Dinner Break!!! Super Buffet - Denver, CO
While out on another abandoned building photography mission in west Denver, a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled into SUPER BUFFET!
Being in a part of town that I'm not often in, I knew nothing of this place when I drove by. However, I made note of convenient nearby parking for the drive back... Even from the quick glance while driving by, I needed to put the effort into checking this place out.
Typically, I get a kick out of Asian restaurant names. Most of them try to appeal to the American eating audience with buzzwords that fit the stereotype, such as:
Not to discredit anyone that comes to America and tries to start a business. There’s a lot of risk in doing so, and foreign run businesses succeed and fail all the time. Likely at around the same rate as American owned businesses do. No matter who is running them, or where they came from, the key will always be to run them right.
I parked next door to Super Buffet, in the parking lot of a recently renovated building. I took a couple of pictures of that, but it wasn't very noteworthy.
Walking across the lot, I really enjoyed the weeds growing up through the parking lot and sidewalk. Next to tagging (also present!), the weeds offer a tell-tale sign of how long a structure has been left neglected.
After snapping a picture through the first window (below), I was walking slowly backwards between the windows and felt something lightly touch my shoulder. I jumped forward, startled by the unexpected brush. Looking around, hoping there wasn't a person behind be, I saw no one. Thankfully...
It turned out to be a strand of Christmas lights that had partially fallen down and now left hanging down to the sidewalk. You can see them to the right of the Super Buffet red awning.
Here is what you'd see looking inside that window. I do not know where the door on the left goes, my suspicion would be restrooms?
The main serving area for buffet goods sat behind the ugly fake wood folding partition wall diver things. Which apparently was a no smoking zone. Behind the tiled wall in back, would have been the kitchen area.
I recently discovered that signing up for Yelp would give me access to years worth of reviews for businesses that have long since closed. While I have zero interest in writing reviews of places that are currently open, Yelp has provided a great deal of information about places that are now "reported closed."
The Yelp reviews actually have a couple of pictures of the buffet area from when it was open.
Yet most Yelp reviewers make me want to punch them repeatedly in their unfunny pompous throat...
No matter what name Super Buffet went under, the Yelp reviews were nearly all negative. Each seemed to hit on the same key points:
(Now I'm fighting all urges to make a your mom joke...)
Any hot items were cold, and any cold items were warm.
Last online reference to Super Buffet being open came in May, 2015. So these front doors have not had a customer pass through in at least 2 years.
Cliche staple of Chinese restaurants; the fake gold gargoyley-like lion statue by the entrance. This one isn't in all that bad of shape considering....
Looking through the front doors, the entryway is a bit more trashed than the dining area. Booths are toppled over and garbage is tossed all over the floor.
Hidden away by the driveway entrance to Super Buffet's parking lot, was this pretty sweet lamp post. There was another one just like it on the east side of the parking lot, but it was even more covered by trees and untrimmed brush.
The west wall of Super Buffet... Four covered up windows, an emergency exit door and torn awnings. Add in the wrong shade of graffiti cover-up paint, and you've got a pretty good abandoned restaurant!
Here's a very poorly covered up point of entry! This broken window has just a piece of plywood leaned against the wall, covering only half the window from the inside. Just some horizontal blinds provide a barrier between where I stood and the creepy gross insides of Super Buffet!
In addition to that broken window being left open, the south end of Super Buffet had two wide open doors. I started to talk myself into going up them and at least sticking my camera inside, but quickly talked myself out of it...
This whole place hadn't been secured at all, and with as open as it was, I was now concerned with not alerting whatever squatters that happened to be inside, of my presence outside.
The creepiness vibe that the south end of Super Buffet was giving off made me want to get the hell out of there. Before I did, I noticed how much the wooden roof had deteriorated.
From the looks of the place, I highly doubt this building will see another practical use before being demolished. And with the amount of reconstruction along this stretch of road, I'm betting it happens fairly soon...
Super Buffet seemed to be just your every day average abandoned restaurant. Everything seemed normal until I found the broken window and open doors. I'm sure it was nothing, but with as freaked out as the Christmas lights made me, the doors in back gave this place a much creepier vibe than I'd ever expected.
My pace on getting new content up here has slowed dramatically over the last month. I'd like to say that will improve, but life is being life again, and I will be cutting back on new material even more in the coming weeks....
Being in a part of town that I'm not often in, I knew nothing of this place when I drove by. However, I made note of convenient nearby parking for the drive back... Even from the quick glance while driving by, I needed to put the effort into checking this place out.
Typically, I get a kick out of Asian restaurant names. Most of them try to appeal to the American eating audience with buzzwords that fit the stereotype, such as:
Mandarin... Emperor... Imperial... Dragon... Jackie Chan...
Or they go the other route, simple, bland and vague...
(In that action-packed Helvetica font...)
So let's stop in at Super Buffet! Featuring: “Fresh, Delicious Food!”
