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Free Sri Lankan Buffet, 10AM-12PM, Jan 30 @ Cinnamon Grand Cabin (Fitzroy, VIC)

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Free Sri Lankan Buffet, 10AM-12PM, Jan 30 @ Cinnamon Grand Cabin (Fitzroy, VIC)
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neil on 28/01/2016 - 19:10 files.ozbargain.com.au (2691 clicks)
Last edited 28/01/2016 - 20:58 by 1 other user

Cinnamon Grand Cabin, a new Sri Lankan restaurant is offering a free buffet, Jan 30, from 10AM-12PM.

I took this picture today but you can see more pictures of the buffet on Gumtree.

So this location on Johnston St/Nicholson is the most turned over business in Fitzroy (and possibly Victoria). Every single cafe or restaurant that starts here ends up failing. You could say it's cursed.

In 2015, it was South American food. 2014/2015 it was a fusion Thai restaurant. 2013 it was a cafe. 2012 and before was a couple of Indian restaurants.

Could this be the one that survives? Well, they have no social media, no website and the sign for the previous business is still hanging. The only listing I could find was this Gumtree swap/trade ad. However they have 2 RED led signs so um yeah.

In any case, free food. Pictures look good and the prices seem cheap for the area.

Cinnamon Grand Cabin
15 Johnston Street. Fitzroy

Groceries All You Can Eat Asia Sri Lanka

Related Stores

cinnamongrandcabin.com
cinnamongrandcabin.com

closed Comments

  • jv on 28/01/2016 - 19:12
    -6

    I wonder who does their gardening?

    • pointless martyr on 29/01/2016 - 03:31
      +1

      That greenery is a decoy - its actually the special herbs and spices

  • jv on 28/01/2016 - 19:13
    -1

    Could this be the one that survives?

    Perhaps…

    Well, they have no social media and no website.

    Perhaps not…

    • rmamila on 28/01/2016 - 23:06
      +1

      Wonder how can they survive if so many ppl turned up for the free buffet. They are starting by donating food which is good karma. Hope that will end the curse on the location. But they sure need social media and web site very soon.

      • garage sale on 29/01/2016 - 08:52

        they will get a lot of people turn up and they will need to turn a lot of people away ….. I'm getting flashbacks to those cheap deals from dicksmith where people lined up, 1 iPad and the rest were turned away ….. but for free it smashing what people will stand inline for. it will generate a lot of publicly especially if the line outside causes disruptions people will as driving past and ask what is this about, auditions for big brother ????

        peo
        Le who get a seat will make an afternoon of it…… byo wine eat and drink until kicked out while people outside wait for a seat …… wonder if free applies to takeaway ?

        • jv on 29/01/2016 - 09:49

          Le who get a seat will make an afternoon of it…

          who is Le ?

  • Hirolol on 28/01/2016 - 19:33

    Love the FREE BUFFET cut out.
    Looks like they went full on DIY.

    And those neon Welcome signs give me the creeps.
    When ever i see them hanging up at those massage places you know what they mean. Even though they are at basically every single one lol

  • BuyoTheCat on 28/01/2016 - 19:39
    +7

    all the effort they do not put in to marketing, decor or gardening, they must put into making good food!

  • tanastra on 28/01/2016 - 19:48

    Make sure the food match the buffet photos

  • hellbuster on 28/01/2016 - 20:00
    +19

    I am Sri Lankan and I like free stuff. +1 from me.

    • thushan on 28/01/2016 - 22:59
      +2

      Toppeh top bung!

      • Amaris on 28/01/2016 - 23:29

        Marayi!

      • TheOneWhoKnocks on 02/02/2016 - 22:21

        Oba Singhale kathaa karanavadha?

        • thushan on 06/02/2016 - 15:40

          ow bung, only barely.

  • simprosimple on 28/01/2016 - 20:19
    +11

    Non-Official Ozbargain Melbourne Gathering

  • simprosimple on 28/01/2016 - 20:22
    +6

    It is a very Bad Marketing… a free buffet will make people stay there sitdown for a long time, I can see there will be a long queue out there and only very few people can get it.

