Some public health officers are warning people not to share food in social settings in this time of pandemic, but does that mean Sunday brunch buffets, Chinese self-serve and restaurant salad bars could become a thing of the past?

Jeff Farber, director of the Canadian Research Institute for Food Safety at the University of Guelph, believes restaurants offering buffets are going to be facing difficult times until there is a vaccine for COVID-19.

Highly touched surfaces at buffet tables are a big concern as they increase the chances of spreading the novel coronavirus, he says.

B次元官网网址淚n a busy buffet, you could have hundreds of people handling the same instrument to put food onto their plates,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淵ou have people who are congregating B次元官网网址� at the soda dispensers.B次元官网网址�

A spokesman for an organization representing the food-services industry doesnB次元官网网址檛 believe buffets will be left off the menu for good.

But David Lefebvre, a vice-president at Restaurants Canada, does think the industry faces challenges and will have to innovate as restaurants gradually reopen.

B次元官网网址淚 have a hard time figuring that everything is permanent with the new situation,B次元官网网址� he says.

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For Sachit and Anish Mehra, brothers who manage East India Company restaurants in Ottawa and Winnipeg, are ready if they need to change their approach.

For them, a buffet means breaks between lunch and dinner, small-batch cooking and tightly controlled temperatures and cleaning.

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 what we do. ThatB次元官网网址檚 what weB次元官网网址檙e known for,B次元官网网址� said Sachit Mehra, who added buffet makes up about 90 per cent of their gross average sales

TheyB次元官网网址檝e offered takeout and delivery during the pandemic and say there have been many talks as a family about what the future of dine-in service will look like.

B次元官网网址淚ndia has played a big part in the communal meal. ItB次元官网网址檚 never been about one person, one plate. ItB次元官网网址檚 been about shared plates,B次元官网网址� says Anish Mehra.

B次元官网网址淭he buffet was a natural sort of extension of that when we were growing the business and if we need to go back a step B次元官网网址� weB次元官网网址檙e ready for that.B次元官网网址�

Saskatchewan and Manitoba are not allowing buffets as the provinces gradually reopen businesses, and thereB次元官网网址檚 no timeline for their return in Alberta, where restaurants and cafes were allowed to reopen last week at half capacity and with physical distancing.

In March, AlbertaB次元官网网址檚 chief medical health officer reported that COVID-19 had spread among doctors who attended a curling bonspiel in Edmonton where serving spoons at a buffet had been widely handled.

For the Saskatchewan community of Weyburn, a buffet of fried chicken and gravy isnB次元官网网址檛 just an option for lunch; itB次元官网网址檚 something worth fighting for.

Home to one of the last all-you-can-eat KFC buffets in the world, the city saw residents, including former premier Brad Wall, rally to save it when it was threatened to close several years ago.

B次元官网网址淲e have every intention of reopening it when the time is right and all approved health and safety measures have been implemented,B次元官网网址� reads a statement from Linn Free, chief operations officer with KFC Canada.

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Farber says itB次元官网网址檚 possible some eateries could turn to a more cafeteria-style food service with employees dishing up dishes for customers. Or instead of one long smorgasbord table, smaller stations could be set up.

Another idea would be for governments to look at buffets on a case-by-case basis. Restaurants would have to present plans for physical distancing and sanitizing highly touched surfaces.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just too early to reopen buffets to the way we had them before,B次元官网网址� he said.

The Mehra brothers remain optimistic thereB次元官网网址檚 life left in the buffet.

B次元官网网址淚 think about the countless birthdays, celebrations, anniversaries, weddings, receptions, events that were always centred around a buffet,B次元官网网址� said Sachit Mehra.

B次元官网网址淭he important thing here is the patience to get back to that point, and making sure that you have absolutely every condition to make sure people are confident.B次元官网网址�

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press

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