I've been to a Chinese AYCE in Germany that has another spin on this: cheap meat like deep fried chicken is available as part of the regular buffet but the othe

I've been to a Chinese AYCE in Germany that has another spin on this: cheap meat like deep fried chicken is available as part of the regular buffet but the other fish and meat is only available at a separate buffet where you pick out cold vegetables and raw fish and meat and a sauce or marinade for it all to be grilled for you and served to your table. It's copied off the model of a popular chain of "Mongolian BBQ" places where this is the main selling point because the chef prepares the food in direct central view of most of the tables but it also slows down customers by requring them to put their plate with the expensive food in a queue and encouraging them to pass the time by filling up with the cheaper stuff from the ready-to-eat buffet. Another effect in addition to slowing down eating (i.e. reducing how much food is consumed before customers feel satieted/full) is that the raw meat and fish shrinks from the water loss during cooking so customers get to feel like they filled up their plate but only be served a smaller amount of cooked food than if they had been able to load up their plate with pre-cooked food directly. And of course most of the sauces and marinades as well as the deep-fried cheap food is also fairly salty, encouraging customers to pay for more drinks (which also additionally fill up their stomachs).