Saskatoon buffet owner adapts to changing times
Phil Nelson has owned Smiley’s Buffet and Catering for 25 years and knows how much Saskatoon customers appreciate an all-you-can-eat buffet experience.
“It’s a meat and potatoes community so they can see what they want to eat and they can pick and choose what they want,” Nelson told CTV News.
He opened his buffet service on July 11 after more than a year of not offering self serve.
Nelson worried about the fate of his business at the start of the pandemic, but quickly adapted and decided to offer cafeteria style service in place of the self serve lines.
Staff were tasked with dishing up the food so customers weren’t touching utensils or food items.
Sales were down by half, but they were happy to be open at all, according to Nelson.
“Still at very low sales, so just not concerned about making any money, but keeping our staff employed and keeping the building up and running,” he said.
Now with the self serve option into full swing, Nelson instructs staff to clean the buffet lines often and replace utensils.
Customers are required to sanitize their hands before they dish up.
Nelson thinks some changes will be permanent even beyond the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Best Asia Buffet, which also reopened earlier in July, isn’t back to pre-pandemic levels.
But customers are happy to have the buffet option, according to owner Minh Chau.
“It has been a very challenging past year to say the least with moments where we did not know if we could survive for much longer. But we are so appreciative of the regular host of customers who continued to support us through this whether it was for pick up or dining in,” Chau says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Case against ex-Mountie charged with helping China can go ahead in Quebec, judge says
A Quebec court judge has ruled that the case against a former RCMP officer charged with helping China conduct foreign interference can go ahead in the province.
Steve Albini, legendary producer for Nirvana, the Pixies and an alternative rock pioneer, dies at 61
Steve Albini, an alternative rock pioneer and legendary producer who shaped the musical landscape through his work with Nirvana, the Pixies, PJ Harvey and more, has died. He was 61.
Ippei Mizuhara, ex-interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, will plead guilty in betting case
The former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has agreed to plead guilty to bank and tax fraud in a sports betting case in which prosecutors allege he stole nearly US$17 million from the Japanese baseball player to pay off debts, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.