for $25 AYCE and drink -you can scold and lecture me all you want. I wont even dare ask for a to-go box like a moron.
The best AYCE sushi place I ever visited was in an out-of-the-way strip mall in Henderson, NV. About 30m away from the Vegas strip. It had very strict rules, listed on the menu, including how many of specific items you could order. No takeaways, and if you left food on your plate, there would be a surcharge. Drinks and dessert were not included either.
Waiters wandered around with wireless iPads and took down orders in batches, which would then be dropped off a few minutes later. It was very efficiently run. Food was very good, and the place was packed every time I went there. It wasn’t on any of the visitor guides, which was just as well.
There seems to be a way to do AYCE, make money, and leave everyone happy. The place in this story sounds like it needs to tweak the formula to find the right balance.