Buffet Services at F&B Outlets, Corporate, MICE Events Allowed to Resume, But Self-Service Not Allowed

Buffets in the age of COVID-19 are… kinda sad.

You try your best to decipher a menu full of French, Arabic, and Japanese food names, pray you’ll get more than two slices of sashimi everytime you order, and try to hide the paiseh look on your face as you call the server over for a third serving… 

Fortunately, that will all change soon. Kind of. 

Buffet Services at F&B Outlets, Corporate, MICE Events Allowed to Resume, But Self-Service Not Allowed

As The Straits Times reports, buffet lines have resumed as early as yesterday (12 Apr) under the latest guidelines by the Association of Catering Professionals Singapore. 

The relaxation of regulations would hopefully boost the business of food caterers, who were heavily hit by COVID-19 restrictions last year as revenues plummeted by more than 70%. 

According to The Business Times, some of them branched out into bento box catering or even food manufacturing, but the licences and permits needed to shift their businesses can be complex. 

Hold your cheers at the prospect of a plate laden with gleaming orange salmon, though; diners are still not allowed to help themselves to the food, and servers will have to distribute them instead. 

So, instead of a conventional buffet line where diners fight one another to the last oyster, think of a fancier IKEA restaurant, or—gasp—island resort food on Pulau Tekong. 

I foresee myself brought to court soon for defaming buffets with the unholy comparison, so I’ll explain the other guidelines quickly.

For corporate functions, food lines are limited to 50 guests, and a safe management representative must oversee adherence to safe distancing. Guests must also be seated except when getting food. 

At meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) events, guests must be divided into zones of 50 and then further split into groups of 20. Those in the same queue must be from the same 20-person group. 

Buffets at weddings, funeral services, and other social activities in a corporate setting are currently still prohibited.

How Are Buffet Restaurants Responding?

Buffet restaurants, evidently, have to cope with these new guidelines.

Well, they are getting paid $78++ for every diner, so they’d better. (I hate the “++” by the way.)

Anyway, Carousel, the buffet restaurant at Royal Plaza on Scotts, has installed sneeze guards on its buffet counters, and every diner will be assisted by one server along the whole buffet line to minimise interactions.

Desserts will be on display in a trolley that’ll roam the restaurant at the end of each meal period, or, if you’d rather indulge in desserts the entire meal… too bad.

StraitsKitchen at The Grand Hyatt will open its buffet lines today (13 Apr) in time for its Ramadan dinner promotion lasting until Hari Raya Puasa. Mezza9 at the same hotel, meanwhile, will open its buffet line for appetisers at Sunday Brunch services, but table service will still be used for main course orders. 

At least then the plating will be nice and Instagram-mable. 

Feature Image: ANAID studio / Shutterstock.com