Duff’s Smorgasbord; Where Did They Go?
America’s love affair with buffet restaurants goes way back and their history would not be complete without mentioning Duff’s Smorgasbord!
Please leave your comments in the “Leave a Reply” section at the bottom of this page
OK, What Was So Special?
Not only could you go to Duff’s Smorgasbord for great food, but it came to you on a conveyor belt!
That’s right, you could stand in one place while the food came to you, offering an experience like no other.
You were immersed in a whirlwind of culinary delights, where dishes from various cuisines would glide past your eager gaze.
Customers would have a “Slot” where they stood in place and watched the circular conveyor belt bring the food that never stopped coming, with each rotation delivering new and exciting options to try.
The atmosphere buzzed with laughter and chatter as friends and families, fueled by a questionable amount of dessert, enthusiastically debated whether the brisket was actually from a cow or some sort of mythical creature, creating a communal dining experience that was delightfully chaotic and far from boring.
Whether you craved savory entrées or delectable desserts, Duff’s had something for everyone, making it a beloved destination for food lovers eager for variety and fun! Great selections!
Fun Fact: Many customers referred to Duff’s as “Stuff’s” for obvious reasons, lol
Duff’s Smorgasbord: Ice Cream Too!
Any fan of Duff’s Smorgasbord recalls that not only did they have great food, they also had an awesome ice cream machine! Sorry McDonald’s but Duff’s ice cream machine actually worked lol!
Fun Fact: Duff’s Fried Chicken was pressure fried for the ultimate crispiness on the outside and succulent juiciness on the inside
Friday Was Shrimp Day in Tampa,FL
If you grew up in Tampa, Florida like me, you’d remember Shrimp Day at Duff’s every Friday. Ah, so many great memories! I definitely left there stuffed to capacity!
Fun Fact: Duff’s would serve their drinks in a mason jar. What a nice touch!
Let Us Know Your Memories
Do you remember Duff’s Smorgasbord? Let us know in the “Leave a Reply” section at the bottom of the page. What city was your Duff’s in? We’d love to hear your memories!
The chain originated in Ohio and, at its peak, grew to include about 150 restaurants nationwide before the business was sold in 1983
We all remember proclaiming “Let’s get stuffed at Duff’s!
Duff’s Smorgasbord: What Happened to Them?
It’s really not a mystery that changing times and lackluster management killed a lot of restaurant chains in America.
When owner Don Dollar died, the new management ran Duff’s into the ground. Pretty sad
ONE LEFT!
Today, only one location remains open, operating as Duff’s Buffet, in Clearwater, Florida
8 responses to “Duff’s Smorgasbord – What Happened to Them?”
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Wow, what memories this brought back! We’re from the St. Louis area, and hadn’t heard of Duff’s until we visited Tampa in early 1979.
We stayed at a hotel on Kennedy, and if I recall correctly, the Duff’s we visited was on Dale Mabry.
We enjoyed meals there on a couple of occasions during our stay there…still remember it very fondly!
This brought back other fond memories of our stay in Tampa…attending a wrestling card at the Armory and a TV taping of Championship Wrestling from Florida, a chain of hot dog restaurants (maybe called Mel’s?), several visits to a Steak ‘n Shake restaurant, shopping at a department store (Maas?).
Thanks!-
Wow, I was blown away when I saw the ducks name as I cruised Facebook.! I managed, and I was a star by the way of the management team a in Melbourne Florida on the East Coast near Cape Canaveral. My experience was bittersweet as I left a Samos restaurant as manager on NASA Boulevard to go to as he hired me away right in my own restaurant as I went to employment things went really well and it was a lot of fun working. Loved the conveyor belt and the food was fresh. I can attest to that, and suddenly the restaurant wanted me in Clinton North Carolina to open a death there. I gladly went. I totally enjoyed the experience the salary that was promised was quite good for the times and so I packed up my and moved to Clinton North Carolina went there. I found out that , they weren’t gonna open the restaurant there and that they hoped I had a nice life Unfortunately, I had to seek legal address made me quite sad to have to sue them and all I got in return was a paid for move back to Melbourne Florida and I wasn’t really from Melbourne. I was from Tampa so I went back to Tampa and started all over again, and I don’t remember what happened to the dubs in Tampa but if he was closing down restaurants, I’m sure that that might have been a victim, but I still love the concept love the food that they delivered and the ice cream was one of the biggest hit because even kids got to use it and they made a mess for sure ha ha! Anybody reading this I hope you had the pleasure of dining at duffs because they were really really good!
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Thank you for your wonderful comments!
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I’m eating Duff’s right now. Last location left in the world; Clearwater,FL
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[…] a result, all locations, except for the original restaurant in Santa Barbara, either closed or were rebranded, bringing an end to the […]
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Late 1980’s ate at duff’s several times. It was in Piqua Ohio. My dad who worked For IH in Fort Wayne Indiana Finished his 30 years In Springfield Ohio IH/Navistar plant. So every other weekend we would go down to Urbana Oh and spend the weekend. When we did we would eat at Duff’s on the way back home.
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Oh yes i remember cuz i worked on the training crew and would travel all overbthe united states opening up new stores for duffs and training the employees in the kitchen on how to run the place i loved my job
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