Shady Maple Smorgasbord
Buffet restaurant in Pennsylvania
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Shady Maple Smorgasbord is a buffet restaurant located in East Earl, Pennsylvania. It is the largest buffet in North America.[2]
| Shady Maple Smorgasbord | |
|---|---|
| |
 Interactive map of Shady Maple Smorgasbord | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1985 |
| Owner | Phil Weaver (as of 2025)[1] |
| Location | 129 Toddy Drive, East Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 17519, United States |
| Coordinates | 40.115952°N 76.032127°W |
| Website | www |
History
The Shady Maple began as a farm stand run by the Martin family. The name came from its location in the shade of a large maple tree. The farm stand evolved under the next generation of family ownership into a small IGA, Inc. supermarket by 1970. A cafeteria with seating for 100 was added to the supermarket in 1982. This was later expanded into a smorgasbord (buffet) with 300 seats. Subsequent expansions had it move to its own building and seating expanded to 1,200.[3]
Food
The Shady Maple primarily serves the cuisine of the Pennsylvania Dutch. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner.[2]
Facility
The buffet is 200 feet (61 m) long,[4] and together with the gift shop,[2] the store covers 111,000 square feet (10,300 m2).[1]
The building also serves as a polling place during elections.[5]