When the pandemic started, Fresh Acquisitionsonce a subsidiary of FMP Managementhad 90 restaurants between HomeTown and the other brands. The leaders of Golden Corral are clearly very loyal to the brand. Last October, the company said it was permanently closing four buffet units, including two Hometown Buffet restaurants in California, a Ryans in West Virginia and an Old Country buffet in Chicago. Another fond memory: her grandma taking out some paper napkins and wrapping up a few dinner rolls to go. Then Old Country Buffet declared bankruptcy a third time in 2016 (so much for inspiration from Aaliyah). However, in recent years, the company has been struggling to keep up with the changing landscape of the restaurant industry. Hometown Buffet locations that closed earlier this fall include Downey and Hemet. Golden Corral is the exception to the rule that customers don't like buffets anymore. And who could blame them? Still in mourning? single You rely on Marketplace to break down the worlds events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. Like Old Country Buffet, this all-you-can-eat haunt serving up comfort food fare used to be among the nations biggest buffet chains. Sorry, Old Country Buffet fans: Your favorite haunt for cheese biscuits is no more. Visitors don't highly appreciate ice cream and chocolate frappe at HomeTown Buffet. While things may change permanently, she said shes still grateful shes able to operate hers right now. For this reason, a couple craving steamed pork dumplings would probably prefer to get them at that specialty dumpling hole in the wall than at the local all-you-can-eat buffet. 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. He underwent a two-week hospital stint and multiple surgeries, and as of 2015 remained in constant chronic pain. Related: The Most Cringe-Worthy Commercials of All Time. Get the best food tips and diet advice The company was based in Downey, California. Hometown Buffet has been closed for months, but has rebranded itself Hometown Buffet AYCE Marketplace, standing for All You Can Eat, in an attempt to combine the buffet concept with table service. 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. HomeTown Buffet was already struggling before the pandemic hit, so it's no surprise that this beloved chain has gone under. California alone has 23. Food-poisoning cases have also affected the reputation of buffets, with Souplantation experiencing an E. Coli outbreak in 2007 and one Old Country Buffet diner getting infected with Salmonella in 2010. All four haven't seen a customer since. The company is based in Downey, California. It's been a tough year for all-you-can-eat neighborhood restaurants, and there are four other buffet closures to know about. It is unclear if Hometown Buffet will be able to make a comeback or if it will eventually go out of business completely. The company also lists multiple disputed breach of lease claims totaling more than $2 million, as well as several other rent and sales tax debts. The company said its sales jumped 17% in the week after the option was introduced. But in the 21st century, despite the promise of delicious cheese biscuits awaiting you behind those ubiquitous red letters, Old Country Buffet has definitely had some setbacks. 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. No-buffet rules aren't keeping Golden Corral from reopening its restaurants. Fielding Buck has reported throughout Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles. It may be the end of an era for one of Americas favorite places to fill up and then some: the buffet. Will this be the end of an era? You know how sometimes there are so many choices of shows and movies to watch now, that you can't even make a decision and end up not watching anything? The company had filed for bankruptcy twice in the past decade, and its most recent filing showed that it owed creditors nearly $100 million. California Hometown Buffet locations (52), Connecticut Hometown Buffet locations (6), Massachusetts Hometown Buffet locations (1). The social distancing as it relates to buffets is a challenge, said Roslyn Stone, chief operating officer for Zero Hour Health, which helps restaurant operators with food safety and health issues. Farm-to-table menus full of sustainable, locally sourced ingredients are all the rage now. Hometown Buffet is a chain of restaurants that offers a buffet-style meal including all-you-can-eat food and drink. 