There is less environmental impact if you transport produce from the local farm instead of trucking it across the country. The decline of the buffet is due to a variety of factors, including the rise of health consciousness and the popularity of healthy eating, the rise of food delivery and takeaway options, and the increasing cost of food. Hometown Buffet is a buffet-style restaurant chain downey with locations across the United States. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you. Its a design challenge for them to reinvent how they do things, and it may move away from the bulk production that theyre used to doing, Susskind said. Since buffets tend to cut as many corners as possible when it comes to buying their food, it's safe to say they aren't exactly making eggs from local farmers their number one priority. The nations most recognizable buffet chain survived COVID-19, but not without some serious damage. HomeTown Buffet in Redding has abruptly closed after more than 25 years in business. This once-ubiquitous buffet was among the chains that shuttered as a result of parent company Fresh Acquisitions bankruptcy in 2021. Tristano said that prepared foods in the grocery store have had strong growth in competition to restaurants. Life before food delivery apps was archaic! Choose your state to find the nearest one or view the Hometown Buffet menu. Four locations of these buffet restaurants in three states are officially closed. The new owners immediately began closing down locations, and by 2013, the chain had shrunk to just over half its size. Why did HomeTown Buffet close? That means those self-service drink stations at many fast-food restaurants will be gone for the time being. Two HomeTown Buffets, one Ryan's, and one Old Country Buffet are now buffets closed for good. In 2018, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced that it would be selling itself to Ovation Brands, a subsidiary of Buffets, Inc. 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. The Raleigh, N.C.-based chain's system sales rose 3.7% last year, according to Technomic's Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. As restaurants reopen, many regulations explicitly forbid buffets and self-service. 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! As a result of these factors, Hometown Buffet has closed many of its locations in recent years. Reservations are not required unless dining as a group or large tour. Fast food that's not really fast food but is still sort of fast food is taking over. Old Country Buffet doesn't advertise where it's food is sourced from, but it's probably safe to assume their cooks aren't hitting the local farmers market to stock up on veggies. These Adored Buffet Restaurants Are Now Closed for Good, 9 Restaurant Chains That Closed Hundreds of Locations This Summer. This will impact over 1,800 employees across the country who will now be left without a job. All Rights Reserved. The first Lubys opened in the 40s, and the chain ballooned to more than 200 locationsin the mid-90s. In the bankruptcy filing, Fresh Acquisitions listed its largest unsecured creditor as supplier Dynamic Foods of Lubbock, Texas, which is owed about $4 million. Yet buffets might be in a bind for a while. With the need for 75% capacity required to begin to turn a profit in the all-you-can-eat category, the short-term future of the buffet concept is heavily predicated on reopening restrictions easing further and consumers' appetite to return to large, shared spaces, the VitaNova spokeswoman said, /sites/all/themes/penton_subtheme_nrn/images/logos/footer.png, Plans call for focus on Tahoe Joes, Furrs AYCE Marketplace concepts, 2023 Informa USA, Inc., All rights reserved. In 2008, FMP filed for bankruptcy and sold Hometown Buffet to Ovation Brands. Theres a lot happening in the world. The guidelines also mention buffets that use common utensils or dispensers.. Note: Cheapism does not accept or publish guest blog posts. Home Town Buffet was a subsidiary of VitaNova Brands. Share. Remember when you used to have to put on pants to go pick up take-out at your favorite restaurant? The chain was founded in 1984 and currently has locations in 34 states. Today's healthier eating trends are better for us, but horrible for all-you-can eat chains like Old Country Buffet. 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e. 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. Brands says more closings are likely in the future, too. 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. You just sit down and go get your food, Torres said. Do not sell my personal infoPrivacy PolicyContact UsRSS. Old Country Buffet simply can't compete with the modern vibes and fresh fare that fast casual restaurants like Qdoba and Sweetgreen deliver so effortlessly. In addition, the restaurant offers seasonal specialties and uniquely prepared desserts. