Who organized the first Chinese buffet? It is an intriguing question, with some claiming that the Joyce Chen Restaurant in Cambridge, MA invented the Chinese buffet around 1960. However, after some research, this proved to be untrue, with the first Chinese buffet having likely been conceived in California in 1949. However, the ancestry of buffet-style restaurants extends back over 100 years.
At least as early as 1837, you could find all-you-can-eat dinners, which were, initially, primarily for American cuisine. During the latter part of the 19th century, the “smörgåsbord” made its appearance. This is a Swedish term, referring to a table of food, placed outside a dining room, where you could snack. A smörgåsbord allows participants to eat as much as they desire before enjoying their actual meal. Numerous restaurants started offering a smörgåsbord, and not just for Swedish cuisine.
It was during the early 1940s that the idea of Chinese buffets began to arise, although they were initially held at social clubs, church socials, and special events. They were not yet present in restaurants. This was a popular idea during the decade, and a diverse selection of groups across the country held such events. It was these gatherings that helped enlighten consumers on the value of Chinese buffets, which aided in forming a pre-existing customer base for when restaurants finally opened them.
The Akron Beacon Journal (OH), November 16, 1948, presented the first mention of a “Chinese smörgåsbord,” noting the, “Akron Order of Rainbow and DeMolay members are planning an unusual type of covered dish dinner. It is called ‘Chinese Smorgasbord and Sweater Hop’ and will be held Friday…”
As for a Chinese buffet at a restaurant, the honors for its invention likely go to Peter Chang, of Chang’s Restaurant, in Los Angeles, CA in 1949. The Los Angeles Evening Citizen News (CA), December 10, 1949, published an advertisement for Chang’s Restaurant, located at 8730 Sunset, which noted, “Chinese Buffet. First Served in U.S. Over 20 Delicious Selections.”
More details were provided in the Mirror News (CA), January 3, 1950. It was noted that the buffet at Chang’s Restaurant, which cost $2.85, started with soup and fried rice, and made available a choice of 20 entrees. “There is a rare chicken cooked in oyster sauce and whisky, which is a delight, if you are looking for the really unusual. You can have roasted fish, shrimp rolled in bacon, almond duck, almond chicken, soybean cake, fried dried Chinese strong bans, Shanghai style omelette, pineapple beef, sweet and sour spare ribs, Chentu tomatoes with fish and onions, and Peking style noodles with beef.” You could also find Chinkiang Lion Head, a type of meatball.
The Daily News (CA), January 18, 1950, presented a brief notice, “A Chinese restaurant, Chang’s, on the Sunset Strip, serves ‘Chinese Smorgasbord’”. This notice would be repeated in newspapers all across the country, exposing many Americans to the idea of a Chinese buffet. It certainly may have given inspiration to other Chinese restaurants to start their own buffets as well.
Another restaurant with a Chinese Smorgasbord. The New Tribune (WA), December 30, 1950, published an ad for the China Pheasant Club, noting “Chinese Smorgasbord each Sunday, 6-8pm. All The Food You Can Eat For A Dollar”. It was cheaper than the $2.85 buffet at Chang’s Restaurant
More restaurants across the country would start offering a “Chinese Smorgasbord”. The News Tribune (WA), October 4, 1952, printed an ad for the Bali Hai, which offered a Chinese Smorgasbord as a Sunday Special, “All You Can Eat $1.50.” The Chicago Tribune (IL), January 11, 1953, had an ad for Tom Brown’s restaurant, which offered a Chinese Smorgasbord on Wednesdays.
The Miami News (FL), July 3, 1955, printed an ad for the Fu Manchu restaurant, which served a Chinese smörgåsbord. The Sioux City Journal (IO), July 26, 1956, had an ad for the Bamboo Inn Café, which offered a Chinese smörgåsbord dinner every Thursday, from 5:30-8:30pm. The Daily News (NY), September 7, 1956, noted, “The Night Cap tavern at 570 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn, offers ‘Chinese Smorgasbord’ Every Wednesday Night.”
Finally, we return to the Boston area. The Boston Globe, March 30, 1960, published a brief ad for Joyce Chen, which noted its “Original Chinese Buffet” for 99 cents during lunch and dinner. Joyce Chen opened her first restaurant in Cambridge in 1958, and there would be claims that she invented the Chinese buffet. But while Joyce Chen’s Chinese buffet may have been the first to exist in the Boston area, it certainly was not the first in the U.S.
A number of different threads, from “all-you-can-eat” restaurants to the Swedish smörgåsbord, helped to inspire the Chinese buffet. The basic idea of a Chinese buffet also caught on at special events held by numerous social and professional groups before it appeared in any restaurant. In 1949, Peter Chang’s Restaurant was likely the first restaurant to offer a Chinese buffet. It did not take long for other Chinese restaurants to do the same.