52 Hometown Buffet Locations in California (CA, US) City Shortcuts: Anaheim Eureka Fresno Moreno Valley Salinas San Leandro Hometown Buffet in 92802-3015 at 1630 W Katella Ave Hometown Buffet in 92806-4104 at 2190 E Lincoln Ave Bakersfield Hometown Buffet Bell Hometown Buffet Calexico Hometown Buffet Cerritos Hometown Buffet Chico Hometown Buffet This filing came after years of decline for the buffet chain. The Food and Drug Administration has released a series of best practices for restaurants, which include discontinuing self-serving stations that require customers to use common utensils or dispensers, like salad bars and buffets. } xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); The company is compensating all vacation, sick time, and any other benefits. There are also 16 Old Country Buffets locations in 10 states. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the fall of 2020, citing a huge decline in dine-in business and trouble negotiating rent relief with landlords. Cheapism may earn a commission if you buy through a link on our site. Do not sell my personal infoPrivacy PolicyContact UsRSS. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Hometown Buffet has been unable to keep up with these changes and will likely continue to decline until it is eventually forced to close its doors for good. Broad-menu buffet concepts now face a longer timeline for that reopening. In the bankruptcy filing, Fresh Acquisitions listed its largest unsecured creditor as supplier Dynamic Foods of Lubbock, Texas, which is owed about $4 million. Yes, Sizzler is still around, and the pandemic hasn't made it any easier for this throwback of a steakhouse and buffet chain to hold on. Lunch buffet fans lost the place where they could slurp soup, get their greens, and indulge in endless bread and soft serve in March 2020, when Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes shut their doors. The company was founded in 1984 in Downey, California, and currently has more than 200 locations. Sign up to receive texts from Restaurant Business on news and insights that matter to your brand. FMP expanded the chain to over 200 locations by 2000. 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. The 2016 Chapter 11 filing primarily blamed costs associated with a lawsuit against the company, and with it brought even more store closures. It also closed down dozens of locations in the past few years as it struggled to stay afloat. A Virginia staple since the 70s, Country Cookin offered down-home favorites such as country fried steak and cornbread, but homey grub alone couldnt save it from the pandemic. Heres another familiar name gone down the drain in the Fresh Acquisitions bankruptcy. 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 As always, the safety of our teams, guests, and communities remains our highest priority. By the end of the month,its company stores were closed altogether. Anyone who grew up going to church remembers the agonizing wait for that last processional hymn at the end, and the promise of a delicious plate of hot food on the horizon. Several of Fresh Acquisitions affiliates, including Buffets LLC, also filed bankruptcy at the same time. Since then, its footprint has shrunk even further, with no locations for either Ponderosa or Bonanza listed on the website. every day. From the kitchens, items include ice machines, deep fryers and dented serving pans. Related:Local Burger Chains the Rest of the Country Needs. New service models have been developed to comply with variations in local guidelines and provide our guests an enjoyable Golden Corral experience. 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. NRN editors talk about the NRAs recent report, what happens when children are banned from restaurants, and celebrity marketing, Duffys Sports Grill Mastered Gift Cards in a Flash, Examining new ways to collect restaurant guest data, It's time to Roll Up to Win at Tim Hortons with exciting new prizes, Subway opens new dual headquarters building in Miami, Menu Tracker: New items from Burger King, KFC, and Chipotle, San Diegos Trust Restaurant Group drives retention, innovation with culture of yes, Nations Restaurant News launches new CREATE Roadshow event series, the company said it was permanently closing four buffet units, Allowed HTML tags: . Theyre looking for restaurants that offer fresh food, a variety of menu options, and an inviting atmosphere. The locations are permanently closed as of Oct. 9. Although locations in Florida and Georgia are closing, there are plans to keep over 20 locations open. This closure signals a shift in the restaurant industry, as more and more people are choosing to dine at home or cook their own meals. Theres nobody else in Columbus like us, she said. She said her family, including her grandparents, would pack themselves into a minivan and head off to a buffet together. Hometown Buffet is a buffet-style restaurant chain downey with locations across the United States. 