Buffet

The buffet line at the Bankstown RSL bistro runs along one side of the room, a long stainless-steel servery built into the wall beneath a sneeze guard. Bain marie wells along the top of the counter sit empty, each one labelled in metal lettering: roast beef, lamb, vegetables, gravy. A separate cold section sits beside the hot line, with raised partitions for the salad bar and a chilled rail for desserts. The signage above the buffet is hand-painted in the colours of the rest of the bistro, deep crimson with white lettering. The floor in front of the servery shows the wear pattern of years of foot traffic. The light above is a bank of warm-white fluorescents, mostly off in the photograph.

Buffet service was the standard meal model in suburban RSL bistros from the 1970s onwards, with members and guests collecting their plates and paying a per-head fee for unlimited returns. The Bankstown RSL's buffet ran across the long side of the bistro and was the heart of the club's daily food trade. Senior members ate here mid-week; families came in on weekends. The Bankstown RSL was demolished in March 2019. The buffet line, the bain marie wells, and the hand-painted signage went with the rest of the room.