The Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant franchise owner, Larie Semen, described the response from the community to support the store’s buffet staying open as “overwhelming”, with the result the buffet will stay, “for now.”
With a pending visit from executives from KFC Canada’s headquarters in Toronto, the community was asked to rally and show their support if they want the buffet to remain, after receiving an indication from headquarters it may not be a part of future plans for the store.
Weyburn’s buffet is one of only two in the KFC chain of 639 outlets across Canada, with the other one located in Humboldt.
Semen said the concern over the buffet stemmed from a letter saying the buffet would not be a part of a store update that is being planned for the next year.
This isn’t the first time the Weyburn franchisee has had to fight for the buffet, as headquarters indicated in 2012 they wanted to close the buffet.
“We did a rally and a petition, and we were allowed to have it for one more year,” said Semen.
Looking at the wall-to-wall crowd of customers filling every seat with a lineup waiting to get their buffet meal, he said, “This is phenomenal. The buffet is special to them. This is a modern treasure. I have people driving in from all over Saskatchewan. When they come through Weyburn, they always stop in for the buffet.”
He was the first franchisee in Canada to bring in the buffet when he established the restaurant in 1988.
The executives arrived in the middle of the lunch hour and were impressed at the level of community support, but in an interview with media, would not give a guarantee that it will always stay open.
Linn Free, director of operations for KFC Canada, and in charge of restaurant excellence, said they had planned the visit to Weyburn as a routine inspection of the outlet, and to meet the staff.
“We really didn’t know what to expect,” he said, noting the crowds.
The buffet will stay open for now, said Free. “I can’t guarantee it’ll be open forever.”
In speaking to the media, including all three TV stations from Regina on hand to see the response, he said, “The amount of support from the community is just phenomenal. The response is great to see.”
He spoke to a number of customers about the store and why they come, and said he would bring his notes and observations back to the executive team in Toronto.
Free noted the company is constantly evolving and updating its image, and it may not be possible to always have the buffet open in Weyburn. “Part of my job is to evaluate all business operations. … We’ll take all the feedback back