Well, I should hope so…
Not to discredit anyone that comes to America and tries to start a business. There’s a lot of risk in doing so, and foreign run businesses succeed and fail all the time. Likely at around the same rate as American owned businesses do. No matter who is running them, or where they came from, the key will always be to run them right.
And from what I learned about Super Buffet, it just wasn't run very well...
Walking across the lot, I really enjoyed the weeds growing up through the parking lot and sidewalk. Next to tagging (also present!), the weeds offer a tell-tale sign of how long a structure has been left neglected.
Formerly known as the East Buffet Chinese Restaurant, their identity changed to Super Buffet in 2011.
And Super Buffet didn't look anywhere close to being Super in years...
At least they left the windows uncovered, so I could take a look at Left-Behind Buffet...
After snapping a picture through the first window (below), I was walking slowly backwards between the windows and felt something lightly touch my shoulder. I jumped forward, startled by the unexpected brush. Looking around, hoping there wasn't a person behind be, I saw no one. Thankfully...
It turned out to be a strand of Christmas lights that had partially fallen down and now left hanging down to the sidewalk. You can see them to the right of the Super Buffet red awning.
Here is what you'd see looking inside that window. I do not know where the door on the left goes, my suspicion would be restrooms?
The main serving area for buffet goods sat behind the ugly fake wood folding partition wall diver things. Which apparently was a no smoking zone. Behind the tiled wall in back, would have been the kitchen area.
And thanks for not leaving them open wider so I could get a better buffet view...
The Yelp reviews actually have a couple of pictures of the buffet area from when it was open.
Yet most Yelp reviewers make me want to punch them repeatedly in their unfunny pompous throat...
No matter what name Super Buffet went under, the Yelp reviews were nearly all negative. Each seemed to hit on the same key points:
The buffet items were understocked, and what was there bordered on "unfit for human consumption."
Food was old, dried out, crusty and smelled funny...
(Now I'm fighting all urges to make a your mom joke...)
Any hot items were cold, and any cold items were warm.
The advertised Mongolian BBQ, never really existed beyond raw room temperature meat,
left sitting out with no one to BBQ it...
Super Buffet's Interior was old, dirty and smelled very bad. (Just like your...)
Service was terrible, and everything was overpriced.
"I got food poisoning!" / "There was vomit in the parking lot!"
Last online reference to Super Buffet being open came in May, 2015. So these front doors have not had a customer pass through in at least 2 years.
Not sure what the fake Christmas tree, table and chairs are for.
Cliche staple of Chinese restaurants; the fake gold gargoyley-like lion statue by the entrance. This one isn't in all that bad of shape considering....
Unfortunately, his twin has skipped town...
I guess the discarded can of spray adhesive didn't hold him in place.
Looking through the front doors, the entryway is a bit more trashed than the dining area. Booths are toppled over and garbage is tossed all over the floor.
At least the door was propped open for me to look...
Hidden away by the driveway entrance to Super Buffet's parking lot, was this pretty sweet lamp post. There was another one just like it on the east side of the parking lot, but it was even more covered by trees and untrimmed brush.
The west wall of Super Buffet... Four covered up windows, an emergency exit door and torn awnings. Add in the wrong shade of graffiti cover-up paint, and you've got a pretty good abandoned restaurant!
Here's a very poorly covered up point of entry! This broken window has just a piece of plywood leaned against the wall, covering only half the window from the inside. Just some horizontal blinds provide a barrier between where I stood and the creepy gross insides of Super Buffet!
Been some dumpin' out back...
I wasn't expecting this when I walked around to the back of the building...
That overturned kiddie car also gave me the chills...
This whole place hadn't been secured at all, and with as open as it was, I was now concerned with not alerting whatever squatters that happened to be inside, of my presence outside.
I only want pictures of this building.
I do not want to be stabbed over them...
The creepiness vibe that the south end of Super Buffet was giving off made me want to get the hell out of there. Before I did, I noticed how much the wooden roof had deteriorated.
I'd be willing to bet that was due to copper thieves starting to attack this defenseless structure.
From the looks of the place, I highly doubt this building will see another practical use before being demolished. And with the amount of reconstruction along this stretch of road, I'm betting it happens fairly soon...
The amount of vacant property from recently demolished structures along Alameda Avenue was alarming.
Goodbye Super Buffet! Featuring: “Fresh, Delicious Food!”
You provided a nice bonus to my photography mission on this day...
And I found no vomit in the parking lot!
******
The longer I stayed on the property, the worse it felt...
I was glad to leave when I did...
******
My pace on getting new content up here has slowed dramatically over the last month. I'd like to say that will improve, but life is being life again, and I will be cutting back on new material even more in the coming weeks....
This will hopefully only be temporary...
******
One other thing...
Since we are getting an LA Dodgers vs Houston Astros World Series this year...
Let me throw my support to the Astros...
Don't get me wrong, I still hate Texas...
But you can't hate Craig Biggio...
Or this guy...
I'm torn...
May the best team win!
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