How to Fill Your Plate at a Buffet Lunch: Walk the Line First, Then Build Your Plate in Five Steps

To make a buffet lunch go smoothly, decide what you want before you pick up a plate. Walk past the counter empty-handed, choose one main dish to be the star, then add two or three sides in different colors and cooked in different ways. Save the saucy dishes for last and put them in a section of their own. Before you pay, take a quick look at your plate and make sure you can finish it all.

The situation in this article is adapted from common everyday experiences, and the person's name has been changed. The content is only a reference for organizing your daily routine. Please adjust it to suit your own situation.

Yi-An Gets Stuck in Front of the Tongs at the Buffet Down the Street

Yi-An works in administration in an office building and usually has lunch at the buffet-style eatery at the end of the lane by the office. The dishes are laid out in a long row: braised pork, stir-fried greens, fried eggs, and all kinds of stews, and every one of them looks good. Each time, Yi-An would pick up a plate, move along with the line, and grab whatever caught their eye.

At the register, Yi-An would look down and find three braised dishes on the plate, all the same dark brown, with the sauce running into the rice. A few times the plate was so full that Yi-An couldn't finish it and had to pack up the leftovers. That box would sit under the desk and get forgotten at the end of the day. Yi-An knew what they wanted to eat, but standing at the counter with people pushing forward from behind, their mind just couldn't keep up with the pace of the line.

One Monday, Yi-An decided to set a fixed order for picking dishes, something to follow every day without having to think it through again. It took two weeks of trying before the routine was settled, and it came down to five steps.

Three Reasons Things Fall Apart at the Counter

A buffet looks like you can just take whatever you want, but there are usually three places where people get stuck.

The first is deciding as you walk. The line keeps moving, and you only get a second or two in front of each dish, so there's no time to compare. Whatever you see first ends up on your plate. By the time you reach the dish you really wanted, there's no room left.

The second is having no main dish. If you haven't decided which dish will be the star today, you end up wanting a little of everything, and the plate fills up in no time.

The third is not using separate sections. Saucy dishes get squeezed into the same section as dry ones, and halfway through the meal all the flavors have run together, which makes you less eager to come back next time.

None of these have anything to do with willpower. The problem is that all the deciding gets crammed into those few dozen seconds in line. Move the deciding to before you pick up a plate, and filling it gets much easier.

Five Steps from the Door to the Register

You can follow the five steps in order, or try just one or two of them first.

Step 1: Before picking up a plate, walk along the counter empty-handed

Don't touch a plate when you first walk in. Walk the length of the counter just looking, without taking anything, and make a mental note of two or three dishes you'd like today. If you only spot the fish at the very last section, keep it in mind and don't rush to grab braised pork at the first one. If the place is crowded and you can't get through, stand beside the line and scan the counter. It won't take long.

Step 2: Pick one star from the dishes you noted

The star could be a pork chop, a piece of fish, or a plate of stir-fried meat and vegetables. Once you've chosen it, everything else is a side, and you'll have a basis for deciding how many sides to take and how much of each. If the pork chop is a big piece, take a little less of the sides. If the star is a small portion, add one more side.

Step 3: Two or three sides in different colors

There's only one rule for sides: don't repeat colors. If the star is dark braised pork, look for green vegetables, yellow eggs, and white tofu for the sides. With the colors spread out, the plate looks more varied, and you're less likely to get tired of it by the end of the meal.

Step 4: Take another look at how each dish is cooked

Braised, stir-fried, steamed, pan-fried, or served cold, try not to have two dishes cooked the same way on one plate. If your star is already a braised pork chop, skip the braised dish next to it and go for something stir-fried or a cold dish instead. Every bite will have a different texture, so the meal won't feel monotonous.

Step 5: Save the saucy dishes for last, and look down before you pay

Take stews, curry, and dishes with sauce last, and put them in the separate section of your plate, or ask the staff to put them in a small bowl. You can also ask for the rice to go on the other side of the plate so the two don't mix as easily.

When you reach the register, look down and ask yourself three things:

1. Do I have a star?
2. Are the colors spread out?
3. Can I finish this whole plate?

Pay once all three check out. If the third question often trips you up, take one fewer side next time, or just one scoop of each dish with the tongs. After a few tries, you'll get a sense of the right amount for you.

A quick tip: type the five steps into your phone's notes app and glance at them while you're in line. No need to memorize them.

This routine follows the same idea as ordering at a noodle shop with one main dish, one soup, and one side: settle on the star first, then match everything else to it. If you'd like to bring your own lunch some day, you can also check out how to pack a lunchbox in fifteen minutes the night before.

Adjusting When You're in a Hurry, Can't Choose, or Are with Coworkers

Lunch is rushed and there's no time to walk the line

Shrink Step 1 down to "stand at the entrance and look for three seconds." When you're in a hurry, just stick to two things: pick the star first, and choose sides by color. Add the other steps back on a day when you have more time. The whole process won't be any slower than usual.

You want everything and can't decide

Remind yourself that whatever you don't take today will most likely still be there tomorrow. Yi-An writes down the dishes they wanted but didn't take in their notes app, then makes one of them the star the next day. That way, tomorrow's lunch is planned too.

Halfway through the line, the dish you wanted as your star runs out

Pick another one from the two or three dishes you noted while walking the line and make it the star. Once the star changes, check the side colors again and skip the sections that match the new star's color.

You're with coworkers and feel awkward taking your time

Let your coworkers go ahead, and get in line behind them so you can take a few more looks. Or chat about "what do you feel like eating today" on the way there, so Step 2 is done before you even arrive.

After a few days, you forget to follow the steps

Forgetting is completely normal. Just keep one short phrase in mind: look first, pick a star, don't repeat colors. Once those three are in your head, the rest of the steps will follow naturally.

The place you usually go has pretty much the same dishes every day

Try rotating stars by the day of the week, such as fish on Mondays and chicken on Tuesdays. When the star changes, choose the sides by color again, and the same eatery's menu will feel a little fresh. Another option is to make a rotation of two or three buffet places nearby and switch between them each week.

The Extra Time You Get Back at Lunch

After following these steps for a while, Yi-An no longer panics at the counter. Lunchtime isn't spent hesitating anymore, so there's time left for a walk or a chat with coworkers. If you'd like to plan out your one-hour lunch break in more detail, take a look at splitting your lunch break into three parts.

We'll keep putting together everyday routines you can follow step by step, like how to order when eating out, how to put together a lunchbox, and how to plan your daily schedule. If you'd like to make the small decisions in your day a little easier, you're welcome to subscribe to our lifestyle organizing updates.