End of an era: BC Ferries closes Pacific Buffet
It's a sad day for British Columbians who enjoyed the unlimited food offerings provided by the BC Ferries Pacific Buffet.
On Tuesday, the company announced it would formally be closing the all-you-can-eat food service, which was available on ferries sailing the Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay route.
BC Ferries initially closed the buffet in March 2020 to follow health safety regulations during the pandemic.
While health regulations lifted over time, the buffet never reopened.
"The food industry has been significantly challenged by the pandemic; fewer food suppliers, supply chain unreliability, new attitudes about food safety and waste as well as record high food costs have forced all businesses to rethink their strategies," said BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez.
"I know the hard decision to permanently close our buffets will be disappointing to those who used and loved them but the timing is right to re-think the space based on what our customers tell us," he said.
BC Ferries will open the Pacific Buffet space to travellers to use as extra seating during the summer season, until a decision is made on what to do with rooms.
Food and drinks will not be served there, but travellers can continue to use the Coastal Café, Seawest Lounge and Arbutus Coffee Bar for food.
BC Ferries has opened a survey to collect feedback on what to do with the Pacific Buffet spaces, with an eye towards something that is sustainable. The survey will close in late June.
BC Ferries says the Pacific Buffet was losing the company more than $1 million annually, and required an additional seven staff members per sailing to run.
The company says the Pacific Buffet was losing approximately $1.2 million annually, and that future price modelling predicted that it would continue to lose even more money over time, even if prices were raised by 30 per cent.
EXPERIMENTAL BEGINNINGS
BC Ferries says it first offered "formal sit-down white tablecloth service dining" in the 1960s.
By 1976, the company says the dining rooms were losing $7 million annually and serving only 10 per cent of passengers, so the table service was ended and replaced with larger onboard cafeterias.
The Pacific Buffet was conceived around this time, serving cold food and pastries, before becoming a full hot buffet in 1979.
BC Ferries says some of the most popular items from the buffet were actually dessert items, including macarons and almond Florentines.
"It wasn’t uncommon to see high-profile British Columbians and celebrities enjoying the buffet, including premiers, ministers and celebrities, including Tom Cochrane, Sarah McLachlan, rapper Ice T and boy band NSYNC," said BC Ferries.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction overturned by N.Y. appeals court
New York's highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era in determining the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify about allegations against the ex-movie mogul that weren't part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.