In today's uncertain economy, it can't hurt to make your next meal an all-you-can-eat extravaganza. Whether it's Indian, Italian, Asian, Mexican or American, many Tucson restaurants have buffets or feature all-you-can-eat nights for everything from fish to spaghetti. Some are fancy, some aren't. Whatever the case, buffets get the job done.

Red Sky Cafe, 2900 N. Swan Road, is one of the fancier places.

On its Sunday buffet, Red Sky features carving and omelette stations and tables loaded with trays and platters of entrees, salads, cheeses, fruits and desserts — all for $17.95 a person. A mimosa, fresh-squeezed orange juice or glass of champagne comes with the meal.

"This is the best brunch in town," diner Susan Peterson declared as she sat down to eat.

"I take a lot of people here," said Charlotte Bramblett, a registered nurse and a monthly visitor to the elaborate Sunday brunch. "I eat foods that I would never cook at home. I'm a vegetarian, and this brunch has so many things for vegetarians. I don't eat anything else all day."

On Wednesdays, Red Sky offers International Grill Night, which pairs a buffet with a wine tasting for $21.95.It includes a spread of salads, meats, desserts, a made-to-order pasta station and entertainment outside by Tony Hartland. It's an affordable way to visit the restaurant, where entrees range from $12 to $32.

Candice Sebastian, a University of Arizona graduate student, shared her buffet strategy while loading her plate at Red Sky.

No snacking beforehand. Choose your food wisely. Don't fill up on bread, noodles or rice.

"Go for shrimp before chicken," the 28-year-old said. "You want to get the most bang for your buck."

And if you're not stuffed by the endV — almost uncomfortably so — then she doesn't call the meal a success.

Lauren Kanzler, a certified clinical nutritionist with a Midtown private practice, defines success differently. "A healthy buffet would be one where you go through the buffet only once. It's difficult, but possible."

"I think (buffets) encourage overeating because we are influenced by the environment," said Suzette Kroll-Barancik, a registered dietitian whose Web site, www.personal-nutrition-guide.com, offers tips and information on diet and nutrition.

"The focus is on quantity, not quality," she said.

Tucsonans have been lining up for all you can eat for decades. Roberts Smorgasbord on West Prince Road, for example, offered daily all-you-can-eat spreads in the '60s.

"This place is soo good," Adam Reynolds said to his friend, James Bennitan, as the two piled on samosas at India Oven, 2727 N. Campbell Ave., one of many ethnic restaurants that feature a lunch buffet. Chicken curry, lots of veggies, rice, fruit, salad and rice pudding were just some of the dishes on a recent Wednesday. India Oven is on a monthlong break and will reopen Aug. 6.

Amrutha Cuisine of India has featured a lunch buffet since it opened about three years ago in a small shopping center on the southeast corner of Grant Road and Tucson Boulevard. Owner Prasad Kakarala said his lunch buffet is a good way of building a customer base.

"There are a certain group of people who only come to the buffet — they just want to get in and get out," Kakarala said. "Other people will try the lunch buffet and they'll want to come back for dinner."

Kakarala makes about a dozen items in small batches to keep things fresh. "We don't cook too much, and I don't cook in advance."

Lois Esperanza is a frequent diner at New China Super Buffet, a giant, inexpensive buffet that opened in February 2001 at 1160 N. Wilmot Road. The 39-year-old eats with her co-workers at the buffet about once a week.

"This place is close to my job and it has everything you could want," she said. "You can eat your $7 worth in one trip, but it's hard to get everything you want on just one plate."

Besides standard Chinese fare of egg rolls, wonton soup, Mongolian beef and lo mein, an array of fruits, salads, sushi and desserts tempts the palate. A cook sometimes prepares barbecue meats to order.

The restaurant's capacity is 284 and it's often full, with the peak on Sunday nights. The crowd's a mix of families, nearby employees on their lunch break and some who look like they've dined at one too many buffets.

Some places even take diners' requests. At R & R Pizza Express, 1970 W. River Road, owner Luis Bayardo urges customers to ask for a pizza they don't see on the buffet.

"It's your lunch, so you should have the kind of pizza you want, so we'll make it for you," said Bayardo, 42. "If you like it, someone else will probably like it, too."

With rising prices that make buffets seem such a bargain, how can restaurants afford to offer scads of food for such a low cost?

"The volume compensates for the lower price," said Diane Gallardo, owner of Contessa Italian Cafe. "We don't make a lot of money here."

Gallardo noted that her buffet prices went up a dollar for dinner in January and 75 cents for lunch a couple of months ago.

"Everybody's having a hard time, and if you raise it too much, nobody's going to come," said Gallardo, who bought Contessa in February 2007.

Todd Hanley is the president of Tucson Originals, a group of local restaurateurs. Though most of the Originals restaurants don't offer a buffet, he sees the allure of them.

"There's a stigma behind the word 'buffet,'" said Hanley, who hails from the Chicago area. "I think people go to a buffet because they have a choice. There's a place for them and a need for them."

Whether it's to keep an eye on competition or just to eat, even the buffet makers like to sample smorgasbords elsewhere.

Bayardo of R & R Pizza Express likes going to Contessa Italian Cafe with his wife for a late lunch.

"I think they have a good buffet," said Bayardo. "I'm a taster, so I don't want to sit there and pound a bowlful of spaghetti."

He said he also likes the homey atmosphere, the Italian music — and, he added with a laugh, "I like watching other people work."