Unobviously. I was expecting it to be some kind of cooking method or a way to keep the meat hot. I was under the impression that it wasn't so much the lamps glowing as the heat.I feel like the answer to this question is a little obvious. It is lit to be seen by the diners who like to see the meal as well as eat it. We see this is real life too with lamps used in many hotel/restaurant buffet carving stations.