All You Can Eat... or Lose: The Chef Who Reveals Which Customers Break the Buffet
#GOALPRESS
In the world of all-you-can-eat buffets, everything *seems* fair: pay once, eat as much as you want. But according to Jiale Pan, owner of the Asian restaurant *Jipan* in Valladolid and former cook at the famed DiverXO, not all customers are created equal. And it’s not about *how much* they eat—it’s *what* they pile onto their plates.
Speaking on the YouTube podcast Un chino y medio, Pan didn’t hesitate when asked which type of customer is the least profitable for his business: “Number one? Chinese customers,” he said bluntly. “If they see prawns, they take the whole tray and ask you to cook them too.”
This, he explained, is where the buffet model becomes a gamble.
“You can’t say anything—it’s your business model. And their mindset is clear: ‘I’m not leaving here losing, I’m leaving winning and full.’”
Not all diners are a nightmare, though. Spanish families, Pan noted, are ideal: they eat a balanced variety of food and don’t focus only on the most expensive items. Kids? A financial blessing—they don’t eat much and help offset heavier eaters.
So where’s the line? There isn’t one. In a buffet, no one’s counting… but the kitchen certainly is. “I’ve never had to kick anyone out,” Pan added. “But sometimes, one plate can ruin the night.”
The buffet promises freedom.
But for the restaurant?
It’s a high-stakes game—served daily.
