WEGMANS PUTS BUFFET IN 2ND UNIT

ROSEANNE HARPER

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Wegmans Food Markets here has added an all-you-can-eat buffet in a new unit in Buffalo, N.Y., the second such venture for the 52-unit chain.

Wegmans launched its first all-you-can-eat buffet last fall in a suburban store in Rochester. It featured freshly prepared Chinese food from the store's Market Cafe Wokery food station.

The new buffet also was incorporated in a Market Cafe, but features a broader menu than the first buffet.

Asked if the decision to add a second and expanded buffet was based on the success of the Chinese buffet at the suburban store here, James Riesenburger, Wegmans' deli operations director, said, "It just represents the process of evolution in our cafes. We're constantly trying new things."

Riesenburger said that the chain hasn't made a decision at this time to roll out the concept to other Market Cafes. He declined to comment further on the existing buffet programs.

A source at the Buffalo store said that the new buffet offers 10 pasta entrees, ten Chinese entrees, a choice of three varieties of pizza, and a fruit bar and a salad bar are included. All items are prepared fresh in the Market Cafe.

"Three large pizzas are continually brought from the ovens to the buffet and the varieties are rotated. They won't be the same three varieties all evening. Also, in addition to the pasta dishes, we often have broiled fish," the source said.

The price for lunch is $4.99, and is available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The price for dinner is $6.99, offered from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. An all-day buffet brunch Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. is also $6.99.

The buffet selections at the suburban store in Rochester also have been expanded beyond the initial menu of Chinese items. Pizza has been added, for example, as well as desserts and salads, a source at the store's Market Cafe said. The prices, though, remain the same as they were at the time of that buffet's debut: lunch for $4.59 and dinner for $6.29.

Wegmans' Market Cafes, featured in selected units, have a market hall ambience. The effect is achieved by bunching together various chef stations, each of which offers a different type of freshly prepared food.