From the AP Wire via Yahoo! News -

"Little to no carbohydrates"? Uh, not exactly. Twelfth serving of roast beef?! Sounds like a little much! Did anybody - the people who got kicked out or the writer of the article - ever so much as glance at the book?

Sheesh. Still, kind of amusing.

Well actually the first two weeks is very little and close to no carb if you are following the three cups of veggies a day rule making two of those lettuce. 12 slices of roast beef though? LOL sounds like a bit of over indulgence!

When the Vancouver lo-carb group met for a buffet, I did feel sorry for the management, because we weren't filling up on rice and bread, but going straight for the goodies!
This reminds me of when my ex-husband took my teen-age son and 5 of his friends to an all you can eat sushi bar. They must have thought they'd been attacked by raw-fish-loving locusts.

I agree with the management - 12 slices is an abuse of the buffet - especially if they are making it a habit, as it sounds like they were doing!

I just hate that they are blaming it on Atkins and giving the impression that all Atkins followers eat 12 slices of roast beef regularly.

It's sort of hard to believe actually. I mean, any buffet I've been to, with the exception of Chinese, has salads. Who could eat a big salad (which they should have done) along with that much beef? Kind of sounds like they went there with the attitude that they'd show them.
I do think it's abuse of the buffet too, but most buffets are traditionally all you can eat, so they should have posted a maximum number of servings of the beef if they only had so much.
Either way, how humiliating.

12th slice?!??!?! Yes, they were abusing the buffet - and they caused a scene by asking for a refund! Hello! The definitely got their $8.99 worth! They went there often too, and I would say they should have been a little more understanding of the business's position here - there are other guests!

Hmm...it's always been my understanding that a buffet is a style of serving food, not a way to eat it. What people choose to eat from the buffet is usually up to them (as well as what style they use to eat it).
12 slices does sound a bit excessive unless they cut the slices anything like the buffet style restaurants around here...paper thin and skimpy; a slice might weigh an ounce and for a hungry, good-sized male, that's not a terribly excessive amount. I've seen plenty of men who could scarf down a 12-16 oz. Porterhouse (with side dishes) without a problem if they were hungry.
Wonder if they've ever kicked anyone out for going back for too many desserts or rolls or excessive veggies? Probably not...those foods are relatively inexpensive and that's what they expect (hope) their patrons will fill up on instead of the more expensive protein offerings.
It's still a shame that once again, they make low carb sound like the "all roast beef all the time" diet and equally a shame that the wife is quoted as saying, "you can go there and just eat meat.".

Looks like they are the "something for nothing" types. It may not be a written policy (although after this, I suspect it WILL be) but common sense would tell you that 12 trips is excessive.

I wouldn't blame the author... these people were using Atkins to excuse bad behavior.

Lets talk about constipation that arises from 12 slices of beef. And the writer needs to look up more info about "NO-Carbs". I always get a kick when people get so concerned for me but I'm the one feeling much better.

It looks like the manager approached them saying "I'm sorry, but we'll have to impose a limit on the servings of roast beef we provide, please help yourselves to anything else on the line," but the customers freaked out. I've worked in the service industry before, and I know the type. What do they expect for 8.99?

And yeah, I got out of the service industry. I'm not cut out for it.

12 slices is gluttonous, no matter how you look at it. If you eat that much, you're not doing Atkins right.

Sheesh.

You have to consider the size they slice meats at most Buffets. They slice roast beef very small. Salmon is sliced into strips the width of a French Fry. Steak varies depending on the establishment. I've seen it cut almost as small as a single Sirloin tip before and as as big as 8 ounces. Most buffets tend to keep the meats behind the counter and carve them themselves. OTOH, they keep the Vegetables, Deserts, Fruits, Grains, etc...out where anyone can take as many as they want.

It also a matter of perception. Folks not on a LC Diet tend to perceive the amount of meat a LCer eats as excessive. The reason is simple...if you were eating Corn, Rice, Beans, Potatoes, Cake, Ice Cream, and all that other crap at the same time, it would be excessive. An 8 ounce Sirloin (precooked weight) actually has less Calories than a plate of Pasta with Sauce [which they put out on the Bar, where you can help yourself.] Yet, many folks tend to consider an 8 ounce Sirloin to be excessive, yet don't view the plate of Pasta, which actually has MORE Calories with the same opinion.

Before LCing I never had anyone say a word when I'd get a plate of Pasta or a plate full of Mashed Potatoes, or 2 or 3 Baked Potatoes, despite them being loaded with Calories. Yet, I've had them look at me funny if I come back more than once for meat...even if they cut it the size of single Sirloin Tip.

Its the whole LF lie. They've got people to a point where they no longer comprehend normal serving sizes. For them, 3 ounces of Steak is a Serving, but a plate of Pasta which has 2-3x the Calories is also one serving. So, when they see someone eating 8-12 ounces of Steak, they consider it excessive, even if they're scarfing down on a plate of Pasta which has more Calories.

I usually get my Buffet to Go, which is what some are offering now. You get a To-Go box and pay by the pound. I focus mostly on the meats and some Green Beans, and use my own Veggies at home. It works out cheaper than sitting down to eat, and they're willing to give you more. I've also found that if you go in there later at night, within an hour of closing, they'll give you as much as you want. Though, your choices may be Medium-Well and Well-Done. I can't seem to find Rare to Medium-Rare that close to closing.

Another thing I do is eat more than 1 meat. If they have Roast Beef, Chicken, and Salmon...I may eat all 3. Typically, this one Buffet has Steak and Salmon. They'll occassionally have Pork or Roast Beef also. I tend to eat all of them when they're available. I always get both Salmon and Steak when its available. They tend to accept it more when you get 2 smaller servings of 2 different meats than if you got 1 bigger serving of 1 meat. I also like the Shrimp Night...because they put the Shrimp out where you can take it yourself.

12 slices x 1/2 ounce = 6 ounces. That's not Gluttonous. The problem is the size of the slices. 1/2 - 1 ounce is about all you get in most places. Now, if they were full-sized slices, like you get in some Restraunts, 2 would be sufficient. But, most of these places cut them thin and small. Also, Roast Beef is made from the leanest cuts of Beef. So, it is very low in Calories [1 oz. with Fat Removed = 48 kcal.] On top of that, most Buffets cut all the fat off and throw it away, which I consider a terrible waste. There's plenty of folks who would eat the meat with the fat still on it. The fat adds satiation, which makes people eat less of it. So, it would actually be in their interest not to remove the fat.

I have to agree with cc. To say that 12 slices was gluttonous assumes at least a couple of things; first that the slices were the size that you would slice for yourself if you were given the opportunity and second that the other person has an appetite similar to yours. Neither may actually be the case.
Since we don't actually know the weight in ounces of the meat that this gentleman ate, it does make it more difficult to make a judgement on whether or not the amount was excessive. The article implies that it was a lot, but that may or may not be a fact.
We often rail against the media for their inaccurate reporting regarding low carb eating, is it so unreasonable to think it possible that the facts may be a little slanted here as well?