Buffets are making money on impatient customers who are piling up on fries and mac-n-cheese and other super cheap "fillers" and junk foods before discovering and allocating space for more delicious and expensive dishes that are typically placed at the far end of a food isles.

This way they compensate the losses caused by my visit. I don't touch any food until i do complete walkaround and learn about everything they have to offer.

Then i typically pigout on lobster legs, tenderloin cuts, fish-rich sushi and other high end proteins, carefully avoiding any cheaper "fillers". My visit to buffet would cost me the equivalent of ~$200 visit in a-la-carte restaurant.