As everyone else, we were excited to hear that Golden Corral would be taking over the old Ryan’s Building in Florence, Alabama. We tried several times to go eat there but the crowds and wait time kept us from eating there until last Sunday. We arrived about 7:00 PM on that Sunday night. The restaurant was about ¾ full and there was no wait time.
First off we noticed that the restaurant was very clean and well lighted. There were two Hot Bars and 2 Salad Bars. There is one bar dedicated to fresh cut meats. Of course, there was the famous Golden Carrol Desert Bar. I started off with ordering a steak from the Meat Bar. It was ready within 2 minutes.
My first plate was creamed potatoes, corn, rice and green beans to go along with my steak. The steak was cooked just as I asked for. Good taste with just the right amount of seasoning. The rice was a little dry but the rest of the items were very good. First plate finished, so it is time to hit the Bars again.
My second plate was barbeque, baked beans, corn and creamed potatoes. The barbeque was awesome. Tender and juicy with a smoky flavor. The baked beans had a little onion flavor, more than I liked, but they were good. That plate was soon finished. Walking around I noticed that a cook was cutting some type of meat that had just placed on the Meat Bar. I asked what it was. He stated that it was Garlic Herb and Butter Sirloin. I got a piece of it. It was very tender and had a good flavor.
Now on to what I had been waiting for. The Desert Bar. We must tell you that you that they have a little of everything. Ice Cream, to Cakes to Pies. Out of the corner of my eye I saw some hot and steaming Bread Pudding. Yep, that’s me. It was awesome. 
To be fair, not everything can be perfect so let’s look at the negatives of the visit. It was $37.50 for the two of us. That is a little higher than Ryan’s use to charge. We noticed that food was not being replaced on the Food Bars as fast as it should. They kept running out of Rolls. We did try a piece of Pepperoni Pizza. It was under cooked, still doughy. We think they tried to rush to get it out.
So, in summary, I am going to give Golden Corral 3 Cheese Sticks out of 5. Go try it, we think you will like it.