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. There are also other operations outside of restaurants that rely on self-serving stations, which include grocery stores like Whole Foods. Competing chains Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes have been through a bankruptcy filing, and the parent company of Old Country Buffet and HomeTown Buffet has been through multiple such filings. Since then, its footprint has shrunk even further, with no locations for either Ponderosa or Bonanza listed on the website. The restaurant also has a take-out option. Related: 30 American-Themed Restaurants and Attractions Around the World. Clearly there's no shortage of carbs in this country so, what gives? I dont know how long we will last because were very small, she said. Related:Chain Restaurants That Are Closing Locations. Add a photo. St aint been right since they closed down HomeTown Buffet, one person tweeted in Sept. 2020. 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. It was definitely a little dclass and we loved it.. That could require massive changes at buffet concepts, or their end altogether, says RBs The Bottom Line. As of early April 2021,only about 290of the chains pre-pandemic 490 restaurants were open, according to Restaurant Business, though it was unclear how many of those closings would be permanent. Restaurant Business reported on HomeTown Buffet and its sibling chainsTahoe Joe's, Old Country Buffet, Ryan's, Fire Mountain, and Furr'sin April 2021. Fresh Acquisitions and its affiliates are party to 71 restaurant leases, which include 57 locations where restaurants have ceased operations, the company said in a filing with the bankruptcy court seeking relief from its rent burden. Trying to find a Hometown Buffet? Can you believe there was a time when you donned your Sunday best to go to Old Country Buffet? Even if the closed restaurant locations could be reopened immediately, the debtors believe that the short-term costs of maintaining the leases would outweigh any potential long-term benefits from operating the restaurants therein, the filing stated. 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. Will this be the end of an era? 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. 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. The company has not said if they will be sold or simply shuttered. Pizza buffet concepts, on the other hand, have performed better. Related:Local Burger Chains the Rest of the Country Needs. As of 2019, there are 97 Hometown Buffet locations across the United States. HomeTown Buffet. (These aren't the only eateries to say goodbye to, here are 9 Restaurant Chains That Closed Hundreds of Locations This Summer.) 2.3 overall rating across Theyre redoing their menu, paying more staff to attend to customers, and trying to partner with delivery services to boost takeout sales. In Oct. 2021, BBQ Holdingsthe parent company of the barbecue restaurant chain Famous Daveswon a bankruptcy auction for Fresh Acquisitions LLC, agreeing to pay $5.2 million in the deal. The company also has TogoKitchens.com, Zio's Italian Kitchen, Sushi Zushi, Tahoe Joe's, Don Pablo's Cantina, Hometown AYCE Marketplace, Old Country AYCE Marketplace, Furr's AYCE Marketplace, and Ryan's AYCE Marketplace in their restaurant lineup. Number 8860726. After all, a buffet's most enticing factor is the one price, all you can eat aspectand, of course, the endless opportunities to go for second helpings. VitaNova Brands, which manages Fresh Acquisitions restaurants through an agreement with the company, is providing a debtor-in-possession loan of $3.5 million, and said it would focus on operating the Tahoe Joes and Furrs AYCE Marketplace banners going forward. In June 2020, FMP Management ceased operations, entering bankruptcy itself. The pandemic was also the death knell, it seems, for HomeTown Buffet and other chains under the Fresh Acquisitions umbrella. Enhanced delivery, takeout, and curbside pick-up are available at all locations. Farm-to-table menus full of sustainable, locally sourced ingredients are all the rage now. Sign up here. 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. 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. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); They're like the Kardashian/Jenner family of buffets. It is unclear what will happen to the Hometown Buffet locations that are currently in operation. He has a master's degree from Claremont Graduate University and a bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University. 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 ); Since the crisis began, Buenrostro said that sales have declined about 75%. These days there's a restaurant for pretty much every kind of niche food you can think of, from chicken and waffles to Indonesian stew. Hometown Buffet is a chain of buffet-style restaurants founded in 1983 in Downey, California. 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. Does Ryan's still exist? 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: . He's also been a section editor and copy editor for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. It also creates a sense of self-reliance and food security within communities. By the end of the month, its company stores were closed altogether. 