"All you can EAT!" A regional/state thing?

[Dionysus]

I've been posting and lurking on internet discussion boards for over five years. I've read numerous threads about restaurants. Mostly about favorite ones and recommendations. I've noticed in these threads, that buffets or restaurants that have reputations for cheap large quantities of food are almost never mentioned. Restaurants are usually noted for its superior service, atmosphere, quality of food, and/or creative recipes.

However, the people I know in real life, how much food you get on your plate is a restaurant's biggest selling point. An example, I overheard some people in the mall deciding on where they wanted to go to dinner. The choice was between a fancy lounge with live perfomances and well-prepared food, and a couple of other restaurants in the same area. Well, they decided to go to PONDEROSA! They wanted to get full and not spend too much money. Going by their appearance, mannerisms, and things they purchased in the store...they were NOT poor, though. So that reason was ruled out.

I've interacted with all kinds of people within the last 10 years of my life...people who were financially well off, poor people from the inner city, country people from rural areas, Greeks, hipster kids, people of different races and ethnicities, you name it. They all have one thing in common, they all (well, in general) are fond of Applebee's, Culpepper's, fast food, Ponderosa, Old Country Buffet, Golden Corral...or any other place you get a lot of food for cheap. And most of these people are from Missouri or Illinois.

What I'm trying to say is that I notice there's a HUGE difference in restaurant preferences, between the people I see online (many who are from the east or west coast) and people I see in real life. I just wonder if this is a regional thing. I think so, but I don't really know, since I've never been on either coast.