The History of All-You-Can-Eat Buffets

While massive spreads of food were common in Medieval times, Sweden was the first country to truly formalize the practice. In the 16th century, Swedish hosts began to welcome guests with a brännvinsbord, or "table of spirits." Along with a traditional spiced vodka called brännvinsbord, various Swedish finger foods would be served ahead of a larger meal. In the early 18th century, brännvinsbord morphed from a pre-dinner tradition into the main meal. The name was changed to smörgåsbord, which consisted of a spread of hot and cold dishes served buffet-style. It was typically offered to guests who had traveled long distances. The practice was introduced to the rest of the world during the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm; the city’s restaurants served smörgåsbords to hungry tourists. Then at the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, the Three Crowns restaurant inside of the Swedish pavilion served a traditional smörgåsbord to visitors, introducing even more Americans to the practice. However, the all-you-can-eat buffet as we know it in America today didn't truly arrive until the then-up-and-coming city of Las Vegas made it a reality. El Rancho Vegas, the first casino/resort on the Strip, opened its doors in the mid-1940s. The story goes that one day, employee Herb McDonald was working the casino floor when he got hungry. He went to the kitchen and brought out cold cuts, cheese, and bread to make a sandwich for himself at the bar. Patrons at the 24-hour casino asked if they could partake in the spread he had inadvertently laid out and he realized that a full meal would take them away from gambling, but a smörgåsbord-style offering would not. Soon after, McDonald helped El Rancho launch the first all-you-can-eat, 24-hour buffet in America. It was called the Buckaroo Buffet and cost patrons just a dollar. While the casino lost money on the buffet, the spread kept people inside and gambling, ultimately earning the establishment far more. (Most all-you-can-eat buffets at casinos still operate on this same profit margin today.) Over time, all-you-can-eat buffets spread throughout the country. In fact, most areas now have at least one and they are still a mainstay in Las Vegas, which is now home to more than 40 of them! Today, for better or for worse, all-you-can-eat buffets are considered a part of American culture.