Though buffets may now be a thing of the past because of COVID-19, it is interesting to find out how an iconic style of Asian restaurant came to be.

Invented in British Columbia, the food phenomenon we now know as the Chinese buffet emerged from the influx of Chinese workers brought to Canada for the construction of the railway. Scandinavian loggers took notice of the delicious meals that the Chinese workers were preparing and convinced them to cook larger amounts and bring them to a long table for everyone to enjoy.

Over time, as a result of the sub-par wages and racist policies, the opportunities for the chinese were limited to the service industry. That is part of the reason why today you can find Chinese restaurants, usually with some type of buffet aspect, in virtually every, single town and city across the country.