Look What Dinner Cost at The Nordic 50 Years Ago

The Nordic in Charlestown, Rhode Island is one of the most famous buffets in America – but it wasn’t always that way.

What The Nordic Costs Today

Formerly known as the Nordic Lodge, the lakeside restaurant features almost endless offerings including all-you-can-eat lobster, snow crab legs, prime rib, filet mignon and everything else you can imagine for one price. According to its website, the price for an adult dinner at The Nordic for the 2026 season is $145 for adults, $60 for kids ages 8-12, and $35 for kids ages 3-7.

Considering the dozens of offerings featured on the multiple buffet tables, it’s no surprise that hungry folks happily fork (pun intended) over the price of admission to gorge themselves on seafood, steak, sweets and so much more.

READ MORE: Rhode Island Buffet Has a High Price, But Amazing Views

The Nordic Is Not Quite America's Most Expensive Buffet

The Nordic isn’t the most expensive buffet in America; The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, offers a brunch buffet at $195 per person, plus tax and service charge. However, The Nordic certainly has become the stuff of New England legend, a place to go to celebrate special occasions or to treat yourself in the biggest possible way.

READ MORE: Popular MA Restaurant Now the Best Buffet in the State

Get our free mobile app

When The Nordic Lodge First Opened

The Nordic first opened in 1963 under Swedish immigrant Karl O. Persson and his wife Gudny, who came from Norway. It became an all-you-can-eat buffet in 1980, and shortened its name from The Nordic Lodge to The Nordic in 2023.

READ MORE: This Long-Gone Buffet Still Live Rent-Free in My Mind

In those pre-buffet days, though, The Nordic Lodge had printed menus from which diners would choose their meals. The restaurant recently unearthed one of those menus and posted on its Facebook page, giving some insight into what a “splurge” meal cost back in the early 1970s.

What Dinner Cost in the Early 1970s

A prime rib dinner cost $7.95, and filet mignon would run you $8.75. Fried bay scallops were $6.35, as was baked stuffed shrimp. Not into seafood or steak? How about a roast South County turkey dinner for $3.90? Maybe some roast Long Island duckling for $6.55?

These meals also included “choice of juice, soup, salad, dessert, and coffee, tea or milk.” There was a time when juice was considered an appetizer before a meal, such as on a vintage Assonet Inn menu from the 1940s.

READ MORE: Vintage Assonet Inn Menu Shows 1940s Prices

Putting 1970s Prices in Perspective

Fifty years ago, you could have taken the entire family out for dinner at The Nordic Lodge for what you probably would leave for a tip at The Nordic today. That’s inflation for you, but keep in mind, according to the U.S. Census, the median income of all families in 1970 was about $9,870. With that type of income, even an $8 steak was probably a rare treat.

READ MORE: Do You Remember Wendy's SuperBar?

When The Nordic Will Open for 2026

The Nordic will open for the season on April 24 and will be open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It’s also important to note that the restaurant does offer its “Lakeside Menu” at the bar or in the outside dining area for those who don’t want to have the full buffet.