What’s the Difference Between Amarillo’s Route 66 Family Buffet and Furr’s?

It's finally happened.  Route 66 Family Buffet finally opened its doors and people are once again getting to enjoy a family buffet off of I-40.

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Many people have had a chance to check out and try the food.   It's a buffet, so there's a lot of choices to choose from.

What's the difference between Furrs and Route 66 Family Buffet?

Furr's had their recipes, and those recipes went with the franchise when it went away.

Route 66 Family Buffet has similar recipes but had the help of Chef Bud Anderson to create new recipes for its buffet.

Furr's had Millionaire Pie (company recipe)

Route 66 has Billionaire Pie (similar but their recipe).  They have a local baker who makes these delicious desserts

Furr's had thick mashed potatoes that were creamy and delicious and could be scooped with an ice cream scoop, which created the perfect mountain to indent and fill with gravy.

Route 66 Family Buffet has a different type of mashed potato.

Route 66 Family Buffet has a ton of kid-friendly food on its own buffet, plus slushies

Furr's had a few foods just for kids.

Sure they share the same building and the layout on the inside may be the same, but Route 66 Family Buffet has an entirely different color scheme, flooring, and paint and their decor is all Route 66.   They have pictures all over the restaurants with landmarks from Route 66.

Yes, it's true, the restaurant does have former Furr's employees working with them, but that's a good thing.  It's not a copycat of Furr's, it's a similar business that opened to satisfy the stomachs and the nostalgia people felt about Furrs.  However, this one is Amarillo all the way.

The prices

Furr's was cheaper at the time, but that was 3-years ago, and inflation has caused everything to go up.  If Furrs were still in operation, prices would be comparable.  Plus, remember, it is all you can eat.

Route 66 Soda

In keeping with the theme, Route 66 Family Buffet has Route 66 sodas as a beverage choice.  Furrs did not.

Yes, a lot of the food on the Route 66 Family Buffet is similar to Furr's but it's not.  At the end of the day, Amarillo is lucky to have a new choice of buffet in Amarillo. Lots of people loved Furr's, but Furr's went bankrupt and closed all of its restaurants. An idea to bring a buffet back to Amarillo similar to Furr's was brought to fruition. It'll be a bonus to the City of Amarillo and all those traveling I-40.