For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you. Amanda has a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in digital journalism from Loyola University Chicago. All 13 locations closed permanently in late 2020, with company officials attributing the decision to rising food and operational costs even once restaurants had reopened from their initial COVID-19 shutdowns. The endless scroll struggle is real. In the bankruptcy filing, Fresh Acquisitions listed its largest unsecured creditor as supplier Dynamic Foods of Lubbock, Texas, which is owed about $4 million. Hometown Buffet provides families a friendly environment to gather for a meal. We've already established that Old Country Buffet isn't a great choice for anyone who's watching their diet, but the chain has a reputation for being unhealthy in a whole other way, too. At the beginning of October, news surfaced that Metro Corral Partners, which owns over 24 locations of the iconic buffet and grill Golden Corral, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. 10 Popular Buffet Chains Closing Locations Permanently 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e. Fast casuals not only do a very good job with high quality and healthier fare, but many of them, like Panera Bread, are offering drive-throughs and express pick-ups, he said. The company was acquired by Ovation Brands in 2008. The locations are permanently closed as of Oct. 9. The HomeTown Buffets in Chula Vista, and Bakersfield, Calif., the Ryan's in Charleston, W. Va., and The Old Country Buffets in Chicago were hit hard by the pandemic. Golden Corral starts reopening, without the buffet - Restaurant Business Alex Susskind, a professor of food and beverage management at Cornell University, said he does not think buffets can survive under the methods they used to operate under. HOME TOWN BUFFET, Beaverton - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews This is a significant decrease from the over 200 locations that the chain once had. Why buffets are meaningful to a lot of Americans. The company was founded by Roe Hatlen and C. Dennis Scott on October 19, 1983, along with Dermot Rowland and Doron Jensen. When states shut dining rooms, it shifted to takeout only. Amid the upheaval, VitaNova Brands began managing Fresh Acquisitions restaurants in Jan. 2021, and Fresh Acquisitions went into bankruptcy in April 2021. Its the largest player in that category, however, so it makes the numbers look even better than they are. Three states have 28 Hometown Buffets. After the 2008 Chapter 11 filing, the chain reduced some of its 626 locations and slashed debt by a whopping $700 million. Hometown Buffet is a buffet-style restaurant chain with locations across the United States. In addition, many consumers are now more health conscious and are looking for healthier menu options when they go out to eat. Theyre redoing their menu, paying more staff to attend to customers, and trying to partner with delivery services to boost takeout sales. On Monday, a sign on the front door of the restaurant in the Shasta Crossroads center on Churn Creek Road. If Hometown Buffet cant find a way to appeal to todays consumers, it may not be long before the chain is out of business for good. Get the best food tips and diet MoviePass is coming back, but are moviegoers? EIN: 41-0953924. Auctions in Bell Gardens, Covina, and Montebello close Wednesday, Dec. 16 while an auction in Burbank closes Friday, Dec. 18. Broad-menu buffet concepts now face a longer timeline for that reopening. That goes right to the basic model of the buffet concept, which is based on the idea of allowing consumers to get an endless supply of food whenever theyve emptied their plates. The company closed 30 locations in 2019, and more closures are expected in 2020. Then Old Country Buffet declared bankruptcy a third time in 2016 (so much for inspiration from Aaliyah). Yes, they do have a wide variety of food choices at Old Country Buffet but they don't really specialize in any of it. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. And who could blame them? Rowland and Jensen left in 1986 to start Homestyle Buffet in Clearwater, Florida . The kitchens are semi-open and the aisles in the dining area are wider. AsReader's Digest points out, it's not so much what they serve that makes it risky but more how they serve it. Marketplace is a division of MPR's 501 (c)(3). EatThis.com is part of the AllRecipes Food Group. The company was based in Downey, California. Check out this old Old Country Buffet training video. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Golden Corral is the exception to the rule that customers don't like buffets anymore. 