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
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.