Been coming here for years. The buffet has always been decent (with the exception of the wonton soup which is often stocked with stale/dried-out wontons) and the sushi bar very good...all in all, it's been a generally good, inexpensive experience whether eat-in or take out.
That said...
Recently we have noticed an obvious decline in cleanliness, particularly in the lobby area. The carpet is filthy, there are greasy streaks and fingerprints on the glass, fishtank and woodwork, small children (probably of the employees) occasional running around, and the mess (toys, stickers, etc...) that usually accompanies a childrens play area. My last time in, approximately early February 2011, after taking it all in during a wait for my take-out order to be ready and slowly losing my appetite, I decided that maybe it was time to start looking for a new place.
The final nail, however, came this morning. After reading a story @ the wral website regarding the lax restaurant inspection standards by the wake county health dept, I looked up Eastern Chinese (AKA Eastern Buffet, New Eastern Buffet) ratings and was floored by how completely nasty this place is behind the scenes. Roaches, bugs, ""vermin"", improper food storage, improper food handling, multiple sanitary issues.... the list goes on.
This can be verified at wake dot digitalhealthdepartment dot com , enter 'eastern buffet' in the search box and the past year in the date range.
I will never, ever eat there again. My only regret is that's it's not possible to leave a zero star review.
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