re: Has anyone ever been to and ate at The Dinner Bell..

It's getting worse and worse. They don't have a lot of the good stuff anymore, or at least not when I've been. The fried eggplant is good, but not worth the trip alone unless you're passing by anyway. The fried chicken is pretty good sometimes. The chicken and dumplings were down right terrible the last time I was there. The sweet potato casserole is good, but very very sweet. Think Cracker Barrel lazy susan style. Everything is pretty much straight from a can with a little help thrown in and really poor quality meat.

It's also logistically a pain. You've got all these people spinning the damn table around as fast as they can and grabbing at food like heathens.

The best day is probably Sunday. But you've got to get there before church lets out. When they open is probably best.
Reservations for dinner would have to be a massive group.

When you leave they almost always ask you "if you got enough?' Not if you actually enjoyed what you stuffed yourself with. That kind of sums it up right there.

Edited to say: if you're into cleanliness, it's probably not the place for you. The place itself could you a really good scrubbing. And you're watching the strangers at the table stick their fingers in the bowls while they're grabbing at the bowls as they spin past. The only reason they can still do the lazy susan style buffet is because they're grandfathered in from health codes because it's been in continuous operation by the same family.

There's a similar place in Jackson, without the lazy susans, with much better food. I forget the name. But I'm sure someone from there can chime in.