I don't get the bit about putting a limit on "All you can eat" and not being hammered for false advertising.
If it just said "Fill your plate with your choice of food for $X.XX", that would be okay (but some here would gripe when they did a really good job of stacking the food on).
Here, people work hard for a living, mostly, and with that and our winter climate, 3600+ calories a day just maintains body weight, it doesn't put fat on at all.
It may be different in a more urban setting, but here, if you advertise "All you can eat", you'd better be ready to get hit with some eaters. The other side is that you can charge accordingly, and make money.
bump