Business Details
50+ Years
experience
Your Favorite Holiday Meal, Every Day of the Week!
Established in 1959 as Holiday House Restaurant, our business has evolved into Cook's Buffet Cafe & Bakery while preserving the family heritage and tradition that define us. We specialize in serving hand-carved meats, fresh vegetables, homemade desserts, and an extensive salad bar, combining time-tested recipes with modern culinary techniques. Our commitment to quality ingredients, including seasonal produce and hand-selected meats, ensures a dining experience rooted in excellence.Led by the Cook family, we maintain a legacy of hospitality, offering a warm, inviting atmosphere where guests can enjoy daily buffets, specialty sandwiches, and baked goods. With over six decades of experience, we continue to innovate while honoring the values that have made us a local favorite in DeLand.
Services
Buffet Dining
Cafe
Bakery
Catering
Take-Out
Details
- Year established: 1959
Highlights and features
- We offer a family tradition of quality meals since 1959.
- Our menu features fresh, hand-prepared ingredients daily.
- We provide diverse dining options including buffet, cafe, and take-out.
- Our staff combines decades of culinary expertise with personalized service.
- We host celebrations in our historic banquet space.
What people say
Fresh ingredients
Homemade desserts
Friendly service
Historic ambiance
Family tradition
Services
Buffet Dining
Our daily buffets feature hand-carved meats, fresh vegetables, homemade desserts, and an extensive salad bar. Guests enjoy seasonal ingredients and classic comfort dishes prepared with family recipes. The buffet includes options for lunch and dinner, with vegetarian and children's menus available.
Cafe
The cafe serves specialty sandwiches, soups, and baked goods in a relaxed atmosphere. Menu highlights include hot open-face roast beef sandwiches and heritage meals with mashed potatoes and gravy. Table service is available during lunch and dinner hours.
Bakery
Our bakery offers daily-made desserts, including signature pies and cakes. Guests can order frozen take-and-bake pies for special occasions. The menu features traditional recipes passed down through generations, emphasizing quality and homemade flavor.
Catering
We provide catering services for parties and events in our banquet room or off-site. The menu includes buffet-style meals, platters, and custom options for celebrations. Our historic banquet space accommodates up to 60 guests with personalized service.
Take-Out
Take-out options include frozen pot pies, sandwiches, and select buffet items. Guests can call ahead for pickup or order meals for delivery. The to-go menu emphasizes convenience while maintaining the quality of our in-house dishes.
People
Michael Cook
General Manager
Michael Cook leads daily operations, drawing on decades of experience from his family's restaurant legacy. He oversees kitchen staff and maintains the quality standards established by his father, Bob Cook.
Star Cook
Office Manager
Star Cook manages administrative tasks and computer systems, combining her expertise from Florida Hospital-DeLand with restaurant operations. She plays a key role in staff hiring and training.
Michael Cook Jr.
Assistant Manager
Michael Cook Jr. assists with day-to-day management, working alongside his father. He contributes to staff training and operations, continuing the family's commitment to hospitality and culinary excellence.
Channing Gerber
Family Support
Channing Gerber supports the business while teaching third grade. She contributes to the family's educational initiatives and community engagement efforts in DeLand.
Questions
What are your buffet hours?
Lunch buffet: Tuesday-Friday 11 AM-3 PM. Dinner buffet: Tuesday-Saturday 3 PM-8:30 PM, Sunday 3 PM-8 PM.
Do you offer catering services?
Yes, we cater events in our banquet room or off-site with buffet-style meals and custom platters for up to 60 guests.
Are there vegetarian options available?
Yes, we offer a vegetarian salad and vegetable buffet option during lunch and dinner.
Can I order take-out?
Yes, frozen pot pies, sandwiches, and select buffet items are available for take-out. Call ahead for pickup.
Do you have a children's menu?
Yes, the children's buffet includes a beverage (excluding milk) for $5.99, available for ages 3-9.
Is the restaurant wheelchair accessible?
Yes, our dining areas and restrooms are accessible, with assistance available upon request.
Reviews (7)
Kaitlin S.
Jan 29, 2022
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If I could give 0 stars I would after the way some waitress Kim treated my grandmother today. She will never be back and she was a regular. My grandma was scooping out mashed potatoes and I guess they were falling off her plate so she scooped them off the side and back onto her plate and this waitress runs up to her snatched the spoon out of her hand and yells at her in front of the whole restaurant "you can't touch that spoon!" SHE DID NOT TOUCH THE SPOON. She was so embarrassed and upset that she couldn't even eat her food. We will NEVER be back.
Phoenix
Jan 12, 2022
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Went on Thanksgiving Day (crazy idea) and waited > 2 - 1/2 hours. Food is fabulous and staff is nice. Desserts are homemade and out of this world. We brought home a few meat pies (turkey and shephard's pie) which were absolutely delicious even after being in our freezer for > 1 month. I highly recommend this place 362 days out of the year. Just don't go on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter unless you're prepared to wait > 2 hours.
Ed Z.
Jan 10, 2022
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Cooks is a buffet restaurant. It's meat offerings, which are handcuffs when you're ready for them, are always beef, pork and turkey, depending on the day there will also be fish, leg of lamb and usually one more choice. There is a small salad plate which you can carry along with you as you get your main course or fill it up and place it on your table. There is a large selection of vegetables also. We, and anyone else we've brought there, have always enjoyed the meal.
Mike C.
Jan 09, 2022
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Let me start off by saying my waitress Jennifer H. Was fantastic ! Energetic, engaging , made sure we had anything we needed. Thank you for your great job Jennifer. But the gentleman doing the carving and and handing out of meat seemed to be almost angry but was very short with the 2 people in front of me, myself and a little old lady behind me. Maybe he is burned out but what I do think is he needs to be in the back away from customers. Then we get to check out. No one in front or behind us so no rush. The lady basically snatched the bill from my hand , ran the card , gave me my receipt and never
L. B.
Dec 31, 2021
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Alot of people really enjoy this restaurant. I would say this is a place my grandparents and their brothers & sisters would have absolutely loved and would be the talk of their trip!! I'd like to see better iced tea and a little more flavor in the food. Their gardens and the atmosphere are very nice though.
Nick H.
Dec 10, 2021
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Great food, great variety and desserts to die for. Food was plentiful, hot. Staff was so very nice and helpful
Courtney S.
Nov 03, 2021
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This place was so disappointing. the waitresses attitude matched our food choices.. dry and unpleasant. my son suffers from asthma and could hardly tolerate the looming odor of well water stench. After walking through a rather sad buffet I was looking forward to the meat carving station. I was given the driest portion of lamb I have ever received. When I looked up mentioned my small portion size, a Norman Bates look alike simply told me if I wanted more to pay for it, a $3 charge. When I came back the second time to do so he was missing, no one at the station at all. Do not recommend