2023 Minnesota Public Radio. The pandemic was also the death knell, it seems, for HomeTown Buffet and other chains under the Fresh Acquisitions umbrella. Hundreds of dine-in Pizza Huts closed from 2019 through 2020, continuing a renewed focus on takeout and delivery. While Tristano said this crisis doesnt necessarily spell the end of the buffet as a concept, he foresees many of these restaurants closing. Get the best food tips and diet advice Golden Corral Corporation reached out to ETNT! 988 Goodman Rd, Horn Lake, MS 38637", https://web.archive.org/web/20050315003554/http://www.buffet.com/, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=VitaNova_Brands&oldid=1138835566, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 22:20. The state of Georgia has also asked restaurants that are reopening to do so. Pizza Huts dine-in restaurants, most of which feature menu service and an all-you-can eat buffet, used to be the cornerstone of the chain, but theyre quickly fading into oblivion. You just sit down and go get your food, Torres said. By then the parent company, Buffets, Inc. had been acquired by Ovation Brands. Last October, the company said it was permanently closing four buffet units, including two Hometown Buffet restaurants in California, a Ryan's in West Virginia and an Old Country buffet in. Before COVID, the companies . The Real Reason Buffet-Style Dining Is Disappearing - Mashed.com Old Country Buffet, Ryan's, HomeTown Buffet owners declare bankruptcy If the family does go to church and eat afterward, they're probably eating atChipotle afterwards. Eli Lilly announced a cap on insulin costs. It's been a tough year for all-you-can-eat neighborhood restaurants, and there are four other buffet closures to know about. It may be the end of an era for one of Americas favorite places to fill up and then some: the buffet. Before Old Country Buffet filed for bankruptcy the first time in 2008, its parent company Buffets, Inc. had merged with Ryan's Restaurant Group in 2006, and was high rolling as the country's largest buffet chain. Note: Cheapism does not accept or publish guest blog posts. On Wednesday, January 2, 2019, it was announced that Hometown Buffet, a restaurant chain specializing in an all-you-can-eat buffet of American food items, would be closing down all of its company-owned locations. In an emailed statement, Sizzler said that while its self-serving salad bar will not be available as it reopens dining rooms, it is exploring a handful of scenarios that would allow it to provide the items in their salad bar in line with local, state and national safety regulations. Enhanced delivery, takeout, and curbside pick-up are available at all locations. In 1995, Hometown Buffet was acquired by Food Management Partners, a large operator of buffet restaurants. The future of Hometown Buffet is uncertain. The closure of Hometown Buffet marks the end of an era for buffet restaurants. Furrs, which began as a cafeteria in the 40s, was owned by another ill-fated chain, Kmart, in the 1980s. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); Five locations reopened as "AYCE Marketplaces" in summer 2020. Even places like Five Guys and Shake Shack (which is, after all, leading the burger revolution) are trying to make the average hamburger joint a gourmet-ish experience but it still better be quick! Cicis, where you can famously down all the Mac & Cheese pizza, pasta salad, and cinnamon rolls you can handle for as little as $6, emerged from bankruptcy in 2020with under 300 locations, down from the 420 it had at the end of 2019. Related: 30 American-Themed Restaurants and Attractions Around the World. xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); 1996: HomeTown Buffet is acquired. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); Hometown Buffet Best Hometown Buffet Near Me See All Ralph's Barbecue 220 BBQ, Buffets 1400 Julian R Allsbrk Hwy, Weldon, NC Closed Naan Stop Indian Cuisine 214 Indian Restaurants, Buffets 2812 Erwin Rd, Durham, NC Closed Start Order Pizza Inn 22 Pizza, Italian, Buffets 1250 Coble Blvd, Henderson, NC Closed Pizza Inn 35 Pizza, Italian, Buffets This buffet chain serving endless pizza, salad, and dessert has been going strong for more than 60 years and still has dozens of restaurants spread across the South. Last week, the buffet chain Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes announced all 97 of its restaurants are closing permanently. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. The chain, born in the 70s, at one point had more than 500 family-friendly steakhouse buffet restaurantssprinkled across the country and employed more than 20,000 people. Since then, Hometown Buffet has continued to close locations and is now down to just over 30 restaurants. Nation's Restaurant News is part of the Informa Connect Division of Informa PLC. The typical limited-service buffet concept saw unit count decline 10.3% last year, according to, Golden Corral added safeguards to its buffets, its company stores were closed altogether, Bojangles makes no bones about its future, Pollo Tropical starts the year off with more customers and better profits, For Wendy's, keeping pace with competitors is harder than it looks, Jack in the Box reaches a 'turning point' in its bid for growth, Chevys Fresh Mex owner adds 2 more