Why Bringing Leftover Food Home From A Buffet Is A Potential Hazard

There's a good reason most buffets don't let you take home any leftovers: They don't want to be held liable if you get sick. All-you-can-eat buffets have a lot of secrets, and one of them is a higher risk of food contamination than other establishments: Diners at buffet restaurants can cough and sneeze over the food, transfer allergens from one serving tray to another, or accidentally drop random items into the dishes. If the staff isn't careful, food could also be kept at temperatures that don't stop the growth of bacteria, mold, or fungi. Breakfast buffets in particular have a red flag you should look out for: pre-cut fruit. Some buffets could also reuse old food, giving the contaminants even more time to grow.

While all-you-can-eat buffets do their best to control the risk within the establishments themselves, there's not much they can do once the food is taken off the premises. Diners who bring their leftovers home could mishandle the food, increasing the risk of foodborne illness even further. They could, for example, keep their leftovers out of the fridge for too long, letting bacteria that might already be there reach dangerous levels. With so many variables at play, it's in your best interest to leave any leftovers at the buffet.

This isn't to say that all-you-can-eat buffets aren't safe to eat at. As long as the restaurant follows certain health and safety guidelines, as many of the best buffets across the country would, the food shouldn't cause any health issues. These establishments are also safer to bring leftovers home from — if they even allow it.

The most important thing to look out for is if the buffet regularly swaps out old food for fresh. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends food shouldn't be kept out at room temperature for longer than two hours. Buffets that follow this schedule for food rotation are accounting for any improper serving temperatures. Be on the lookout for any staff monitoring the serving stations at the buffet; they're likely there to ensure all dishes are at the right temperature and to watch for contamination caused by other diners. 

If you take any leftovers home, make sure you refrigerate them as soon as you can. If you don't think you can pop the leftovers in the fridge within that time frame, it's safer to just leave it at the restaurant. As long as you keep your leftovers in an airtight container, and avoid any storage mistakes that might ruin your food, they can stay safe to eat for up to four days.