Endless shrimp is back at Red Lobster.

Red Lobster 再次推出蝦子無限吃到飽

all-you-can-eat of this for $6.99?

這些東西吃到飽只要 ＄6.99 元？

Unlimited food.

[旁白] 無限量的食物

These restaurants give you all-you-can-eat for one fixed price.

這些餐廳給你一個固定的價格讓你吃到飽

Sounds like a pretty good deal, but how do these restaurants make any money?

聽起來是個很不錯的交易，不過這些餐廳如何賺錢呢？

The way buffets typically work is each person pays the same fixed price for access to a line of self-serve dishes.

自助餐的典型作法是每個人付一樣的價格，得以享用一系列自助式的餐點

You grab a plate, fill it with food, eat, and repeat.

你拿一個盤子，裝滿食物，吃，然後隨你

As many times as you want.

想要重複幾次都可以

This started in the 70s and the 80s, and they were very popular.

吃到飽興起於 70 及 80 年代，而且非常盛行

I think it was kind of sign-of-the-time.

我認為這是一種時代的寫照

They were a family style restaurant, they did not serve alcohol, but it was a lot of food for not a lot of money.

它們是家庭式的餐廳，不供應酒類， 但是不用花很多錢就可以享用很多的食物

[Narrator] Popular chain restaurants that use this model are Golden Corral, and Home Town Buffet.

[旁白] 流行的吃到飽連鎖餐廳有 Golden Corral 和 Home Town Buffet

Other all-you-can-eat buffets specialize in one type of cuisine, like Chinese food, Indian food, or different types of pizza.

其他吃到飽的自助餐限定一種菜餚，像是中國菜、印度菜 或者是不同種類的比薩

The most obvious money saver for a buffet restaurant is there's less need for servers.

自助餐廳對於服務人員的需求較少，因此很明顯的省下了不少人事費用

They don't need full wait staff because you're getting your own food and bringing it to the table.

它們不需要很多的服務人員因為你是自己將食物拿到桌上

But these restaurants apply another strategy that's hidden in plain sight.

[旁白] 不過這些餐廳運用另一個策略在毫不起眼的地方

Pay attention to the layout of a buffet line.

注意自助餐動線的佈局

Buffets often put cheaper, or more filling carbs towards the beginning of the line.

自助餐通常擺放便宜，或者容易飽足的澱粉類食物在動線的前端

They would have a lot more menu items that had good profit margins on them.

它們的菜單上會有很多利潤高的品項

Then all of the sides and the carbs came before the entree so that by the time you got your entree, your plate was full.

所有的小菜和澱粉類食物都會放在主菜前面所以在你進行到主菜之前， 你的盤子早已經裝滿

And to try and stop people from taking more than they can eat, these restaurants might provide smaller than average dinner plates, or really big soft-drink cups, so you can fill up on soda.

[旁白] 而且為了防止人們拿超過他們所吃得下的份量，這些餐廳會提供 比起一般較小的餐盤 或是尺寸非常大的汽水杯，所以你可以裝滿它

But that doesn't always stop people from piling it up vertically or going back for another plate.

不過那無法總是阻止人們向上堆積食物 或是回頭再拿幾盤

This will be as an appetizer.

[加菲貓] 這只是個開胃菜

So some buffets may cut corners in other ways to make sure they aren't losing a bunch of money.

[旁白] 因此有些吃到飽餐廳會在其他方面節省開銷以確保他們不會損失大量的金錢

Because of the tight profit margins, the food quality wasn't as great as it probably should have been or could have been.

因為利潤很低，食物的品質不如原本應有 或可以達到的水平

Riggs says this contributed to their decline.

[旁白] Riggs 表示這導致了吃到飽餐廳的衰退

Between 1998 and 2017, the number of all-you-can-eat buffets dropped by 26 percent.

在 1988 年到 2017 年中間，吃到飽餐廳的數量下降了百分之 26

Even though the number of restaurants overall rose by 22 percent.

儘管整體而言餐廳的數量上升了百分之 22

Part of the reason for the decline in buffets, was the expansion of casual dining restaurants like Applebee's, TGI Fridays, Olive Garden, and Outback Steakhouse.

吃到飽餐廳衰落的一部分原因是休閒式餐廳的擴張 像是 Applebee's、TGI Fridays、 Olive Garden 以及 Outback Steakhouse

This is the type of restaurant that typically offers all-you-can-eat specials on particular items.

這種類型的餐廳通常提供特定項目的吃到飽特餐

For example, you take Red Lobster, they will have their all-you-can-eat shrimp.

以 Red Lobster 為例，他們有蝦子吃到飽

They're not inexpensive and consumers like those and they think they're getting a good value for the money.

那並不便宜而且消費者喜歡他們認為花錢是值得的

They're around for about six weeks, so there's a sense of urgency that's created.

這個活動持續約六週，因此創造出一種時間緊迫的感覺

But hurry, endless shrimp won't be here long.

[廣播員] 不過動作要快，蝦子吃到飽不會持續很久

The hope is that once consumers get inside the restaurant, they will add more things, they'll try, they'll be satisfied, and will return.

他們的期望是當客人進入餐廳之後，會多點一些其他的東西， 他們會嘗試，會感到滿足，然後就會再度光臨

Because the only way you're going to drive your business in the restaurant industry today is through building loyalty.

因為現今要推動餐飲業發展的唯一途徑 就是通過建立忠實顧客

With just a few tricks, like using smaller plates, putting cheap items towards the front, and using drinks to off-set other costs, all-you-can-eat restaurants are able to accomplish the same goal as any other restaurant.

[旁白] 只需要利用一些技巧，像是使用較小的盤子，將比較便宜的品項 放在前方，運用飲料來抵銷其他的支出 吃到飽餐廳能夠達到 和其他餐廳一樣的目標

Get people in the door.

也就是吸引顧客上門