BARRIE, ONT. -- Starting Friday, most restaurants will be able to move their guests from the patio to inside as parts of the province enter Stage 3 of Ontario's reopening plan.
But many restaurants have yet to turn on the open sign.
Market Buffet BBQ and Smokehouse in Barrie hasn't served a meal to anyone since March. Owner Jamie Martin closed the restaurant two days before the pandemic was declared.
"It's been rough," admitted Martin. "I think everyone in the industry has taken a real hit."
Over the past four months, Martin said they had lost more than $500,000 in sales alone.
Since buffets aren't part of Stage 3, the owners had to reinvent how it operates, including changing its name to Market BBQ and Smokehouse.
"We had to remove the buffet. We're going to transition into a menu that is more of a sit down a la carte restaurant," said Martin, who added there are plans in the works to open its patio with a smaller menu.
Before the pandemic, the self-serve restaurant offered more than 150 items, which has now been reduced to about 80, which, according to Martin, are mainly guest favourites.
The buffet has been family-owned since 2005 and underwent a $60,000 upgrade in 2015.
Martin said COVID has been an eye-opener but never thought their business model would ever change with the future of buffets unknown.
"I think there will be a shift in buffets," said Martin. "Either they're going to get out of the buffet altogether like we did, or they'll change the way they serve."
They hope to have the patio and patio menu ready for guests next week, with a full menu available to serve a week later.
