How long would you wait for a free Mandarin meal?
The restaurant’s first customers for its Canada Day buffet lined up at 10:30 p.m. the night before, say staff who saw them then and let them in the next morning.
This afternoon, a line of several hundred people wound around the plaza on Upper James  Street north of Rymal Road West.
Many waited for several hours.
Some lounged in camping chairs. Others read books. Kids played with toys. Mandarin staff even came around with free appetizers and handed out free water bottles.
In celebration of Canada Day, Mandarin offered its regular buffet for free to anyone showing proof of Canadian citizenship at its 21 locations yesterday.
Staff at Upper James stayed till 2 a.m. the night before preparing extra amounts of the more popular items such as chicken balls and egg rolls, said Allan Chow, director of site operations for head office.
The chain spends about $500,000 on the free day. That’s more than double what they spend on a regular busy holiday such as Mother’s Day, said Chow.
“We are doing this for Canadian citizens, to celebrate Canada,” said Lucia Kong, an owner and manager.
This is the third time the chain has had the free Canada Day event. This year’s coincides with the chain’s 30th anniversary.
A few said the highlight was meeting others in the line.
“Because of having to wait in line, you get to talk to all different kinds of cultures that have come to Canada and become Canadian citizens,” said Sacha Skinner, who waited four hours to get in and was eating by 2 p.m. “You talk, you joke, you kind of make friendships while you’re waiting and then you see them up at the buffet and say, ‘Oh, long time no see.’ ”
Michelle Skutta said the crowd joined to sing a group rendition of O Canada at one point.
Kong said people were appreciative. One family gave them a thank you card.