A San Francisco man has discovered what might be the most controversial budget dining hack in one of the country’s largest cities.
Commenters generally agree that in this day and age, with such high cost-of-living prices, they’d be down for this $5 buffet, despite where it’s located.
America’s Best Buffet?
In a viral video with more than 752,000 views, tech founder Alex Schor (@alexschorbizlife) announces he’s heading to San Francisco’s Gold Club, but not for the reasons you’d think.
The Gold Club in downtown San Francisco runs a $5 lunch buffet. And Alex is there for the food. Only the food, he states.
“I don’t care,” he says. “I have repeatedly, time and time again, thrust myself into controversy, and I’m gonna do what I please.”
“So long as it aligns with me and being financially responsible while also having a good time,” he says, “I think that encompasses it.”
And despite the people in the comments who he knows will judge him, he simply says in the caption, “I love the buffet, I don’t care.”
What Is The Gold Club Buffet?
The Gold Club has been pulling in an unlikely crowd since well before the pandemic.
Back in 2015, Forbes dubbed it “Tech’s Hottest Lunch Spot,” after it came out that employees from nearby Yelp and Salesforce were regulars. According to SFist, former Yelp employees even referred to the Gold Club in code as “Conference Room G” which Yelp’s spokespeople denied so hard they updated their employee training materials to specifically name it as somewhere staff should not be during work hours.
The buffet shut down during COVID when downtown SF emptied out, but it came roaring back on April 3, 2025. It was so popular pre-pandemic that it would sell out within the first hour, and apparently nothing has changed.
Axios reported the club was already near capacity within the hour of its return. The Gold Club holds a rare permit from the early 2000s that makes it SoMa’s only establishment of its kind, which might explain why it’s become such a downtown institution.
What You’re Actually Getting For $5
For the record, the buffet is technically free. The $5 is an entertainment fee to get in the door, per Axios. Once inside, it’s all-you-can-eat fried chicken, a salad bar, two sides, and dessert. The menu rotates, but the fried chicken is a permanent fixture. An Axios reporter who ate there confirmed it’s “crispy, succulent and worth going back for.” The Gold Club’s own marketing summed it up well: “Let’s be real — $5 doesn’t buy much in 2025 San Francisco. Coffee’s pushing $6, and a sandwich can hit $15.”
The club is currently open for lunch every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with plans to expand to Fridays soon and eventually bring the buffet back five days a week. One dancer at the club put it pretty simply: “People could also go anywhere else to eat, yet they choose here because they get the best of both worlds.”
Commenters React
“I remember when i was a dancer, there was a guy who was only there for the burgers and nothing else. super respectful guy. never oogled for a girl. ate his burger in peace and left,” a top comment read.
“5 dollar buffet? hell yeah… toss the person cleaning up a few bucks… but if you’re enjoying the [dancers].. ya gotta tip um,” a person said.
“Hey, as long as you’re courteous and respectful, you do you, babe,” another wrote.
@alexschorbizlife I love the buffet, I don’t care
BroBible reached out to Alex Schor via Instagram and TikTok direct message and to The Gold Club via email. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.