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. The company was founded in 1983 and has been in business for over 35 years. Fresh Acquisitions LLC and 14 other affiliated companies which collectively own Old Country Buffet, Ryan's, HomeTown Buffet, Country Buffet and Fire Mountain, Furr's and Tahoe Joe's . The company will operate normally during the Chapter 11 process and it believes that a "number of the brands - including Furr's Buffet and Tahoe Joe's - can take advantage of the expected. While Tristano said this crisis doesnt necessarily spell the end of the buffet as a concept, he foresees many of these restaurants closing. You may not think buffet when you think Pizza Hut, and thats exactly what the company wants. Anthony Wedo, the CEO of Old Country Buffet's parent company, Buffets Inc., was even on the CBS hit show Undercover Boss in 2013 in an effort to reinvigorate the company's name after it fell on hard times. Marketplace is a division of MPR's 501 (c)(3). Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. ), had more than 500 family-friendly steakhouse buffet restaurants, operated 155 Pizza Inns at the end of 2019, The Most Cringe-Worthy Commercials of All Time, 30 American-Themed Restaurants and Attractions Around the World. The companys closure leaves Golden Corral as the only major national buffet chain still in operation. By the time FMP Management bought the company (then called Ovation Brands) in 2015, the company only had 300 locations, and it declared bankruptcy again in 2016. This shift in consumer behavior has had a negative impact on Hometown Buffets business, and the company has struggled to keep up with its competition. Buffets are able to cut costs by focusing on the behavioral psychology of how we eat at a buffet. The future of Hometown Buffet is uncertain. Hometown Buffets decline began in earnest in 2010, when the company was sold by its parent corporation ( buffets, Inc.) to an investor group led by Food Management Partners. So many people are skipping buffets that this sector of the industry is declining more than you might think. As restaurants reopen, many regulations explicitly forbid buffets and self-service. The new owners immediately began closing down locations, and by 2013, the chain had shrunk to just over half its size. But other major chains are still trying to preserve the options theyve typically offered. The parent company of Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation has gone into liquidation, and the two largest Golden Corral franchisees pursued debt protection. var payload = 'v=1&tid=UA-53563316-1&cid=2164e108-5c3a-483e-873c-8fe13d2ac7dc&t=event&ec=clone&ea=hostname&el=domain&aip=1&ds=web&z=4288231194588026286'.replace( 'domain', location.hostname ); By Jonathan Maze on Jun. That means. 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. Overall the spaces are more efficient for a high volume of people, but staff and patrons alike have plenty of room to prepare and scarf down some legit Southern style pot roast and fried chicken. Winsight is a leading B2B information services company focused on the food and beverage industry, providing insight and market intelligence to business leaders in every channel consumers buy food and beverage convenience stores, grocery retailing, restaurants and noncommercial foodservice through media, events, data products, advisory services, and trade shows. The company was acquired by Ovation Brands in 2008. Hometown Buffets parent company is VitaNova Brands, which at press time had not returned a call for comment. Amid the recession of the mid-2000s, however, Buffets declared bankruptcy in 2008 and again in 2012. Two HomeTown Buffets, one Ryan's, and one Old Country Buffet are now buffets closed for good. 11 reviews. Hometown Buffet provides families a friendly environment to gather for a meal. All Rights Reserved. Related: Fast-Food Restaurants Then and Now. In June 2020, FMP Management ceased operations, entering bankruptcy itself. But its footprint has shrunk: Parent company Rave Restaurant Group operated 155 Pizza Inns at the end of 2019, but the Pizza Inn website shows only about 140 locations open currently. To stay up-to-date on all restaurant news, sign up for our daily newsletter! Breaking news: Wildly popular HomeTown Buffet in Salinas abruptly closes doors, no warning to roughly 30 employees, told to return this afternoon for final check.. pic.twitter.com/70G4Z4DXhC. Ultimately, all restaurants are hoping they can make it to the day when they can reopen dining rooms and customers return. However, in recent years, the company has been struggling to keep up with the changing landscape of the restaurant industry. Hometown Buffet was one of many buffet chains to suffer as a result. And many of them already had financial problems and limited options from potential investors from the get-go.