the century: "Hi guys I'll be your server today. My name is ____ and I intend to work extremely hard for you gentlemen!" -Our waitress before she disappeared for an hour.

8. Favorite moment: When the servers hugged the mounds of plates as they transported them from the dining cage to the kitchen. We will not comment on the cleanliness of their uniforms.

In conclusion, great eats, and great place to people watch!