As with many restaurants on this list, HomeTown Buffet has faced bankruptcy in the past. 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. Furrs, which began as a cafeteria in the 40s, was owned by another ill-fated chain, Kmart, in the 1980s. 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. On top of all that, Tristano said many buffets occupy spaces with a very large square footage, which means higher rent. 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%. 3790 SW Hall Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97005-2050 +1 503-627-0336 Website Menu. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. California alone has 23. 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 ); With many Americans becoming more health-conscious and opting for healthier meal options, buffet restaurants have been struggling to keep up with the times. VitaNova shut down the locations in March when the coronavirus pandemic began. Yet broad-menu buffet chains have generally struggled to adapt to thecoronavirus environment. The irony is, buffets are probably the fastest food to mouth option you can get outside of your home they just don't have that "fast casual" label that's practically required for popular eateries these days. The chain was founded in 1984 and currently has locations in 34 states. Although Hometown Buffets closure will be a setback for the 1,800 employees who will be losing their jobs, it is not expected to have a significant impact on the overall restaurant industry. All restaurants burn through cash when they are closed. Fielding Buck has reported throughout Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles. 6 Hometown Buffet Locations in Connecticut (CT, US) Enfield Hometown Buffet Manchester Hometown Buffet Milford Hometown Buffet 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 . Amid the recession of the mid-2000s, however, Buffets declared bankruptcy in 2008 and again in 2012. Last week, the buffet chain Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes announced all 97 of its restaurants are closing permanently. VitaNova Brands, owner of several all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant concepts, on Friday permanently closed the Old Country location at 6560 W. Fullerton Ave., in Chicago's Montclare neighborhood,. In 2014, The Gages sued Old Country Buffet and Ovation Brands for permanent damage to his health and medical costs associated with treating salmonella poisoning. He has a master's degree from Claremont Graduate University and a bachelor's degree from Pepperdine University. to reopen as many Furrs as possible, contingent upon pandemic restrictions and landlord negotiations, she 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 company was founded by Roe Hatlen and C. Dennis Scott on October 19, 1983, along with Dermot Rowland and Doron Jensen. 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. 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. VitaNova Brands - Wikipedia Asked about the fate of other banners, the spokeswoman said it was up to the courts.. In addition, many consumers are now more health conscious and are looking for healthier menu options when they go out to eat. Hometown Buffet provides families a friendly environment to gather for a meal. His beats have included, business, dining, entertainment, and Southern California theme parks. Still in mourning? Lines and paragraphs break automatically. St aint been right since they closed down HomeTown Buffet, one person tweeted in Sept. 2020. It gets worse. DOWNEY Hometown Buffet has permanently closed its Downey location, effective Nov. 6. It opened seven new locations in 2017,and sales rose 3.7 percent. Hometown Buffet in Beaverton, OR WEAK MANAGEMENT "Was suppose to have a business meeting at this branch in Elk Grove California Arrival-ed at 10:45." Hometown Buffet in Elk Grove, CA complete buffet "very nice buffet.. had a late lunch, paid the lunch price at 215, then at 300 dinner items were p." Hometown Buffet in St Louis, MO When the pandemic started, Fresh Acquisitionsonce a subsidiary of FMP Managementhad 90 restaurants between HomeTown and the other brands. Before COVID, the companies . The company is privately owned, by Investors Management Corp., a company chaired by the same man who opened the first location. Yet buffets might be in a bind for a while. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. No-buffet rules aren't keeping Golden Corral from reopening its restaurants. The buffet concept was created by Bill Knudson and Jerry Kent, who opened the first location in Downey in 1983. Ponderosa (or Bonanza, depending on your region) was a Western-themed buffet that served up slabs of meat, veggies, and chicken wings with equal aplomb. As with almost every one of our peers, buffet restaurants took the brunt of the loss of sales during the pandemic and as such, the path to success requires hard choices to be made, including the rationalization of our overall footprint, said VitaNova Brands CEO and co-founder Jason Kemp, according to Nations Restaurant News. Get the best food tips and diet advice Yet buffets might be in a bind for a while. 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. For more restaurant news and dining tips,please sign up for our free newsletters. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. They're like the Kardashian/Jenner family of buffets. Old Country Buffet has been an American strip mall staple for years. On October 1, 2010, Nebraska couple Chris and Heather Gage dined at an Old Country Buffet in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I feel like just to still have a business to come back to, to still have my employees back with me that definitely is a positive, she said. Bidding at the website Auction Nation closed at noon Monday, Dec. 14, on restaurants in Lakewood, Loma Linda, and Torrance. All Rights Reserved. The contents of 11 Hometown Buffet restaurants in California are being auctioned off in online liquidation sales. Auctions in Bell Gardens, Covina, and Montebello close Wednesday, Dec. 16 while an auction in Burbank closes Friday, Dec. 18. But now the pandemic is forcing them to shift away from the buffet into a service model. Unfortunately for businesses like Old Country Buffet, buffets are often synonymous with obesity. Restaurant Business reported on HomeTown Buffet and its sibling chainsTahoe Joes, Old Country Buffet, Ryans, Fire Mountain, and Furrsin April 2021. Hundreds of dine-in Pizza Huts closed from 2019 through 2020, continuing a renewed focus on takeout and delivery. Theres a lot happening in the world. Hometown Buffet was not able to keep up with these changing trends, and as a result, they are no longer in business. Reopening regulations and consumer skittishness could force changes in thesubsector that had been in decline for some time. According to Gallup polling, the 42 percent of adults polled said they attended church in 2008. Home Town Buffet was a subsidiary of VitaNova Brands. All restaurants burn through cash when they are closed. 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. Today's healthier eating trends are better for us, but horrible for all-you-can eat chains like Old Country Buffet. Hometown Buffets parent company is VitaNova Brands, which at press time had not returned a call for comment. 