While you save on payroll, the price for a buffet, even an all-you-can-eat deal, is typically less than a traditional sit-down dinner. Buffets also require a great deal of upkeep, to maintain food safety as well as ascethics. Servers or kitchen staff should be continually checking the buffet to make sure that containers are refilled and the buffet itself is neat and clean, as well as that the proper temperatures for both hot and cold food.