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. Auction Nation has held recent auctions at Hometown Buffets in other states. Sherry Buenrostro has operated La Nacional Mexican Buffet in Columbus, Georgia, along with her husband and parents-in-law, for nearly 20 years. It opened seven new locations in 2017,and sales rose 3.7 percent. The buffet industry has seen better days. The demise of Hometown Buffet is a sign of how much the all-you-can-eat buffet model has fallen out of favor with American diners. Federal recommendations on reopening restaurants note that they should discontinue self-service operations. Sign up to receive texts from Restaurant Business on news and insights that matter to your brand. 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. 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. Hometown Buffet is one of the most popular all-you-can-eat buffet chains in the United States. There are currently six Tahoe Joe's operating today, a spokeswoman for VitaNova Brands told Nations Restaurant News. Eli Lilly announced a cap on insulin costs. The coronavirus could well change the buffet concept as we know it, forcing a different service style or eliminating buffetsaltogether. Even if Old Country Buffet did start partnering with Uber Eats, it seems like something that wouldn't work well. While things may change permanently, she said shes still grateful shes able to operate hers right now. The company is privately owned, by Investors Management Corp., a company chaired by the same man who opened the first location. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { The 2016 Chapter 11 filing primarily blamed costs associated with a lawsuit against the company, and with it brought even more store closures. Related: Fast-Food Restaurants Then and Now. Hometown Buffet provides families a friendly environment to gather for a meal. 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. Cheapism may earn a commission if you buy through a link on our site. 5. Sorry, Old Country Buffet fans: Your favorite haunt for cheese biscuits is no more. Buffet-style restaurants have always been popular among families and budget-minded diners. } The parent company of Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation has gone into liquidation, and the two largest Golden Corral franchisees pursued debt protection. 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. In 1995, Hometown Buffet was acquired by Food Management Partners, a large operator of buffet restaurants. 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. While this is unfortunate news for the company and their employees, it is indicative of a larger trend in the restaurant industry. While the American institution known as The Buffet may be on the decline, Golden Corral continues to ball out of control. However, in recent years, the company has been struggling to keep up with the changing landscape of the restaurant industry. She said her family, including her grandparents, would pack themselves into a minivan and head off to a buffet together. Furrs, which began as a cafeteria in the 40s, was owned by another ill-fated chain, Kmart, in the 1980s. 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. Five locations reopened as "AYCE Marketplaces" in summer 2020. Try our delicious grill. Get todays need-to-know restaurant industry intelligence. All-you-can-eat restaurants have been on the decline in recent years, as customers are increasingly health-conscious and prefer fresh, made-to-order food. More people are choosing farm to table (or farm to fork) restaurants because it's arguably better for the planet. Copyright 2023 Market Realist. The Hometown Buffet closure is just the latest in a string of buffet-style restaurant closures. According to a neurologist that testified at the August 2014 court hearing, Chris suffered brain damage from the salmonella, which has resulted in persistent nausea, balance issues, coordination issues, cognitive defects, emotional control issues, and speech problems. For more restaurant news and dining tips,please sign up for our free newsletters. All-you-can-eat buffets have also come under fire for being wasteful and contributing to rising obesity rates. The competition for takeout and off-premise food is very high. Those concepts might have an easier adjustment to the new reality. Hometown Buffet is a chain of all-you-can-eat buffet-style restaurants. Undercooked chicken is no joke. However, in recent years, the company has been struggling to keep up with the changing landscape of the restaurant industry. That means. The company was acquired by Ovation Brands in 2008. if( 'moc.sihttae.www' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { FMP also scooped up Furrs in 2015 after that chain declared bankruptcy the year prior. On October 1, 2010, Nebraska couple Chris and Heather Gage dined at an Old Country Buffet in Cheyenne, Wyoming. "The pandemic's business impact on our segment has been significant," said Golden Corral Corporation CEO Lance Trenary. Its the same idea: theres all this food and its a big gathering.. The company has recently announced that it will be closing all of its Hometown Buffet locations, including their flagship location in Downey, California. Hometown Buffet was one of many buffet chains to suffer as a result. Buffets also make a point to use smaller serving utensils with the more expensive grub. A majority of these are reopening soon. 