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. Feeling nostalgic? It also closed down dozens of locations in the past few years as it struggled to stay afloat. Why buffets are meaningful to a lot of Americans. In the bankruptcy filing, Fresh Acquisitions listed its largest unsecured creditor as supplier Dynamic Foods of Lubbock, Texas, which is owed about $4 million. According to the location finder on its site, today there are only a total of 17 Old Country Buffet restaurants left in the country, and sales were down more than 37 percent in 2017. 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. Hometown Buffet is a chain of all-you-can-eat buffet-style restaurants. EIN: 41-0953924. 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. Sherry Buenrostro from La Nacional Mexican Buffet knows that firsthand. According to its website, there currently are 14 Ryan's buffet locations in 10 states. In addition, the restaurant offers seasonal specialties and uniquely prepared desserts. Theyre looking for restaurants that offer fresh food, a variety of menu options, and an inviting atmosphere. The chain is known for its all-you-can-eat buffet style, which allows customers to sample a variety of dishes. Although the restaurant has been temporarily closed since March due to COVID-19, the permanent closure is a result of its expiring lease and inability to negotiate a favorable extension, company officials said. 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. Hometown Buffet is one of the most popular all-you-can-eat buffet chains in the United States. Hometown Buffet Menu Prices - Restaurant Meal Prices 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. Choice overload is a thing, which is why niche restaurants are so popular in a time period when our choices are endless. All-you-can-eat buffets are ripe with chances to pick up bacteria and illnesses, and the general public is wising up to this knowledge. Check out this old Old Country Buffet training video. That could require massive changes at buffet concepts, or their end altogether, says RBs The Bottom Line. 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. 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 chain lost at least 15 restaurantsbetween late 2019 and September 2020, according to Restaurant Business. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { In June 2020, FMP Management ceased operations, entering bankruptcy itself. Despite its name, Hometown Buffet is not a regional chain; it has locations in almost every state except for Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming. 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. announced all 97 of its restaurants are closing permanently, allocating $2.4 million to remodel the area, How the CBO became God in Washingtons budget battles, How a food business tied to the hotel industry is recovering from COVID-19, Cruise ships, eager to sail, offer free trial voyages, Warren Buffetts next venture: the Celebrity Apprentice, Buffett says airlines are now a good investment. Add it all together, and this might well be the end for a massive portion of the broad-menu buffet business. As the virus spread in early March, Golden Corral added safeguards to its buffets. 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 rise of fast casual dining chains such as Panera Bread and Chipotle Mexican Grill has made it difficult for Hometown Buffet to compete. But then Buffets, Inc. filed again in 2012, shedding more debt and cutting back more of its 494 buffets. Hometown Buffet was founded in 1983 and was based in Downey, California. For broad-menu buffet concepts, the shutdown may well speed a complete shift away from that style of service that has been happening gradually for years. 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. Representatives from Ovation didn't even show up for the first hearing. In 2008, FMP filed for bankruptcy and sold Hometown Buffet to Ovation Brands. 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. Hometown Buffet is a chain of buffet-style restaurants founded in 1983 in Downey, California. However, in recent years, the company has been struggling to keep up with the changing landscape of the restaurant industry. Get todays need-to-know restaurant industry intelligence. 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. Hometown Buffet offers a variety of food and drink options, including a salad bar, hot entrees, and a dessert bar. 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? 10 Popular Buffet Chains Closing Locations Permanently Number 8860726. Now he thinks we will see the removal of salad bars, and in place, prepared food thats packaged and portioned. Gage's salmonella poisoning was particularly severe because of a pre-existing health condition. Market Realist is a registered trademark. 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. Updated Oct 12, 2020, 12:13pm CDT. HomeTown Buffet provides high quality food at affordable prices in a family friendly atmosphere. This filing came after years of decline for the buffet chain. Buffet chains have been hit particularly hard by the novel coronavirus pandemic since their business models. All-you-can-eat buffets are no longer as popular as they once were, and many restaurants are struggling toadapt to this change. if( 'moc.sihttae.www' !== location.hostname.split('').reverse().join('') ) { The leaders of Golden Corral are clearly very loyal to the brand. The company is based in Downey, California. According to an article published by the San Antonio Business Journal, no HomeTown Buffet locations remain open. MoviePass is coming back, but are moviegoers? Okay, so if at first you don't succeed, dust yourself off and try again and again. It's never a great idea to eat food that's been sitting out. As of 2019, there are only 29 Hometown Buffet restaurants still in operation. Fast food that's not really fast food but is still sort of fast food is taking over. 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. 1,282 were here. 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. Hometown Buffet permanently closes Downey location Sadly, in 2020, the pandemic-battered company announced plans to liquidate, and closed all locations by June 2022. Like its sister chains, it was in deep trouble before the pandemic hit, and Google News was full of stories detailing the abrupt closings of local restaurants. Reference: hometown buffet closing 2020. https://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/news/2021/04/21/owners-of-classic-buffet-brands-declare-bankruptcy.html, 10 Ways Shopping at an Online Pharmacy Will Save You Time and Money, Where Do You See Your Business in 5 Years Time. Darren Tristano, the CEO and founder of Food Service Results, said buffet restaurants had already been in decline for 20 years, driven by consumers change in taste for healthier options. The nations most recognizable buffet chain survived COVID-19, but not without some serious damage. To be sure, all restaurants are going to reopen to a vastly different environment in the coming months, and its likely the environment will be quite different for some timeat least until there is a vaccine. It may be the end of an era for one of Americas favorite places to fill up and then some: the buffet. 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.