    They should have a Free Sized Meal

  • OzBragain on 28/01/2016 - 20:32
    +7

    I love Sri Lankan food. If it wasn't such a hike from Sydney I'd happily pay to try this place.

    I've been to plenty of Asian places with bad marketing, terrible photos, cheap old decor, misspelled menus and delicious authentic food. Was at a dodgy looking Chinese place yesterday that had a bunch of faded unappealing photos of their meals hanging on the counter, ordered their "fried meat" and really enjoyed it.

    Serving just a few set curries means they can do them well on the cheap…as long as they have the turnover there's no reason some crappy photos will make the food bad.

    • whalesnails on 29/01/2016 - 11:33

      Tried Wentworthville/Pendle Hill/Toongabbie?

      • abadacus on 29/01/2016 - 13:05

        Whats special/not so special about the above mentioned areas?

        • whalesnails on 29/01/2016 - 13:17

          Loads of Sri Lankan takeaway restaurants and grocery stores.

      • OzBragain on 29/01/2016 - 14:08

        Don't make it out that way often enough. Usually just Homebush, Flemington and occasionally Harris Park. So much good food but not enough people in the family who share my taste.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2016 - 20:43
    +7

    Yeah, that place looks fully legit…

  • turbo77 on 28/01/2016 - 21:06
    +2

    Love the compact LED signage……. best marketing idea ever

    • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2016 - 22:03

      Srsly?

  • ca6leguy on 28/01/2016 - 21:20

    What's the catch?

    Enter and never get out?

    • mr_vino89 on 28/01/2016 - 21:26
      +2

      no toilets available lol

    • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2016 - 22:04

      No pharmacies within a 10km radius.

    • lainey13 on 01/02/2016 - 12:38

      New digestive system lining

  • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2016 - 21:25
    -2

    Free salmonella

  • websterp on 28/01/2016 - 21:41
    +1

    Would they have any association with this restaurant: http://cinnamons.com.au/
    Or is it just a copy cat Sri Lankan restaurant trying to pretend they have something to do with Cinnamons?
    I've been to the real cinnamons few times and it is a great place to dine and enjoy a real sri lankan meal.

    • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2016 - 22:05

      I've been there too, many times, and I'd bet everything I have that they wouldn't denigrate themselves as much as this…

  • websterp on 28/01/2016 - 21:44
    +3

    Or it could even be a poor cousin of this 5-star hotel in the Sri Lankan capital called Cinnamon Grand :)

    • wisie on 29/01/2016 - 09:50
      +1

      I wondered that too? The buffet at the hotel in Sri Lanka is amazing.

  • mickeyjuiceman on 28/01/2016 - 21:52

    Spot on about the location - I walk past there often, and it seems to change every couple of months :-)

    That first Indian restaurant was pretty good.

    It's a good location, so the constant and rapid turnover is strange.

    • neil on 28/01/2016 - 22:18

      The area in general is a good location but that particular end spot is not great. It is sandwiched between the service station and 3 houses followed by a South American supermarket that isn't open during dinner time and the rest of the time doesn't look open. There isn't anything food or drink related up until the cafe next to Coles (practically Brunswick St.) The other side of the street has the feral pub on the corner followed by mechanics, abandoned factory (soon to be a bagel place) and a bunch of shops which also aren't open at dinner time. Fitzroy is a mostly walking area and its a bit of out of the usual route of where people walk.

  • kiriakoz on 28/01/2016 - 22:26
    +13

    I hate the rubbish rumour that tasty/spicy food gives people the runs. They are the same people who would gladly eat over-processed McDonald's meals cooked by 16 year olds who probably don't even wash up at home.

    • mickeyjuiceman on 28/01/2016 - 22:38
      +2

      It tells you a fair bit about the person saying it, that's about it.

    • apey2000 on 28/01/2016 - 23:23
      +3

      The medical term is capsaicin intolerance, and it's a form of allergy.

