Epic Buffet

Location: Charlestown Races and Slots, Charles Town, West Virginia

    It started out like any of Penn National's ideas: Wow the public with a fantastic product at an acceptable price, and reel 'em in for a big return!
    Unfortunately, it turned out like most other Penn National ideas, and these days I won't even bother looking to see what they have on the tables.
    $24.95 per person is a lot of money to shell out, but if the food is exceptionally well made?  Why not splurge now and then?  That's how I viewed The Epic Buffet in its earliest days.  They had some of the most wonderful items I'd ever had at a buffet, and the shrimp salad alone made the price well worth the investment.  The main courses were fresh, hot and delicious!
     But all good things must come to an end.  Somehow, Penn National must have determined that lowering their standards while eliminating the more unique items would surely boost the old profit margins, and what used to be a real treat is now just a tragically over-priced pile of generic buffet standards at a price that's just plain insulting.

    My advice?  If you really must eat at the casino, hit the Sundance Grill on the other side of the gaming floor.  The menu is interesting, the service is great and you won't feel as though you should have eaten a hot dog to hold you over before leaving home.

 
     Second chance review:
     A little better in regard to the food, but still overpriced by any standard.  The idea behind a restaurant at any casino is to keep people from straying outside the business where they may decide to just go somewhere else for the day.  Without any nearby competition, this place gouges consumers.  Fake crab meat and petrified burgers does not suggest a well-managed restaurant, especially when they're charging exorbitant prices.
     What's the matter, Penn National?  Not making any money these days?  Then stop cutting corners by serving overpriced garbage.  Maybe you'll do a better business.
     If it wasn't located in a casino, this place would be long gone.
     Third review... and it's still not good!
     I took the little Mom in my life to the casino for Mother's Day.  The price for Epic Buffet on a Sunday is usually $14.95, but on Mother's Day they were charging a whopping $22.95, so I figured they must have at least put out snow crab legs for the holiday, right?
     Absolutely not!
     In fact, they not only put out no extras, they skimped on some of the usual "almost acceptable" items, and many of the better dining options were refilled at a snail's pace so that patrons were left with a depleted set of choices.
     So!  Why the 50% increase in price?  For the exact same reason that a dog licks its own ass; because it can!  Once again, Penn National (the owners) were simply gouging the public.
     This place is pathetic!  I wish there was a way to organize the public to boycott this ridiculous excuse for a casino buffet.  Hey, they're going to take your money one way or another, so why not at least give people a half decent meal before they're led to the slaughter?  Penn National has its slot machines rigged up so tightly that if they could fart, only a dog could hear it.
    Best advice?  There's a Burger King across the street.  Eat there before you go into the casino, and save your money for gambling.  You'll be very glad you did!

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