7 Georgia Buffets That Locals Swear Haven’t Changed Since The ’80s
Georgia’s buffet scene is like stepping into a delicious time warp.
Forget the trendy restaurants with neon signs and fusion menus—here, the wood paneling, retro salad bars, and secret family recipes haven’t budged since the Reagan years.
Every plate piled high with fried chicken, mac and cheese, and cobbler feels like a love letter to the 1980s, when comfort food was king and nobody counted calories.
These enduring spots aren’t just restaurants—they’re living pieces of Southern history, serving the same flavors that generations of Georgians grew up on
1. The Green Manor (Union City)
Walking into The Green Manor feels like stepping through a wormhole back to 1985! The floral wallpaper, brass chandeliers, and those little paper doilies under every dessert have remained gloriously unchanged since I first visited with my grandma wearing her Sunday best.
Their fried chicken recipe is the stuff of local legend – crispy, perfectly seasoned, and somehow always hot despite sitting on the buffet line. The sweet potato soufflé still has those mini marshmallows that get all golden and gooey under the heat lamps.
Last time I visited, I swear I spotted the same elderly server who used to sneak me extra dinner rolls when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. Their cash register might actually be older than me, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
2. Ole Times Country Buffet (Multiple Locations)
Remember mood rings and roller skating rinks? Ole Times Country Buffet has been serving up Southern comfort food since those were all the rage! My daddy first took me here after Little League games, and I swear they’re still using the same cast iron skillets for their cornbread.
The buffet line stretches longer than my aunt’s stories at Thanksgiving dinner. You’ll find everything from collard greens swimming in pot likker to banana pudding that’ll make you slap your mama (don’t actually do that). Their mashed potatoes still have those little lumps that prove they’re made from real spuds, not that powdered nonsense.
Funny thing – they’ve never updated those burgundy uniforms or those little plastic table numbers. Even the dessert section with its Jell-O molds feels like a delicious time machine to simpler days.
3. Dillard House (Dillard)
Holy smokes, the Dillard House is basically a living museum of 1980s dining glory! I’ve been coming here since my braces days, and they’re still bringing out those same endless bowls of Southern goodness family-style – no actual buffet line needed!
The dining room maintains its rustic charm with those mountain views through windows that have witnessed decades of food comas. Their fried chicken remains so crispy you can hear someone bite into it from three tables away. The country ham is saltier than my ex, and those buttermilk biscuits could still qualify as legal currency in three North Georgia counties.
Hilariously, they still use those same blue-and-white checkered tablecloths that were there when I spilled grape juice during my cousin’s graduation dinner in ’88. Even the gift shop sells the same apple butter they’ve been jarring since before I knew what carbs were!
4. Matthews Cafeteria (Tucker)
Good gravy – literally! Matthews Cafeteria has been serving up cafeteria-style comfort food since bell-bottoms were cool the first time around. My mama brought me here after doctor appointments, and I swear they’re still using the same ice cream scoop for their mashed potatoes!
The buffet line snakes through the restaurant exactly as it did when Reagan was in office. Those metal trays with divided sections still slide along the same rails past steam tables of turkey and dressing, Brunswick stew, and green beans cooked until they surrender all structural integrity. Their cornbread remains the perfect balance of sweet and savory, crumbling at the mere mention of butter.
Somehow they’ve preserved that distinct cafeteria aroma – a magical blend of yeast rolls, sweet tea, and nostalgia that hits you the moment you walk through the door. Even the dessert case with its rotating pies looks frozen in time!
5. Blue Willow Inn (Social Circle)
Heavens to Betsy! The Blue Willow Inn exists in a parallel universe where the ’80s never ended! The Victorian mansion setting still rocks those same floral drapes and blue willow china that were there when I attended my cousin’s rehearsal dinner during the Bush administration – the first Bush!
Their Southern buffet remains a monument to excess – fried green tomatoes with a cornmeal crust that crunches loud enough to drown out conversation, black-eyed peas cooked with enough pork to make a cardiologist faint, and peach cobbler that’s still served in those same little glass dishes that somehow never break. The sweet tea continues to be served in those blue-tinted glasses that make everything look like an old Polaroid.
Charmingly, they still hand out those paper dining bibs without a hint of irony. The piano in the corner occasionally springs to life with the same ragtime tunes that played during my high school graduation dinner!
6. Fried Tomato Buffet (Morrow)
Holy hot plates, Batman! Fried Tomato Buffet opened when mixtapes were still a love language, and they’ve stuck to their guns harder than my uncle sticks to his conspiracy theories! The orange plastic trays and those brown cafeteria-style water glasses have survived decades without a style update.
The buffet setup remains gloriously predictable – mac and cheese still forms that perfect crust on top from sitting under the heat lamp, the meatloaf continues to be shaped like an actual loaf (revolutionary!), and their signature fried green tomatoes maintain that perfect tangy-crispy balance that’s impossible to replicate at home. Those little cornbread muffins are still served in the same wicker baskets lined with gingham napkins.
Funniest thing? They’ve never updated their staff uniforms – those polyester numbers with embroidered tomatoes that somehow never wrinkle or show stains. Even the salad bar still has those same three-pronged plastic forks that barely hold a piece of lettuce!
7. Golden Corral (Valdosta)
Laugh if you want, but the Valdosta Golden Corral is the unicorn of the chain – somehow preserving its ’80s essence while its corporate siblings got modern makeovers! My Little League team celebrated here after winning the county championship, and I swear they’re still using the same chocolate fountain from that night.
The buffet stations maintain that classic setup – the salad bar still features those sneeze guards that are perpetually smudged at child-height. Their rolls continue to emerge from the oven at precisely timed intervals, creating that Pavlovian response when the “fresh rolls” bell rings. The carving station remains staffed by the same gentleman who looks like he could tell tales of serving roast beef to Civil War veterans.
Most delightfully anachronistic? The ice cream machine that still requires Olympic-level wrist strength to operate and invariably leaves a puddle underneath that’s been growing since the Reagan administration. Some things are sacred in Georgia, friends!