      Do you have the same opinion of people suffering from chronic nut allergy, or even asthma sufferers?

      PS. Thankfully I have none of the above and enjoy gorging on chilli without any ill effects. But seriously, time to crawl out from under that rock bro!

      • JV159 on 29/01/2016 - 00:01
        +1

        That is the biggest load of crap i have ever heard
        (checks Google to confirm)

        • apey2000 on 29/01/2016 - 00:15
          +2

          You just can't make this sh*t up!

  • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2016 - 22:49
    +1

    A flashing "Open" sign…. I wonder if they give massages too.

    • kiLbiL on 29/01/2016 - 11:11

      lol

  • giventofly on 28/01/2016 - 22:57

    I have this every week when I go home! My favourite cuisine.

    • Amaris on 28/01/2016 - 23:34
      +7

      "Better suited to Australian people!" Do you mean Indigenous, Anglo-aussies, Italians, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arab? Could you please be more specific??

      • jv on 29/01/2016 - 09:52

        I think he meant Austrian…

        • treeman on 29/01/2016 - 13:17

          Omg…what's with the negatives?

          Obviously no one here has seen Seinfeld to realise what I am saying!

          Bit of a back story.

          Jerry attends a new restaurant that too has been in a spot that has often failed on numerous occasions.
          Actually now I write this I remember it is the other way around - sorry messed that bit up, he goes from an American type cuisine to a Pakistani cuisine.
          Anyway Jerry goes to the restaurant a couple of times, no one else really goes to this restaurant and suggests to Babu Bhat to change the restaurant to a Pakistani Cuisine in order to get more customers.

          I was not being racist I was just making a joke from one of my favourite TV shows.

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUPH5OhXC1A

        • jv on 29/01/2016 - 15:24
          +1

          @treeman:

          I was not being racist I was just making a joke

          Oops… I +ved your comment not knowing it was a joke… :O

        • OzBragain on 29/01/2016 - 16:09

          @treeman:

          Explaining humor is a lot like dissecting a frog, you learn a lot in the process, but in the end you kill it.

          Mark Twain

    • neil on 29/01/2016 - 12:24
      +1

      This comment looks quite vile but I believe treeman was incorrectly quoting the Seinfeld episode "The Cafe".

      Script.

      There's always that one location, one store location that's constantly changing hands. Everybody has this in their neighborhood, it's a leather store, it's a yogurt shop, it's a pet supply. It's constantly changing and nobody can do business there. It's like some sort of Bermuda triangle of retail, you know? Stores open up and then they just disappear without a trace. Nobody knows what happened to 'em. I guess eventually when like aliens land in mother ship of close encounters, bottom will slowly open and all these store owners will come wondering out in a daze going 'I thought there would be more walk-in traffic didn't you?.'

      A "Mexican ,Italian, Chinese." restaurant opens up across the street from Jerry's apartment. After eating there where there are no customers, he suggest to Babu to make it a Pakistani restaurant as he'd be the only Pakistani restaurant on the block. Well, no one came in and the restaurant ended up closing.

      It's actually a very good reference as there aren't any Sri Lankan restaurants nearby (some Indian).

      TL;DR "That's the Joke" -McBain

      • treeman on 29/01/2016 - 13:18

        Yes that's the one.

        Thanks Neil I didn't mean to be racist at all was just remembering a Seinfeld storyline. :)

  • AshFon on 29/01/2016 - 16:47

    I can't see any Non-Veg food in pics. Are serving only veg food?

  • rolandfrompoland on 30/01/2016 - 11:11
    +1

    Checked this out given live across the Street. Decent food for free. Plenty of food when I was there, including nice meat dishes. Most people looked like students.

  • simprosimple on 30/01/2016 - 15:10
    +1

    Very nice restaurant, first time having Sri Lankan good and like it, especially the Butter Chicken. Seems like family operated, lady staff very friendly, with a grandpa making traditional food, with his grandson playing around.

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