When the pandemic started, Fresh Acquisitionsonce a subsidiary of FMP Managementhad 90 restaurants between HomeTown and the other brands. AsReader's Digest points out, it's not so much what they serve that makes it risky but more how they serve it. Tristano said that prepared foods in the grocery store have had strong growth in competition to restaurants. Hometown Buffet has been on a slow decline since then, closing dozens of locations over the past decade. By the end of the month,its company stores were closed altogether. Eater reported that Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas (which cost $100 million to design) is allocating $2.4 million to remodel the area, with changes that will affect food counters and service equipment. "The pandemic's business impact on our segment has been significant," said Golden Corral Corporation CEO Lance Trenary. The chain was founded in 1984 and currently has locations in 34 states. buffet restaurants have been hit hard by the rise of fast casual chains like Chipotle and Panera Bread, which offer fresh, made-to-order food at a similar price point. Share. His beats have included, business, dining, entertainment, and Southern California theme parks. The contents of 11 Hometown Buffet restaurants in California are being auctioned off in online liquidation sales. Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. } 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. But then Buffets, Inc. filed again in 2012, shedding more debt and cutting back more of its 494 buffets. California Hometown Buffet locations (52), Connecticut Hometown Buffet locations (6), Massachusetts Hometown Buffet locations (1). 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. In addition, many consumers are now looking for restaurants that offer healthy options, something that mostbuffets lack. There have only been three CEOs in the entire history of the chain, which was founded in 1973 in North Carolina. 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. All-you-can-eat buffets are also a victim of changing dietary habits. Two days later Chris experienced renal failure and septic shock. HomeTown Buffet was already struggling before the pandemic hit, so it's no surprise that this beloved chain has gone under. The judge granted the Gages $11.37 million when lawyers failed to respond in timely manner. Hometown Buffet has been a staple in the community for over 30 years, but its recently closed its doors. 25, 2018. But Cicis sales declined 1.4%. Old Country Buffet closes last Illinois restaurant The chains new owners hope to turn things around with more of a focus on delivery. Life before food delivery apps was archaic! EIN: 41-0953924. The buffet concept was created by Bill Knudson and Jerry Kent, who opened the first location in Downey in 1983. Will this be the end of an era? On October 1, 2010, Nebraska couple Chris and Heather Gage dined at an Old Country Buffet in Cheyenne, Wyoming. } ); 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. Get the best food tips and diet advice Like several other closed buffet chains, though, its store count dwindled in recent years as fast-casual dining started to dominate. Ovation brands also owns Old Country Buffet, Ryans Grill, Fire Mountain, and Tahoe Joes Famous Steakhouse. Old Country Buffet has a new owner, BBQ Holdings, but executives there say they have no plans to breathe new life into the once-extensive chain, which was down to just under17 locations from hundreds at the beginning of 2019,according to Mashed. All-you-can-eat buffets are a dying breed. It might be premature to say that the buffet is dead, but it seems likely to go into a coma for a while. Sales last year increased 0.8%, though unit count declined 1.2%, according to Technomic. 2023 Minnesota Public Radio. HomeTown Buffet - Home - Facebook Hometown Buffet Menu Prices (Updated: March 2023) (Latest & Official) It sort of reminds me of how big of a deal Chinese banquets are, said Small, whos Chinese-American. Theres nobody else in Columbus like us, she said. You may not think buffet when you think Pizza Hut, and thats exactly what the company wants. In the past year, weve seen similar closures from Souplantation, Sweet Tomatoes, and Ryans Grill, Buffet & Bakery. Broad-menu buffet concepts now face a longer timeline for that reopening. VitaNova said it manages all store-level and corporate operations for ToGoKitchens.com, Zios Italian Kitchen, Sushi Zushi, the Tahoe Joes steakhouse brand, and Furrs AYCE Marketplace. 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. All four haven't seen a customer since. 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. For example, more expensive protein items like fish or beef are available in smaller portion sizes and further down the line, after they give us access to huge, heaping portions of the cheap stuff like rice and potatoes. The company closed 30 locations in 2019, and more closures are expected in 2020. The leaders of Golden Corral are clearly very loyal to the brand. Yet another pizza buffet thats had a rough go of it, Gattis is primarily a Southern chain that prides itself on freshness, and most locations have game rooms to draw in kids. Four Hometown Buffet, Ryan's and Old Country Buffet restaurants are now closed permanently, their San Antonio-based parent company announced Friday. 