We were ushered to our table via a hostess with a radio talking to seating directors literally marshaling guests to tables like a busy airport might park airplanes or cars in a busy parking lot. Service is polite, but we are talking buffet style service. Once seated diners are on there own to design the meals of their choice from the buffets alternating menu offerings.

    Everything is provided, from beverages to soups, salads, entrees, side dishes and dessert. The selection is vast, quality typical of home-style cooking and quantities amazing. For about $10.00 everything one could possibly want within reason is served. HomeTown Buffet is hard to beat from just about every aspect when it comes to selection and pricing… just about unbeatable. It would be impossible to duplicate the same meals at home for similar pricing; and just about everybody in the Inland Empire seems to have discovered such. HomeTown Buffet serves an amazing number of meals a day!

    So what about the food? Well let me tell you up front there is nothing gourmet about the fare; but for the price we were impressed. We started off with a combination of beef ribs, pork ribs and carved top sirloin steak… all piled high. The steak was carved by one of the buffet’s servers and was grilled to a medium-rare / medium doneness. It was semi-tender, and flavorful; I have been served similar at friends BBQs. The ribs were well over cooked, with the meat falling off of the bone but well seasoned and tasty. The sauces typical of any mid-priced restaurant.

    The side dishes included salads and vegetables on an, “open the can” or pour out of the bag style many smaller restaurants would call house specialties. Once again, nothing gourmet until you factor in the impossibly low meal prices.

     HomeTown Buffet bakes up all of their own dessert pies, cakes and cookies plus offers frozen soft serve ice-cream with a selection of condiments. Our guests children enjoyed duplicating the “Root Beer Float” I poured myself… with literally half the tables around us rapidly doing the same. The clean up staff must have hated us for starting the trend, but my guess is they are use to messy crowds. Which brings me to the only negative of the review… the crowd.

     The downside (if there is one); Partially Because of the location of the HomeTown Buffet, in combination with their family friendly pricing the restaurant draws all levels of society with an emphasis on the semi-washed masses. The language can become colorful and the noise levels loud; when we were there a bus load of farm workers came in and were seated right with those better dressed. Children love the dessert bar and self-serve areas can become busy and messy, but the staff clean up rapidly and ongoing. What can we say; There is nothing pretentious about HomeTown Buffet… everybody is welcome and all served with a smile. This is probably why they are number one in their chain. Amazing Value.    

 A note to my culinary inspired diners: If McDonalds is not your kind of place... we understand; chances are HomeTown Buffet will not be your kind of place either. Other than that we can only hope our troops serving over seas eat this well; we enjoyed our meal at HomeTown Buffet.