buffets for older kids?

When  we go out to eat I am always worried about my son, and what he can and can not eat at any location. My biggest fears is that something will get lost in translation and he will get sick or worse. No place to eat is as nerve wracking as a buffet. We as a family love to eat at buffets. My daughter eats her weight in rice, Mandarin oranges, watermelon, cucumbers, black beans, and some meat, and my son enjoys eating hard boiled eggs, soy beans from the salad area and jello for dessert. The kids are free till the age of 3 so it doesn't bother us to go out and eat, but as my son gets older I wonder if eating at these types of places will even work for us. The language barrier is one thing but the foods being cross contaminated is another concern. I wonder if other people eat at buffets and if so what they let their kids eat from them.