When I was a great deal younger and lived elsewhere I used to go to Sizzler's often. I remember it feeling very much like a resteraunt - there were waiters and waitresses, menus, nice tables and it all seemed like a really nice place to eat for a decent price. Today I went to the Sizzler's in Santa Rosa for the first time and was very much struck by how much Sizzler's as a chain has devolved. I went there thinking I was taking my family someplace nice and immediately as we entered we were hit by the fast-food feel of the place. The first thing you encounter is not a greeter, waitress or host but a giant menu a la KFC. It feels cheep, but the prices are not. We had no idea what to do - my grandmother, a member of the old school of sizzler's lovers, was equally startled. We finally found a counter from which we ordered from, and then the lady behind the counter gave us our receipt which is how the "waitress" knows what you ordered. The whole system makes little sense at all. You have the giant salad bar (which I have always loved) which ends up being the main portion of your food. You get up and walk all the way over there for your soup, salad, appitizers and desserts, but not your drink refills! You have to wait for the "waiter" to refill your drink - why? You have to do everything else yourself, after all. The main course from the kitchen showed up so fast that it arrived before I was done getting the soup and salad together. The food was fair, but not fantastic, though our main problem was the size of the table. The booth had no room for all of our food and we were forced to constantly shift things around (there were only three of us!) I felt cramped the entire time and uncomfortable - the whole resteraunt was hard, unforgiving wood and the booth was the worst of all. It had to be one of the most uncomfortable places I have ever eaten at. And the salad bar alternated between wilted, greasy and unidentifiable. They seemed to want to provide the bare minumum and you feel it every moment of your visit. And when it gets crowded it gets very, very loud. If you are crazy about buffets you should go to Fresh Choice instead - cheeper, quieter and much better quality overall. It's at Santa Rosa Plaza near the main entrance. Overall it seems like Sizzler is caught between two modes of business - a sit down resteraunt (what they used to be) and a fast food joint (what they are quickly becoming).
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