Here dishes are placed in metal trays under heating lamps, like so:
Thanks to the heating lamps, food can be left out for a very long time. Whenever the supply of food in one of the trays gets low, an employee comes and pours more food into the old tray.
If the food is left unattended for an extended period, an employee comes and stirs the food so it doesn't coagulate. Here is an employee doing just that:
Food quality is rarely the primary selling-point for a typical buffet patron. This is because most buffets offer an "All You Can Eat" deal, where the customer pays for entry into the buffet and then is allowed to consume as much food as he or she wants.
At the buffet, customers determine their own portions. There is a ladle in each tray, and customers can spoon out as much as they can carry. They can return to the trays as many times as they wish.
Recently, I have become concerned with the handles of the ladles. Everyone touches them, and I wonder if everyone is as scrupulous in washing their hands as I am. I now place a napkin between my hand and the ladle, just to be safe.
