Buffet des Continents - Saint-Jérôme — Restaurant in Saint-Jérôme

This buffet restaurant occupies a really huge surface. The buffet tables themselves only occupied 1/6 of the area. When you go in there are two lines, one for the reservations and one for the walk-ins. There is a lot of seating and there is way too much people for what this type of restaurant is. There is even seating in the mezzanine, and the mezzanine's mezzanine. We were there on a night where clams, shrimp skewers and another product were just all laid out on ice in a bin that was hip-high. No glass cover over it, I mean a massive amount in a really unsanitary way. The seating areas are on carpeted floors. If you go and you feel your chair isn't sliding properly - it is because it is missing the plastic ending, and you're basically just sitting on a chair which its tubing clawing into the carpet.

The 3 main things remarkable about this place are: 1- how open the space is, 2-the decoration which depicts mainstream views of other countries and 3-I am keeping this last one for the end.

We were a group of 8 who made a reservation for 4:30 pm. We requested a table close to the buffet area because one of our elder's can't walk properly. Upon are arrival, 1 person of our group was late. Maryann at the welcoming station, pointed out the fact we were 7. We explained the lateness but she really made the point that it was good to be 8 or else we would not have been able to take the reservation. The table was nowhere close to the buffet but at least we had no stairs. We had the pleasure of Helene, who we spoke in English with, but instead of saying: "Sorry (or my apologies) I don't speak English", without any tact just bluntly "I don't speak English" I switch to French and I was surprise, and ask how come she doesn't know English. Helene replied that she doesn't need and doesn't see use for it.

Long story short - because this area is so big - the welcome party has earpieces/talkies which Maryann had. Consequently of our 8th member that couldn't make it, we had the pleasure of getting Maryann at our table 2 more times. So that was 3 times now we were being told that we needed to be out for 7 pm. It was 5 pm. We arrived at 4:20. We finally left at 5:40 pm. As we are getting up, putting our coats, and chatting to see where we meet up. Rest assure, Maryann was behind making sure we were leaving. It was aggressing, and disappointing, I really hope when our organizer calls up to make the complaints: Maryann and Helene, that they get reprimanded in some way.

There are actually little plastic signs on each table with the number of the restaurant to call for either compliments or complaints. This place is a cash cow in a sense that they seat you down quickly and they want you out quickly. That is unfortunately what it looks like too. It is not a place, to relax, to eat and chill. For the number of times, they intervene at our table in the first hour to make it clear that our reservation was until 7 pm (which we didn't ask for that long, it was properly the default setting?)

If you don't mind being in a very crowded area, with welcoming staff short on tact and diplomacy, with choices of food that you can find in other buffet type places, and pay 23$ and change (before tax) on Saturday night - This place is for you!

I didn't forget my no. 3 of remarkables: our waitress, Melanie. She was an angel. It's the best word to describe her: a.n.g.e.l. Fast, efficient, diplomatic, soft manner, professional and all the best qualities you can find in a buffet server.

Good...

The décor is unique! Imagine sitting next to the Tower of Pisa, across from a gigantic Egyptian Pyramid, or a Greek mill, large photographs of mountains. The chairs are upholstered and comfortable to sit on. The music is not loud. This is a place for big family gatherings. There are Chinese soups to start the meal with, there is also Quebec style brunch stuff, there is Sugar Shack goodies, Vegetables galore, Salads with various dressings, shrimps in different forms, fish cooked or fried, Greek potatoes, Fried chicken bits for the kids, and another special treat for the kids, blue ice cream on a cone!

There is a Pizza with different coverings. One counter that serves you plates as you wish. There is roast beef, lamb, pork, turkey and smoked meat. It is being sliced for you, even shawarma. Most of the other food is similar to Chinese restaurants, islands with many different dishes, and sauces. Most of it was tasty. During the week the lunch buffet is priced very affordable. On the weekend it is almost double. However, because there is a good variety of food, and the quantities are as much as you want, it is still worth it. For dinner they start seating people at 4:30, cold water comes right away. The bathrooms are kept clean. The whole place looks new, even though I was told that it is already open ten years. I had the impression it is a large hall for weddings etc., since early in the day, there were no cars around the building. It is also not advertised, at all, certainly not in the Laurentian English media. I enjoyed quite a few things this buffet offers. The only problem, was the deserts which are baked in large trays and come without being pre-cut. This created quite a few unsightly plates. The ice-cream did not have more than one scoop, so there was a line-up. The coffee was...

I would not go there again.. It's just a very basic buffet, and I think that food is done on purpose so that it's is not actually very bad that you would decide not to come back, but at the same time made to be very very mediocre so that you won't get carried away and eat much of it( that way they could stay profitable)that is probably the idea .

I go there to eat specifically from the lamb and the last time the leg of lamb they had was finished only little meat left on it not enough to make a serving.. I ask the guy when will the next one come out .. he asks the chef and he comes back to tell me that there is none that will come out .. I tell him this is an all you can eat buffet and I didn't eat the one thing I'm here for , I didn't want to creat a problem with the employee as it's clearly not his fault, the management should have some respect for its clients and honor the open buffet business model, because by charging me upfront for the meal before entering the restaurant then later telling me when I'm in that they are out of something ( and keep in mind that it was way too early in the night ), that would be like someone eating at a restaurant and when finished and they get the bill, they pay half the total owed. I dont think that would fly, and i am pretty sure they would call the cops. The one good thing is the pizza bar is ok but that's all. All in all I...