Multi-cuisine buffets look to expand

By Joe Lutrario

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Buffet

Cosmo in Croydon is said to be the biggest restaurant in the UK
Cosmo in Croydon is said to be the biggest restaurant in the UK
Large, multi-cuisine buffet outfits are rolling out apace and looking beyond their traditional Midlands and northern England homelands.

Red Hot World Buffet, the northern-based buffet operator, has private-equity backing to grow its six-strong estate to 25 over the next three years.

Meanwhile, Cosmo – operator of 11 sites including a 700-cover unit in Croydon that is claimed to be the largest restaurant in the UK – is to open three sites this year and has eight planned for 2012/2013.

Other notable players in the big buffet arena are Jimmy Spices (nine sites), Flaming Dragon (eight sites) and Aroma (also eight sites).

Although some chain buffet operators have a presence in the south, there is a much higher concentration in the Midlands and north. Most major on Asian food, Oriental in particular, but some – including Red Hot World Buffet – offer every food type: coq au vin and pizzas to sushi and Thai curry.

The all-you-can-eat set charge varies, but tends to be between £5 to £7 at lunch and £10 to £15 at dinner, with discounts available for children. Parmjit Dhaliwal, director at Red Hot World Buffet, says high levels of cost-sensitive diners are opening up the south to buffet operators.

“We’re considering a site in Essex. The economic climate has contributed to our success; people want to stretch their money further,” he says.

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