SALT LAKE CITY (April 23) - A West Valley City couple on the Atkins Diet have a beef with a local restaurant after being booted from the buffet for eating too much meat.

Isabelle Leota, 29, and her husband Sui Amaama, 26, both on the no-carb diet, were dining Tuesday at a Chuck-A-Rama in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville when the manager cut them off because they'd eaten too much roast beef.

"It's so embarrassing actually," said Leota. "We went in to have dinner, we were under the impression Chuck-A-Rama was an all you can eat establishment."

Not so, said Jack Johanson, the restaurant chain's district manager.

"We've never claimed to be an all-you-can-eat establishment," said Johanson. "Our understanding is a buffet is just a style of eating."

The general manager was carving the meat, and became concerned about having enough for other patrons, Johanson said. So when Amaama went up for his 12th slice, the manager asked Amaama to stop.

Offended by the request, the couple argued with the manager, then asked for a refund. The manager refused, and when the couple refused to leave, he called police.

"I really feel like we were discriminated against, I feel like we were treated unfairly," said Leota.

The restaurant's roast beef is cooked overnight and takes between 12 and 14 hours to cook, Johanson said. Depending on the location, a Chuck-A-Rama may have only between one and five roasts each day.

But Johanson said the manager offered plenty of other buffet items for the couple to choose from.

The couple are finishing their second week of the Atkins Diet, which requires taking in little to no carbohydrates, and they eat at Chuck-A-Rama's $8.99 buffet at least twice a week because of its convenience.

"You can just go there and just eat meat," said Leota, a mother of two.

Johanson said there's no written policy for what patrons can or can't eat, or for the size of their portions. But the restaurant reserves the right to talk to patrons if they abuse the buffet - a rare occurrence, he said.

The couple said they won't return to the restaurant.

"I don't have any desire to go there ever again," said Leota.

Whoa that is just sad lol You eat til you're satisfied not the whole savings of meat :lol:

I think it's kind of gross that they ate so much meat that the manager came to yell at them. Isn't that kind of going against the purpose of a diet, even the Atkins diet?

Even if the restaurant's not all you can eat, I do think that the couple was treated unfairly. Being told off by the manager just because of the amount of food they were eating at a buffet? I was under the impression that you were supposed to eat alot at buffets!

me too! i don't think the manager had the right to kick them out because of the amount they were eating. well, i'm sure he had the legal right, but it was mean :sad: if they're concerned with having enough for everyone, they should make more! they can't kick out every person that eats a lot, what if there are heavier people that can't help it? that'd be very mean.

Well, meat's not cheap for one.

Let's say you had a BBQ and invited all your friends, but one got there early and ate a lot... You have a limited amount of food within your reach, and you're expecting other friends of yours to get there, but there may not be food left by the time they get there... Don't you find that rude on your friend's part?

HOW could you eat 12 slices of roast beef anyway?

i know how!! those 12 slices of beef are small. Hey, they are sliced :D

That's the thing, people think they can eat as much meat as they want. Hubby is on atkins and i limit the carbs, fat and PORTION. I mean you cant just sit there and eat all that meat! They are allowed to eat certain vegetables and salad even during that first 2 weeks....it's not JUST meat.

http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html

i know how!! those 12 slices of beef are small. Hey, they are sliced :D

they'd have to be bite-sized cubes or something!!

That's the thing, people think they can eat as much meat as they want. Hubby is on atkins and i limit the carbs, fat and PORTION. I mean you cant just sit there and eat all that meat! They are allowed to eat certain vegetables and salad even during that first 2 weeks....it's not JUST meat.

http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/15-464579.html

I'm guessing people think there's something in the meat that takes fat and such off as soon as the meat enters your body or something. :confused:

The thing is about atkins, people think, "Hey, no carbs. I'll lose it quick and can eat whatever I want, so long as it's carb free." But if you do something like that, you're more likely to gain all the weight back (heck, most people on atkins gain all the weight back pretty quick) in a very quick space of time. Some kid in my foods class' mum had a friend who was on atkins, lost 40 pounds and gained back 50.

Well, meat's not cheap for one.

Let's say you had a BBQ and invited all your friends, but one got there early and ate a lot... You have a limited amount of food within your reach, and you're expecting other friends of yours to get there, but there may not be food left by the time they get there... Don't you find that rude on your friend's part?


Ya exactly...its not like the manager was saying 'woah, you fat pigs stop eating food!' the couple was eating almost all of one thing, meaning there wasnt going to be any left for anyone else...so the manager was just saying 'hey...can you eat something else, theres a whole table full of food here, leave some meat for other people eh?'

Ya exactly...its not like the manager was saying 'woah, you fat pigs stop eating food!' the couple was eating almost all of one thing, meaning there wasnt going to be any left for anyone else...so the manager was just saying 'hey...can you eat something else, theres a whole table full of food here, leave some meat for other people eh?'

And if it's a buffet, I'm sure there was other food besides meat; even low-carb food. I think the couple needs to read more into this diet thing.

HOW could you eat 12 slices of roast beef anyway?
I could. ;)

But this is just crazy. I mean, I'm a big fan of red meats, and when I go to buffets, or any restaurants, for that matter, I always go for the beef. It's just my favourite food. But you'd think that with the whole Atkins thing being popular right now, restaurants would be wise to stock up on beef and other low-carb foods. Even if it means raising the prices.

Mmmm...I could sure go for a T-bone right about now. :P

The thing is about atkins, people think, "Hey, no carbs. I'll lose it quick and can eat whatever I want, so long as it's carb free." But if you do something like that, you're more likely to gain all the weight back (heck, most people on atkins gain all the weight back pretty quick) in a very quick space of time. Some kid in my foods class' mum had a friend who was on atkins, lost 40 pounds and gained back 50.

it's like that for most diets, people go on them and when they lose the weight they want to, they eat like they did before they went on the diet..that's not a good idea.

That's also why I watch portions too. You can expect to lose weight, let alone be healthy, by chugging down 4 pounds of meat a day!

I don't think it was fair that the manager did that to the people...sure they were eating a lot, but at least they werent being like a lot of other customers who put piles of stuff on there plate...don't eat half of it...then go for another plate of food..at least they werent wasting food. I also always go to the barbeque/meat section of any place where theres a buffet first..mainly because the pieces of meat are soo small.. and people take so much at once and don't think of others...but i can't blame them

Heheheh...hopefully they didn't eat the whole cow!
I think it's really nasty...12 slices,that's like eating 12 slices of cheese.
Blech! Even if they aren't eating carbs doesn't mean they can have 7,000 calories,lol. I could never go on those kind of diets...i feel as if beef is "dirty meat".
Makes me cringe.

I always feel bad if i have a lot on my plate when i'm done so I go little by little. A little meat, a little veggies....saving room for cake :)

My family was on the atkins, and I know we didn't just eat all meat.