Is COVID-19 bringing the end to hotel breakfast buffets?

You might notice the trend if you hit the road this summer and stay at a nice hotel: That breakfast buffet downstairs in the lobby may have been discontinued. According to a recent story from Eater, more and more major hotel chains have put a halt to such amenities out of health concerns because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“In the early days of COVID-19’s spread, a number of the larger hotel chains like MGM Resorts, Hilton, Marriott, Four Seasons, and InterContinental temporarily stopped food service—including breakfast—altogether,” the story says. “Now, as the lodging industry strives to find more long-term COVID-conscious solutions, the buffet seems to be first on the chopping block.

Buffet-style eating at restaurants, casinos and the hotel continental breakfast provides all kinds of surfaces for a virus to cling to, such as tongs, drink pitchers and plastic containers. Though the restaurants and businesses will likely be cleaning surfaces diligently, it’s the rest of us you need to worry about. As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, people have become lazy about washing their hands and lax about wearing masks.

Some hotels are looking to alternatives like grab-and-go packaged breakfasts, while others are planning to phase out the buffet altogether. As one expert put it in the story, “Hotels have liked buffets for economic reasons, but I can see why you might want to propose that the buffet has had its day.”

Read on for the full story, which was originally published June 15 on Eater.