Empire Buffet - Lenoir

I appreciate the pay-first policy here; it makes things more convenient. The restaurant and restrooms are both very clean. There are excellent options on the menu, and the food is delicious and fresh.

The restaurant does not close at 9:30 as advertised! They closed well before that time; I couldn’t even go in to make a takeout plate despite food still being available on the buffet. They came to the door and informed me they were closed, even though it was only 9:20 and they were already cleaning up for the night. When a restaurant states that it closes at a certain time, it should mean that doors remain open and customers are still welcomed until that time. It doesn’t matter if a customer arrives just a minute before closing; they should still be served. As a former manager of several establishments, I have never turned away a customer who arrived before closing time.

The woman with glasses at the register always seems more interested in sulking over pressing a few buttons and tearing receipts than in providing any kindness or friendliness. I would recommend avoiding this place unless you want to deal with unpleasant attitudes and possibly even food poisoning. It's quite unfortunate, as the previous management was fantastic. If they replaced the unfriendly cashier and stopped serving subpar ingredients, things could really improve.

One of the only restaurants in this area to accommodate healthy dietary requests and still be delectable). Excellent steamed, vegan, ‘no-oil’, selections! Fantastic steamed broccoli as well as mixed vegetables. Crunchy, fresh bright colors, and not overcooked. Healthy and delish!! Thanks for offering these special menu options.

The place looks clean. Typical Chinese Buffet, but there was no one there at all. Usual Chinese buffets I go to at least have a couple of tables all the time. One thing, though, I went on a weekday. Thursday, to be exact, so that might be one of the reasons why it was empty. Some of the meat was hard. Either ingredients weren't fresh or it was sitting out all day. I wouldn't recommend this place. Most definitely, wouldn't go here again.