Let me add that I, myself, have yet to purchase extra cost food to eat MYSELF. I have a moderate appetite (as an average sized woman, if that matters) and am satisfied by the admittedly modest array of free food Alaska puts out in the lounges I frequent. That's usually PDX or SEA. I also fly F almost exclusively on Alaska flights where it is available, and usually long haul, so I know I will be fed again en route. Airline meals also typically offer plenty of food to satisfy my hunger; I know some feel differently about portion sizes.

My teens have radically larger appetites. It is only for them that I pull out my credit card and pay for extra cost items in the AS Lounge. They prefer a hot breakfast, and they don't want to wait until we board the flight to eat (even assuming I've seated them in F with me; more often sit in Y as they are young and healthy and self-sufficient.) Spending $5 per kid for an omelette is still a big savings over seating them in F for the meal; eating in the Lounge is cheaper and quicker than waiting in line at other airport venues.

I am fairly resistant to nickle & dime-ing, but I see the Fill Up menu hot food options as nice extras, not integral to my enjoyment of the Alaska Lounge. But, again, between the oatmeal/soup tureen and the pancake machine, or a boiled egg from the cooler, I find plenty of options to suit my typical airport meal needs. YMMV

I've been in lots of international lounges with much larger buffets, so I know what kind of comparison could be made, but I don't actually like buffet food presentations very much. It always feels like a health risk to me. One sneezing goon who doesn't use hand sanitizer or soap, and everyone following after catches what he's carrying. Yuck. So I actually prefer a small array that is refreshed quite frequently with a separate à la carte menu from which one could order heartier dishes. It would be nifty if à la carte items were also free, but the current situation doesn't threaten my continuing to pay membership fees for Lounge+, and I wouldn't want my membership cost to go up to offer extras that I don't personally value.