Font Resize
A line of people packed the building's foyer and spilled out into the parking lot, waiting for a free buffet that featured chicken, shrimp, peas, noodles and eclairs, to name a few items.
The restaurant offered a free lunch buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., then closed down for a few hours before offering a free dinner buffet starting at 5 p.m. A big white sign with bright red letters, visible from Route 30, helped attract a crowd.
"It was good," said Joe Barretta, of West Manchester Township, who saw a huge red-and-white sign on the building advertising the promotion while driving along Route 30. "It's a pretty good gimmick."
The restaurant will serve American and Chinese food and feature a full bar, manager Ting Shi said. A Diner's layout reminded some customers of Cheeseburger in Paradise and Wild Tuna, but Shi said the new management isn't connected to the previous endeavors.
A Diner received mixed reviews from customers.
"It was great," said Kelly Vanbuskirk, of West Manchester Township. "The food was wonderful. The servers were on top of everything."
"It was alright," said Steve Sheffler, of Dover. "I'm not sure if I'd come back."
Sheffler's dining companion, John Contreras, of Dover, offered a more pointed
"If you go to any other buffet, they have plenty of food for everybody," Contreras said, "not little trays that are empty."
Restaurant management was surprised at Tuesday's high turnout, Shi said, which may have slowed the re-filling process.
"We do our best," Shi said, "to make the food come out faster."
khoran@ydr.com; 771-2029
