The Buffet

Buffet service asks a different set of questions of a kitchen than a printed menu does. Volume has to be predictable, everything has to hold well, and the room has to move people through without making them feel rushed. That format suits venues built around events and groups, where a large crowd can arrive within the same short window and want to be finished before something else begins.

The phone number is 250 487 1280, and a call is the sensible first move. Group dining is one of the areas where practice varies most from one operation to another: whether service runs continuously or only around particular events, whether a table can be held, how larger parties are managed, and what changes once the summer crowds have gone home. Penticton pulls people in from Oliver, Osoyoos, Keremeos and the smaller communities all around, so a place set up for numbers is often serving a regional crowd rather than a strictly local one. Confirming the details before you set out is worth the two minutes, particularly if you are driving in from out of town.