Chuck-A-Rama is a chain of buffet

Buffet

A buffet is a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners generally serve themselves. Buffets are offered at various places including hotels and many social events...

 restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s based in Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...

 with eight restaurants in Utah

Utah

Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

 and two in Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

. Many of the items are what one would consider "home cooking" types of recipes rather than fine dining offerings. The restaurant therefore has a different appeal and clientele than a fine-dining establishment, where the emphasis is on the entertainment value of the dining experience. People frequently eat at Chuck-a-Rama as families and often as extended family groups. Another group of people who often eat at the restaurant are older people living alone or as couples, and who find it easier and more satisfying to eat at the restaurant daily rather than cook at home.

Service in the restaurant is "self-serve". After paying a fixed price at the door, one enters the dining area, selects a table and then chooses food from a number of buffet islands. One may obtain a new plate at any time and choose additional items. The table help will bring beverages or other food items, and will clear the table of empty plates. It is customary to offer a small tip for this service, but this is not required.

Name

The name, which endures its share of jokes, came from Don Moss, one of the original partners, said his son, Duane Moss, the company's current chief executive officer. "Chuck" came from the "chuckwagon" used for cooking on Old West cattle drives. "Dad combined it with something that was dear to his heart -- the Scout-O-Rama."

Cuisine

The restaurant offers primarily American Comfort food

Comfort food

Comfort food is food prepared traditionally that may have a nostalgic or sentimental appeal. Comfort foods may be foods that have a nostalgic element either to an individual or a specific culture...

. Main entrées include baked and fried chicken, carved turkey, ham, and roast beef, and mashed potatoes and gravy. A salad bar is included with every meal and a rotating variety of soups are offered daily. Desserts are made from scratch and the bakery serves a wide variety of fresh rolls. Over thirty soft drinks are available to choose from including both Coke

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...

 and Pepsi

Pepsi

Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...

 products in their regular and non-caffeinated forms.

In addition to the regular daily fare different themed choices are offered every day, including Chinese, Mexican, or Italian cuisine, seafood, "chuck wagon" dishes, and an International European themed night featuring chicken fried steak

Chicken fried steak

Chicken fried steak is a dish consisting of a piece of steak coated with seasoned flour and pan-fried. It is associated with Texas cuisine...

.

Currently Chuck-a-Rama does not serve breakfast.

Notoriety

In 2004 Chuck-A-Rama gained national attention when, at its Taylorsville, Utah

Taylorsville, Utah

Taylorsville is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 57,439 at the 2000 census...

 location, a couple following the Atkins diet were kicked out for trying to go back to the carved roast beef

Roast beef

Roast beef is a dish of beef which is roasted in an oven. Essentially prepared as a main meal, the leftovers can be and are often served within sandwiches and sometimes is used to make hash...

 twelve times. The chain stated that, although they are a buffet, they are not an all-you-can-eat restaurant. However, the owners of Chuck-a-rama revised that statement and apologized to the couple. A limit is not imposed on how much a customer may eat, or how many times they may fill their plate. Nonetheless, loitering

Loitering

Loitering is the act of remaining in a particular public place for a protracted time. Under certain circumstances, it is illegal in various jurisdictions.-Prohibition and history:Loitering may be prohibited by local governments in several countries...

 is not allowed, and customers who are not eating may be asked to leave.

In the restaurant's earlier history, the Chuck-A-Rama "milk maids" would refill customers' milk glasses; this practice inspired the "Dance of the Chuck-A-Rama Milk Maids" in a performance of Saturday's Voyeur

Saturday's Voyeur

Saturday's Voyeur is a live theatrical production played in Salt Lake City, run annually since 1978 by the Salt Lake Acting Company, created by Nancy Borgenicht and Allen Nevins. Saturday's Voyeur is a parody of Utah life, Utah politics, and Utah religion...

(an annual news parody musical).

External links

• Chuck-A-Rama.com
• The choice is yours ... Chuck-A-Rama celebrates its 40th anniversary today, from the Deseret News, 6 September 2006