10 Popular Buffet Chains Closing Locations Permanently The California auctions began on Dec. 7 with such items as dining tables, childrens booster seats, and Easter decorations with bidding often starting at a few dollars. Theyre looking for restaurants that offer fresh food, a variety of menu options, and an inviting atmosphere. 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. Like many of the chains on this list, it was in steady decline before the pandemic, its restaurants dwindlingto 75 by 2019 from more than 300, according to Vox. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Is Hometown Buffet Out of Business - Chartresource But now the pandemic is forcing them to shift away from the buffet into a service model. Then Old Country Buffet declared bankruptcy a third time in 2016 (so much for inspiration from Aaliyah). There were 90 restaurants before COVID, but only six remain open as of now. The closure of Hometown Buffet is just the latest example of a once-popular restaurant chain struggling to stay afloat in recent years. And in Las Vegas, which is known for its higher-end buffets, one resort is doling out a lot of money to ensure its survival. 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. Buffet owners like Sherry Buenostro view having one as a point of pride. Related:Chain Restaurants That Are Closing Locations. The typical limited-service buffet concept saw unit count decline 10.3% last year, according to Restaurant Business sister company Technomic, while sales fell 9.1%. 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! You just sit down and go get your food, Torres said. The company was based in Downey, California. According to Restaurant Business, the COVID-19 crisis has hit buffet brands hard. 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. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you. Hometown Buffet is one of the most popular all-you-can-eat buffet chains in the United States. Today's healthier eating trends are better for us, but horrible for all-you-can eat chains like Old Country Buffet. While the buffet is mocked for purportedly having low-quality food choices, its a place that many have special memories of and will miss if it disappears. In 2008, FMP filed for bankruptcy and sold Hometown Buffet to Ovation Brands. St aint been right since they closed down HomeTown Buffet, one person tweeted in Sept. 2020. Related: 22 Things You Didn't Know About Jell-O. And many of them already had financial problems and limited options from potential investors from the get-go. Market Realist is a registered trademark. Get todays need-to-know restaurant industry intelligence. The company was founded by Roe Hatlen and C. Dennis Scott on October 19, 1983, along with Dermot Rowland and Doron Jensen. Note: Cheapism does not accept or publish guest blog posts. ), 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. At one point the only thing Americans loved more than eating, was eating at a buffet. ahoe Joe's operating today, a spokeswoman for VitaNova Brands told Nations Restaurant News. Models include "no-touch" buffet service where guests use a disposable glove or napkins when handling serving utensils or a "we serve you" buffet, which features endless helpings and eliminates a guest's need to touch serving utensils. 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. All restaurants burn through cash when they are closed. Buffet chains have been hit particularly hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic since their business models. HomeTown Buffet in Redding suddenly closes after 25 years The company has not said if they will be sold or simply shuttered. You can buy the iconic soup bowl on Amazon. Some businesses are getting creative in order to survive, with one St. Louis grocery store converting their salad bar into a mini-booze bottle buffet. Though there may still be hope for a reimagined Furrs to emerge as an all-you-can-eat marketplace,theres little evidence that any locations survived the Fresh Acquisitions bankruptcy. Why did old country buffet go out of business? } else { Still in mourning? 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. 3790 SW Hall Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97005-2050 +1 503-627-0336 Website Menu. By the time the pandemic hit, it had only 16 locations in four states. Related:Local Burger Chains the Rest of the Country Needs. The company plansto reopen as many Furrs as possible, contingent upon pandemic restrictions and landlord negotiations, she said. By Jonathan Maze on May 14, 2020. VitaNova shut down the locations in March when the coronavirus pandemic began. Per USA Today, the acquisition was a little shaky, with sales falling 22 percent below Ovations' expectations. Five locations reopened as "AYCE Marketplaces" in summer 2020. The chains website shows 11 open locations, a stark decline from the 28 that K&W hadbefore the pandemic. It also creates a sense of self-reliance and food security within communities. Trying to find a Hometown Buffet? That could require massive changes at buffet concepts, or their end altogether, says RBs The Bottom Line. Related: The Most Cringe-Worthy Commercials of All Time. On top of all that, Tristano said many buffets occupy spaces with a very large square footage, which means higher rent.