Flu fears eat into the buffet biz

A few months ago, 700 Haligonians would filter through the glass doors of Dragon Buffet King each day to slurp wonton soup from white porcelain bowls and wolf down plates of chicken wings – the Halifax buffet's most popular item.

But in recent weeks, manager Rui Yang says business has taken a nose dive. Now she's lucky to get 400 to 500 people in on an average weekday – a drop of 30 to 40 per cent. “Right now we're not as busy as before, probably because people are taking greater precautions and eating at home," she said. She suspects elevated fears of contracting H1N1 have driven customers away.

As the second wave of swine flu sweeps across the country, the public's fears are trickling down to the restaurant industry. While buffet operators such as Ms. Yang are noting a drop in business, others are fielding far more complaints than usual from germaphobic patrons. Some have loosened their otherwise strict sick leave policies so that sneezing servers don't infect others.

The Globe on H1N1 In depth: A closer look at how the virus works H1N1 v. seasonal flu: How to tell the difference Discussion: Swine flu myth bustersAcross the country: Find a clinic near you Q&A: Our public health reporter answers your questions Resources: Reliable information from across the Web Full coverage: News, video and analyisis from the Globe's team Customers may seem hesitant about taking the deep-fried shrimp from the stainless steel buffet trays at Ms. Yang's restaurant these days, but she says the take-out side of her business hasn't suffered in the same way – orders have remained strong since H1N1 hit.

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