r/FoodLosAngeles • u/throwaway_p3pp3ron1 • 15h ago
DISCUSSION How does eating at Sizzler work?
Please don't be mean, I know how pathetic this sounds, but I was too anxious to ask the waiter and I can't find anything online ðŸ˜
Is Sizzler a buffet? Do all entrees come with access to the salad bar? Or do you have to order the salad bar to get access to it (including the hot bar and desserts)? Are all the drinks free, or just the water?
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u/muse316 14h ago
So you go in, and then have options for food: 1. get a dish that includes a side salad option. with this option, you get one bowl and you can make whatever you want from the salad bar in that bowl. the bowl is not refillable. or 2. get a dish that does not have a side option.Â
in either case, you can "upgrade" to the unlimited salad bar for a fee.
you can also 3. buy just the unlimited salad bar. this option is usually about twice the price of the upgrade fee.
for drinks, if you get a small plate and you are a senior (over 65, usually) you get a free drink. otherwise, you have to pay for it but get unlimited refills on soda and the like.Â
hope this helps and have fun!
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u/foreverhaute 14h ago
at sizzler, you walk in, wait in line, then order at the cashier and then you are seated. only some meals come with salad bar access and you must have that access to receive it. drinks cost money, other than water.
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u/fppfpp 14h ago
It’s crazy to think there’s still several of them (not merely one) in Los Angeles in the year 2025.
Good for them I guess
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u/Previous-Space-7056 13h ago
They are based in la. Their hq was in culver city, off centinela. They moved to mission viejo
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u/Tough_Preference1741 14h ago
How did you get to a waiter without walking past the whole set up to get to the waiter?
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u/idk012 12h ago
They have people walking around.
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u/Tough_Preference1741 11h ago
Every one that I have been to blocks you from being able to go anywhere expect straight to the register, where all of these things are explained, before you head to the dining area where the waiters are walking around.
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u/throwaway_p3pp3ron1 8h ago
idk man, this sizzler is new and after ordering and paying, customers would pick out their own table without a waiter
Nothing was explained to us from the start, and I didn't realize how clueless I was until we sat down. Everyone seemed to be getting from the salad bar, so that's where I started getting confused on whether Sizzler was a buffet or not, and how it worked
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u/tthatfreak 14h ago
No one tells you this: they ask you to tip as you order your food. They'll give you the cash that you're then supposed to leave at the table. Note that the original tip amount is on the receipt that the server uses.
Such a strange system.
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u/tthatfreak 9h ago
Also, no one will stop you if you grab a little cone on the way out, whether you paid for the salad bar or not. Soft serve at your own risk, though. Just act like you belong.
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u/DoyersDoyers 15h ago
Most entrees have a cheaper add on salad bar option. When you go, you'll order before you sit down so just order whatever entree you want and they'll probably ask if you want the salad bar option but if they don't, just speak up and say you do. Then you go find an open table, leave your receipt at the table (your server will come and grab it) and feel free to grab the plate they gave you and go roam the salad bar.
Drinks are not free, although water may be.
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u/TomIcemanKazinski 14h ago
The cheese bread is the best thing there and they will keep bringing it. I used to go for all you can eat shrimp in college
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u/GDub310 14h ago
This is the most thoughtful and helpful answer I have seen on Reddit in a while. Extra cheese toast for you.
Go Doyers. FTP.
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u/No-Chip7229 14h ago
Here I am on a random food thread and y'all are still mentioning the Padres. GG, hope to see y'all in the playoffs
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u/GDub310 14h ago
It comes with the rivalry, but I tied it to user name and the fact that they’re playing now, so it wasn’t quite out of left field. 😎
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u/No-Chip7229 13h ago
At least you admit it's a rivalry. I didn't see any of y'all saying "FTR" after salvaging a series split in Colorado 😄
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u/carlomrx 14h ago
You can pay for just the buffet, or you can order an entree. If you order an entree you have to pay extra to add the buffet. You also have to pay for drinks separately regardless of what you order.
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u/Good-Traffic-875 13h ago
Usually, you're in high school, with family just above the poverty line, you need a place to hang out, eat chicken tenders shaped as dinosaurs that you dip in nacho cheese that is served on a cart while doing you SAT studying and physics AP homework, hoping for a better future all the while waiting for ur mom to pick ya yp
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u/PatientWho 11h ago
New immigrants looking for an american meal at a good price, value, and most importantly filling! Prices are written upfront. No hidden charges that come after the meal.
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u/09percent 10h ago
It will always have a place in my heart lol I love me some Michelin rated restaurants in the city but sizzler has a place, love the garlic bread
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u/VaguelyArtistic 13h ago
Oh god I can still feel the knife scratching across the aluminum plate. A stoner’s paradise that place was once they started the salad bar.
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u/audioaxes 10h ago
Sizzlers was the nicest spot my family would done at back in the day (back then it was full service waiting) I went back a few years back hoping to taste the nostalgia of a steak and all you can eat shrimp with cheese toast knowing I'd be disappointed and it delivered even lower than my expectations. No cheese toast available, shrimp tasted freezer burnt, and the steak was meh
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u/Longjumping-War4753 14h ago
Sizzler was great in the 70s-90s... I think there's only one left in the state of Arizona.
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u/LavaPoppyJax 10h ago
It sounds like you are saying there aren't any here, just AZ. But maybe you're saying AZ only has one left. There are 10 or so in the greater LA area.
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u/Longjumping-War4753 10h ago
Arizona... After I posted I realized I was on LA sub... I hope it doesn't bother you much.
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u/kbencsp 15h ago
salad bar is separate but you can order it with your meal. You can order just the salad bar, just a meal or both!