Canada’s only KFC buffet reopens in Weyburn

Restaurants have gone through a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From complete shutdowns to capacity limits to vaccine passports, there has been no shortage of challenges.

Buffets are a type of restaurant that was hit particularly hard, with many being forced to shut down and others choosing to keep buffet tables closed after restrictions were lifted for COVID safety.

But now, some are reopening their doors. That includes the well-known Kentucky Fried Chicken buffet in Weyburn, which reopened on April 18.

Larie Semen, the owner of the Weyburn restaurant, joined the Greg Morgan Morning Show to talk about just how excited he is.

One huge point is just how unique the buffet is.

“It’s the only one in Canada and we’re very, very proud of it,” he said.

It wasn’t always that way, though. Semen’s restaurant was the first KFC buffet in the country, but at their height, there were 27 of them across Canada.

“In time, it was a struggle. You have to really take care of the buffet and you have to treat your guests. You have to make the buffet look really appealing. Some of the stores struggled and they ended up closing them,” he recalled.

“Because we were the first ones to start it, we actually fought to keep it open. We had some great rallies, and now we’re the only ones in Canada.”

It has been two years since Semen has had the doors open, thanks to the pandemic.

And with the buffet now open, he’s being careful about the virus.

“We ask our guests to make sure that they sanitize their hands before they go to the buffet and always get a clean plate,” Semen said.

Since it’s the only KFC buffet in the country, his restaurant is pretty well-known. He shared a couple stories of his favourite famous guests.

One time, a couple of pretty important guys had a meeting in the restaurant.

“My favourite story is we had the two premiers, Jason Kenney and Scott Moe, and they said the name ‘KFC Summit,’ ” Semen remembered.

He also pointed to the time Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole, who used to host a show together on TSN, shouted out the Weyburn KFC buffet.