Sadly, buffet-style restaurants are disappearing across the American cuisine landscape. And the buffet that was voted "Best Buffet" in all of Missouri for two years in a row has sadly just closed...

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According to the Missouri's Best 2022 Awards, the best buffet restaurant in Missouri was a place called Charley's Buffet in Lincoln, Missouri.

Lincoln, Missouri is located near the center of Missouri, just south of Sedalia. On the Facebook page for Charley's Buffet they say...

"Voted Missouri's Best Buffet two years in a row! Fried chicken, homemade bread, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, salad bar, cheesy green beans, homemade gravy, over 30 different desserts! 2nd generation family owned restaurant. Worth the weight!"

Sadly, the Facebook page also reveals that after 25 years in business Charley's Buffet has closed. One of their final Facebook posts says...

"It's time for us to say goodbye to this business and move on. We held on as long as we could and are finally going to try letting it go. We are sad to no longer be a thriving part of this community, especially since y'all rallied around us and fought so hard to help us stay."

I will say this makes me ponder the question "Why are buffet restaurants closing so rapidly across the US?" if the best buffet in all of Missouri can't stay open then is the future of the buffet restaurant dead? Will buffets only exist at places like Cruise Ships, Vegas Hotels, and Resorts? I grew up in the 90s when going to Old Country Buffet was a bi-weekly treat, where else could you get ice cream, fried chicken, spaghetti, and meatballs for a meal? Thankfully, the Chinese buffet restaurants are hanging in there, but for how much longer...

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