Twitter Is Fighting Over Golden Corral. Here's Why

Golden Corral is a restaurant that is many things to many people, and we're not just talking about the wide range of options on the buffet. After all, where else are you going to be able to dine on pizza, fried chicken, steak, fajitas, and chocolate fondue, all in a single meal? Still, all you need to do is say –- or rather, tweet -– the words "Golden Corral," and you're likely to solicit a whole bunch of opinions ranging from "yes, please!" to "I'd rather go out in the backyard and eat grass."

So what's got Golden Corral trending on Twitter just now? It all seems to have started with a sweet, if sad, reminiscence posted by one user who tweeted: "Golden Corral flashback. My Mother is dying from pancreatic cancer and our family has gathered. Last meal out all together?? She picks GOLDEN CORRAL! AS HER LAST MEAL."  If you think you know where this story is heading, you could be wrong, since the OP wraps up her tweet by saying, "Every time I hear the name, see the restaurant, I think of my Mom and I smile. GC is family love." While you'd expect people reading this to show a little respect for the dining preferences of a dying woman, well, Twitter and respect often go together like peanut butter and tuna fish.

Once Golden Corral started trending, perhaps from being tagged in the comments on the flashback tweet or possibly just due to the unfathomable mysteries of the Twitter algorithm, people started piling on to diss the buffet chain. One former employee shared: "I saw Golden Corral was trending, and as someone who worked there about 2-3 years ago as one of the chef's, I can safely say... please for the love of god, NEVER EAT THERE." A one-time customer complained, "Someone 'treated' me to Golden Corral. OMG, a few hours later, I thought I was dying," while several brought up the fact that, post-pandemic, eating at any buffet seems like risky business. As this Twitter user put it, "Golden Corral is trending, and all I can think about how it was my problematic fave pre-pandemic. Now, I'll never step foot in there again." (Not to quibble, but that usage of "step foot" is a bit problematic, too, since "step" is an intransitive verb.)

There were even a few who chose to use the comments thread on that flashback post to share their anti-GC witticisms, such as, "Isn't that what most people have as their last meal? I mean it might not be intentional but I am pretty sure Golden Corral has killed more people with its food than Corona" and "I'd say my wife is gonna do this to me, but you just gave me a good reason to die first."

For the most part, however, the original post about the Golden Corral-loving mom drew comments that were sweet and sympathetic, with numerous others sharing their own late family members' love for Golden Corral. Even one non-GC fan caught some feels, admitting: "If someone would have bet me this morning that someone on Twitter would have given me affection for Golden Corral, I would have given them 10 to 1 odds they were wrong ... and I would have lost. Bless your mom."

Once Golden Corral started trending, quite a few Twitter users stood up and proudly declared their own love for one of the last remaining all-you-can-eat buffet chains. One fan of their baked goods tweeted, "I see a lot of people bashing Golden Corral since it's trending but ya know what, their dinner rolls slap hard. I could go there to just get rolls and I would be happy," while another Twitter user pointed out, "Ummm I can get 12 steaks and a pound of mashed potatoes for eleven dollars f*** you." The best perspective of all, however, came from this thoughtful tweet: "I see Golden Corral is trending. The one closest to me has awesome food & the best salad bar on the planet ... They serve lots of disabled people & seniors who otherwise would eat alone during the holidays." So yes, no matter how you feel about Golden Corral (or Twitter), it seems they can be a force for good.