brands to portfolio. The buffet chain, which was founded in 1983, was once a staple of American dining, but it had fallen on hard times in recent years. These closures signal a change in the way that people are choosing to dine out. It opened seven new locations in 2017,and sales rose 3.7 percent. } There is less environmental impact if you transport produce from the local farm instead of trucking it across the country. Employees were furloughed then, but all have been notified that the four are now buffets closed for good. Since the crisis began, Buenrostro said that sales have declined about 75%. Buffets also make a point to use smaller serving utensils with the more expensive grub. Not to mention all those serving utensils that have touched about 100 hands before yours and the fact that they probably fell into that casserole just before you got in line. However, the chain has been struggling in recent years. April 21, 2021 Ben Coley. This Is Why You Don't See Many Old Country Buffets Anymore, merged with Ryan's Restaurant Group in 2006, According to a neurologist that testified at the August 2014 court hearing, lawyers failed to respond in timely manner, delivery apps are making dining at restaurants, including Old Country Buffet, seem obsolete. Farm-to-table menus full of sustainable, locally sourced ingredients are all the rage now. Two HomeTown Buffets, one Ryan's, and one Old Country Buffet are now buffets closed for good. If Old Country Buffet wants to start offering exotic grain bowls, baby kale salad, and artisanal ice cream with savory flavors, maybe it can stand a chance. Almost $50 million in debt is weighing the parent company, 1069 Restaurant Group, down. Takeout can reduce that cash-burn rate, but even with recent increases, traditional dine-in concepts are not making up for those lost sales. Still, it couldnt escape market forces, and Gattis parent company filed for bankruptcy in early 2019, a decision that spurred an undisclosed number of closings. Its not easy for them to just shift gears and operate like conventional restaurants or start making deliveries, especially during a pandemic (with Round Table Pizza being an exception). FMP also scooped up Furrs in 2015 after that chain declared bankruptcy the year prior. Its new owner, BBQ Holdings, is also declining to bring it back. While Round Tables dining rooms have been closed during the crisis, its been able to maintain its sales through takeout and delivery, according to CEO Paul Damico. Have no fear; weve compiled a list of all the Hometown Buffet locations. The concept of the buffet, which was once popular among restaurants, is now declining in popularity. Two HomeTown Buffets, one Ryan's, and one Old Country Buffet are now buffets closed for good. This grilling-focused buffet chain is the final domino to fall in the Fresh Acquisitions bankruptcy. This once-ubiquitous buffet was among the chains that shuttered as a result of parent company Fresh Acquisitions bankruptcy in 2021. Hometown Buffet was not able to keep up with these changing trends, and as a result, they are no longer in business. It also creates a sense of self-reliance and food security within communities. It was definitely a little dclass and we loved it.. Add it all together, and this might well be the end for a massive portion of the broad-menu buffet business. Below are the latest Hometown Buffet menu prices. Auction Nation has held recent auctions at Hometown Buffets in other states. Since then, its footprint has shrunk even further, with no locations for either Ponderosa or Bonanza listed on the website. The 2016 Chapter 11 filing primarily blamed costs associated with a lawsuit against the company, and with it brought even more store closures. He has a master's degree from Claremont Graduate University and a bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University. Hometown Buffet Menu Prices - Restaurant Meal Prices After Buffets, Inc (who owns chains like Old Country Buffet, Home Town Buffet, and Ryan's) filed for bankruptcy in 2012, they closed 16 percent of their restaurants, according to Forbes. The locations are permanently closed as of Oct. 9. Related:Age Pays: 130+ Senior Discounts (Some Starting at Age 50!). According to its website, there currently are 14 Ryan's buffet locations in 10 states. Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. The chains website shows 11 open locations, a stark decline from the 28 that K&W hadbefore the pandemic. HOMETOWN BUFFET, Springfield - 3000 Gateway St - Restaurant Reviews There are also other operations outside of restaurants that rely on self-serving stations, which include grocery stores like Whole Foods. All Rights Reserved. Those concepts might have an easier adjustment to the new reality. For people like Sarah Chen Small, going to one was a way to mark a milestone in your life maybe a birthday or a graduation. The company plansto reopen as many Furrs as possible, contingent upon pandemic restrictions and landlord negotiations, she said.