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. Takeout can reduce that cash-burn rate, but even with recent increases, traditional dine-in concepts are not making up for those lost sales. Reopening regulations and consumer skittishness could force changes in thesubsector that had been in decline for some time. Buffets are able to cut costs by focusing on the behavioral psychology of how we eat at a buffet. It is unclear if Hometown Buffet will be able to make a comeback or if it will eventually go out of business completely. One of the nations foremost all-you-can-eat pizza chains emerged from the pandemic significantly smaller. The buffet restaurant format was very popular in the 1980s, but as Americans tastes changed, the demand for all-you-can-eat restaurants waned. EIN: 41-0953924. 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. Find a Hometown Buffet near you or see all Hometown Buffet locations. It opened an additional seven locations and now has 489, and average unit volumes increased. The Downey, California-based company has been in operation since 1983 and currently has locations across the United States. 2023 Minnesota Public Radio. 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. } ); The CEO of Global Franchise Group, Round Table Pizzas parent company, told Marketplace that Round Table may discontinue its salad bar and pizza buffet permanently. The leaders of Golden Corral are clearly very loyal to the brand. The owner of HomeTown Buffet and other buffet dining chains filed on Monday for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, blaming a lawsuit that was not disclosed when its current owner bought the businesses in August. His beats have included, business, dining, entertainment, and Southern California theme parks. By 2017, another poll indicated that the rate of weekly church attendance was down to 38 percent. As the virus spread in early March, Golden Corral added safeguards to its buffets. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); 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. Visitors don't highly appreciate ice cream and chocolate frappe at HomeTown Buffet. Hometown Buffet has been a staple in the community for over 30 years, but its recently closed its doors. Get the best food tips and diet Guidelines like these are either pushing buffets to shut down entirely, like in Souplantations case, or at the very least, prompting both nationwide chains and local buffets to alter their business model and restaurant design. New service models have been developed to comply with variations in local guidelines and provide our guests an enjoyable Golden Corral experience. After closing all restaurants, this list is now closed. Hometown Buffet operated 123 locations in 26 states across the United States. To stay up-to-date on all restaurant news, sign up for our daily newsletter! Amid the upheaval, VitaNova Brands began managing Fresh Acquisitions restaurants in Jan. 2021, and Fresh Acquisitions went into bankruptcy in April 2021. It also added an online foodservice offering through. Nation's Restaurant News is part of the Informa Connect Division of Informa PLC. 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. Hometown Buffet is a buffet-style restaurant chain with locations across the United States. The future of Hometown Buffet is uncertain. By Jonathan Maze on Jun. Not all closed, to be sure: Sizzler is still operating with a takeout menu, for instance. HomeTown Buffet was already struggling before the pandemic hit, so it's no surprise that this beloved chain has gone under. 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. } Most guests point out that the staff is courteous here. Hometown Buffet was founded in 1983 and was based in Downey, California. Heres another familiar name gone down the drain in the Fresh Acquisitions bankruptcy. As with many restaurants on this list, HomeTown Buffet has faced bankruptcy in the past. If you're craving something specific, there's a place to get it. "This was an incredibly difficult decision but these locations were already suffering from declining sales before the pandemic," Jason Kemp, the VitaNova Brands president says in a statement, "with expiring leases without our ability to extend under favorable terms, we needed to make the tough call to redirect our resources to other locations in order to continue to operate our restaurants under our new concept of AYCE (all-you-can-eat) and Marketplace.". On Monday, a sign on the front door of the restaurant in the Shasta Crossroads center on Churn Creek Road. Related: The Most Cringe-Worthy Commercials of All Time. Buffet owners like Sherry Buenostro view having one as a point of pride. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.