Remember when you used to have to put on pants to go pick up take-out at your favorite restaurant? Per USA Today, the acquisition was a little shaky, with sales falling 22 percent below Ovations' expectations. 1996: HomeTown Buffet is acquired. One of the nations foremost all-you-can-eat pizza chains emerged from the pandemic significantly smaller. Buffets just arent designed to be convenient.. 13 reviews $$ - $$$ American. Undercooked chicken is no joke. 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. 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. I think its a permanent change. 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. Almost $50 million in debt is weighing the parent company, 1069 Restaurant Group, down. 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. Home Town Buffet was a subsidiary of VitaNova Brands. When the pandemic started, Fresh Acquisitionsonce a subsidiary of FMP Managementhad 90 restaurants between HomeTown and the other brands. In the bankruptcy filing, Fresh Acquisitions listed its largest unsecured creditor as supplier Dynamic Foods of Lubbock, Texas, which is owed about $4 million. 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. While this is unfortunate news for the company and their employees, it is indicative of a larger trend in the restaurant industry. However, the chain has been struggling in recent years. The rise of fast casual dining chains such as Panera Bread and Chipotle Mexican Grill has made it difficult for Hometown Buffet to compete. 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. Buffet-style restaurants have always been popular among families and budget-minded diners. In 2017, Hometown Buffetufffds parent company, Downey Financial Corp., filed for bankruptcy. Brands says more closings are likely in the future, too. Clearly there's no shortage of carbs in this country so, what gives? Theres a lot happening in the world. EatThis.com is part of the AllRecipes Food Group. ToGoKitchens.com, which offers brands owned by VitaNova. The parent company of Furrs Fresh Buffet, Ryans, Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet and other concepts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week. 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. I dont know if anything will ever go back to what the norm was before, Buenrostro said. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Pizza Inns sales rose 1.8% last year, while Iowa-based Pizza Ranchs sales increased 7.3%. Those concepts might have an easier adjustment to the new reality. Buffets LLC, also filed bankruptcy at the same time. Not all closed, to be sure: Sizzler is still operating with a takeout menu, for instance. As the virus spread in early March, Golden Corral added safeguards to its buffets. FMP expanded the chain to over 200 locations by 2000. Copyright 2023 Market Realist. 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 ); And any diet-conscious person who does eat at Old Country Buffet will likely cost the chain money, so that's not any better. Amanda has a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a bachelor's degree in digital journalism from Loyola University Chicago. 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 Jason Kemp, co-founder and CEO of VitaNova Brands, in a statement this week. As a result of these factors, Hometown Buffet has closed many of its locations in recent years. Hometown Buffet is a buffet-style restaurant chain with locations across the United States. Representatives from Ovation didn't even show up for the first hearing. Its new owner, BBQ Holdings, is also declining to bring it back. If you're craving something specific, there's a place to get it. The coronavirus could well change the buffet concept as we know it, forcing a different service style or eliminating buffetsaltogether. Anyone who wants to eat local is more than likely going somewhere other than Old Country Buffet and the number of people that applies to is steadily rising. The VitaNova spokeswoman said the recovery of buffet-style restaurants will depend upon the easing of dining restrictions. 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e. Like Old Country Buffet, this all-you-can-eat haunt serving up comfort food fare used to be among the nations biggest buffet chains. Four Hometown Buffet, Ryan's and Old Country Buffet restaurants are now closed permanently, their San Antonio-based parent company announced Friday. 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. Its the largest player in that category, however, so it makes the numbers look even better than they are. According to Restaurant Business, the COVID-19 crisis has hit buffet brands hard. Hometown Buffet has been a staple in the community for over 30 years, but its recently closed its doors. These closures signal a change in the way that people are choosing to dine out. 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. Buffets have always been a family favorite for after church so it makes sense that with the decline of church attendance in the U.S.follows the decline of buffet frequenting. And we're not just talking about broken froyo machines at the lunch rush. It opened an additional seven locations and now has 489, and average unit volumes increased. Bidding at the website Auction Nation closed at noon Monday, Dec. 14, on restaurants in Lakewood, Loma Linda, and Torrance. 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. You may not think buffet when you think Pizza Hut, and thats exactly what the company wants. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); 1,282 were here. HomeTown Buffet was already struggling before the pandemic hit, so it's no surprise that this beloved chain has gone under. 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. As of today, 284 Golden Corral dining rooms have safely reopened across the country. xhr.open('POST', 'https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', true); The decline of the all-you-can-eat buffet is a trend that is being mirrored across the restaurant industry. San Antonio-based Fresh Acquisitions LLC listed assets of between $1 million and $10 million, and liabilities of between $10 million and $50 million, according to its bankruptcy filing, which was made in the Northern Texas Division of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. 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. Fielding Buck has reported throughout Riverside, San Bernardino, and Los Angeles. "Recovery has been steady, but slow, and some franchisees will not be able to continue to operate without additional financial relief.". Have no fear; weve compiled a list of all the Hometown Buffet locations. Visitors don't highly appreciate ice cream and chocolate frappe at HomeTown Buffet. But as restaurant chains have become more sophisticated, diners have become more selective about where they choose to eat. Last week, the buffet chain . 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. 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. 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. While Tristano said this crisis doesnt necessarily spell the end of the buffet as a concept, he foresees many of these restaurants closing. "The pandemic's business impact on our segment has been significant," said Golden Corral Corporation CEO Lance Trenary. We have no immediate plans to reopen any of the buffet brands, he said, reports Restaurant Business. What happened to the all-you-can-eat destination? He's also been a section editor and copy editor for The Desert Sun in Palm Springs. By Jonathan Maze on May 14, 2020. "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.". The chains new owners hope to turn things around with more of a focus on delivery. day, 2022 Galvanized Media. var xhr = new XMLHttpRequest(); } Several of Fresh Acquisitions affiliates, including Buffets LLC, also filed bankruptcy at the same time. In the past year, weve seen similar closures from Souplantation, Sweet Tomatoes, and Ryans Grill, Buffet & Bakery. } ); This is a complete list of all HomeTown Buffet locations, along with their geographic coordinates. The company was acquired by Ovation Brands in 2008. Even if Old Country Buffet did start partnering with Uber Eats, it seems like something that wouldn't work well. But it, too, was already struggling, and was ultimately brought down for good in parent company Fresh Acquisitions bankruptcy. From the kitchens, items include ice machines, deep fryers and dented serving pans. However, one thing is clear: the days of the all-you-can-eat buffet may be numbered. It also closed down dozens of locations in the past few years as it struggled to stay afloat. 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. 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. Buffets, Inc. which includes the chains Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet and Ryans is also looking at new ways of operating, and may move towards one-on-one service, according to a spokesperson from Buffets parent company, Food Management Partners. Sales at the chain were down 62%in 2020. 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