Feed Trough

Imagine sitting in a restaurant where all your food…all the food you can eat, is delivered directly to your table by conveyor belt. No, you aren’t at a feed lot getting fattened up for market; you are at an all-you-can eat sushi and hot pot buffet!

Menu Board

While at the ECHO conference we decided to scout out the area for restaurants. The Shabu Shi immediately caught our eyes. Rather than be presented with a menu when we entered, we were given a card with pictures of the various ingredients available on the hot pot conveyor and a pictured list of the sushi bar. Instead of paying a flat rate for eating at the buffet you are charged for each 1.25 hours (about 10 dollars). The waiter then asked what type of soup stock we wanted for our hot pots. I chose a spicy ‘tom yum’ and Kaarina a clear soup. We were then directed to our bar-stool seating along the conveyor belt that snaked its way through the restaurant from the kitchen. Raw ingredients (vegetables, meat, seafood, eggs etc.) occupied small plates resting on the conveyor. As a desired plate passed you simply take it off the conveyor and dump the contents into your personal hot pot nested into a hole in the table.

Food Conveyor

For sushi a separate bar was located along one wall (again all you can eat)! To boot, soft drinks and juices along with a fruit bar and ice cream filled in the cracks after the hot pot and sushi stuffing. Just keep track of your time…1 hour and 15 mins is just enough time for a nice meal…as long as you don’t talk too much and keep chewing. As soon as we got up to leave, our places were cleared and two more people took our seats! Who says efficiency can only be found in America?