Buffets Are Back, but Are We Ready?

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Last weekend we saw one of the city’s favorite family-friendly brunches reopen with all its tasty glory. Feast (Food by East) at East Hotel Beijing has finally re-started its semi-buffet weekend brunch. It’s got to be one of the best buffets in the city, so we’re happy with the development, but with COVID-19 turning the food and beverage industry upside down, germaphobes like me have some health and safety concerns we want answered before we’re comfortable picking up a plate and heading to the buffet again.

We had a chat with Tim Hunt, Executive Chef/F&B Director of East Beijing Hotel on the latest Feast semi-brunch comeback, to find out how they are handling the transition back to buffet dining and keeping their customers happy.

Was there ever a formal notification from any local authorities banning buffet setups?
As always there is no 100% clear direction given on buffets service, so in general, they were never been banned. But we need to listen to our customers and respect what they require and what they believe is acceptable during special periods in these recent months. So it was more of a business call when we closed all our buffet meal periods.

Has the Feast team had to change any of its food preparation procedures in light of COVID-19?
There have been so many changes during the last six months and they can come overnight. Sometimes we have had to change the menu in the morning for that day’s lunch due to a change of policy. But luckily due to our company’s own internal policies, almost all these new government policies have been something we do on a daily basis anyway.

The seafood has always been a very popular part of the buffet… will there be restrictions on the types of food offered?
The only item which has no clear direction is that of salmon as still not been cleared to be sold yet. All our other seafood items have been tested for and came back negative. Basically, the policy on the seafood is that you must test your own supply before you can serve. So that very next week we had all our imported seafood tested, our suppliers did the same and everything came back negative. At present almost all our menu is made using fresh local seafood due to the recent outbreak to see if anything else happens as its better we be safe during these times.

Have there been concerns about food safety?
Yes and no. We have good procedures in place and we follow all local government requirements. I would rather say I have had more concern about the safety of our food handlers as our associates meet and have to deal with a lot of different people during the days and weeks. So personal hygiene has been a big one for me and to ensure associates look after themselves and more on the service side of things then the kitchen. As servers have to deal with clearing and tidying up after customers and as we all know there are different levels in customers throughout this industry.

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What happens if someone coughs on the food?
All the food which goes onto the buffet is for that meal period only, all customers must have their health kit checked. If we see or hear any customers mention someone coughed around our food, we will remove it immediately. Also, our associates have been briefed to inform us if they have any concerns that a customer may not be well.

Will the kids’ play area be open and what activities will be available for children?
The kids’ corner is back up and running just like the old days after it had its big deep clean during the pandemic. There will be a few brunches in the near future which will have a lot more activities for kids. We will also be launching our Little Chefs cooking classes in August with our very popular pizza making class. The kids’ area is tidied up and sprayed down with sanitizer after every meal period whether its breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Feast’s weekend semi-buffet brunch is every Saturday and Sunday from 11.30 – 2.30 pm for RMB 288 per person including free-flow house wine, craft beer, and soft drinks. For kids ages seven to 12 enjoy half price and kids six and younger dine for free. For an extra perk, Greg from the hotel’s band will be giving a solo performance every last Sunday in July, August, September from 12-3 pm. For reservations, call 8414 9898 or email [e-mail].

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Photos: Nicole Wang 

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