Popular $10 Halal Buffet Restaurant ‘Weighs Rubbish Bags’ Of Leftovers To Gauge If The Day’s Menu Is ‘Good Or Not’

Owns the space where restaurant sits

Amaran tells us that Bijan started off as a restaurant years ago, but soon closed during the pandemic, later pivoting into event space rental, management and catering for Muslim weddings and other large-scale events. The company owns three large event spaces that serve as ballrooms at the basement of Grandlink Square that seat between 150 to 400 pax each. 

Incidentally, the company also owns a shop space on the ground floor of the same building. “We didn’t know what to do with it, so we decided to run a buffet there to test out our catering dishes [to see which ones were popular],” Amaran shares. 

This might explain why the company can afford to charge just $10 a person for an all-you-can-eat buffet — it does not have to pay rent for its restaurant space, the biggest cost for most eateries. In fact, its parent company charges for usage of its event spaces downstairs.

“There’re definitely people who take advantage of the all-you-can-eat deal”

Amaran reveals that the buffet has been profitable, albeit just enough. While profits aren’t enormous, Bijan is already considering opening more $10 buffet outlets if business continues to grow, he says. Subsequent calls by 8days.sg to clarify if this meant the company owns more shop spaces elsewhere went unanswered. 

What Amaran did say: “Our [event] catering prices usually start from $10 per pax too. We import ingredients to manage costs”. 8days.sg’s calls to follow up on why imported food costs less went unanswered after our initial chat. 

What about folks who have stomachs that are like bottomless pits? “There are definitely people who take advantage of the all-you-can-eat deal, but there are others who eat modest portions, which balances things out,” says Amaran.

We’re told that the company's idea for the buffet restaurant came on a Friday and just three days later, Onz Buffet opened for business. The no-frills, non-air-conditioned setup features your standard chafing dishes lined up along a counter, plastic chairs and wooden tables.

Initially started as a one-month trial for catering biz 

The buffet started out as a one-month trial to test 60 new dishes from their 200-strong menu — but it took off almost immediately. “We didn’t do any advertising, but people started sharing it on social media and the turnout was huge,” says Amaran.

Add $5 for dessert and air-con 

While the standard buffet goes for $10 per person, you can top up $5 for a “premium” version, which gets you desserts like ice cream and cakes, plus the perk of air-conditioned seating at Bijan’s event ballroom in the basement of the building.

Food not topped up quickly enough, complain netizens

However, some netizens point out that the restaurant does not replenish the dishes after they run out. A Facebook comment by Aloysius Yeo reads: “They do not top up the food. So if you miss being earlier, you eat the leftovers.” In response to that, Amaran says, “Our central kitchen is located in Bedok. We can deliver the food over to the restaurant when it runs out.”

Our advice? Go early.
 

Rubbish bags filled with leftovers weighed

Interestingly, the restaurant staff weighs rubbish bags of uneaten leftovers after each buffet session to monitor wastage. “We weigh the rubbish bags to [gauge] if that day’s menu is good or not,” says Amaran. “If a dish is often left untouched, it means it’s not as good,” he explains of how they decide which dishes to keep or discard on their catering menu. He notes that carbs like mee goreng or bee hoon goreng don’t fare as well, while meats and seafood are usually wiped out first. On average, the bags amount to about 10 to 15 percent of the total food served per buffet, a number Amaran notes is “a healthy amount [of wastage]” for most buffets.

Biryani and fish curry especially popular 

Onz Buffet’s star dish is its biryani, which comes in different styles — Indian, Pakistani and Arab — and is usually served on Fridays, when Muslims traditionally enjoy biryani after their prayers. “There was once an Arab customer who came down just for the biryani — he separated the meat and sides and only ate the rice,” Amaran chuckles.

“It’s really, really worth it”

The affordable buffet has caught the eye of Makansutra founder and food critic KF Seetoh, who posted his review on Instagram. He approves of the fish curry: “Wow! The tamarind and sour raw mango bits are in there.” Of the mutton biryani, he declares that its standard is that of a good hawker stall. “I don’t know how you do it, but congratulations,” he tells the buffet restaurant. “It’s a great idea to help Singapore fight through this high cost of living era. It’s really, really worth it!”

Check out their Instagram page for their daily rotating menu.

The details

Onz Buffet Restaurant is at Guillemard Rd, Ground Floor, 511 Grandlink Square, S399849. Open daily 11am - 2 pm; 5pm - 8pm. More info via website and Instagram. 

Photos: Bijan

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