All-you-can-eat buffets have become less common across the U.S. in the years since the Covid pandemic, with several long-standing chains closing restaurants or disappearing from markets altogether.
The once-buzzing establishments with long lines and seemingly endless options are not what they used to be.
The traditional buffet model has faced a number of challenges, including changing consumer habits and rising food, labor, and operating costs. Some of the industry’s biggest names have also gone through bankruptcy or significantly reduced their footprints.
Now, an all-you-can-eat buffet chain is making a comeback after filing for bankruptcy twice and closing all of its restaurants.
Founded in 1987, Souplantation in Southern California and Sweet Tomatoes in most other regions were all-you-can-eat, self-service buffet chains known for their expansive salad bars and fresh-made, better-for-you food concept. The company was incorporated as Garden Fresh Corp. in 1989.
Souplantation is opening in California
Souplantation is returning to California after its parent company permanently closed all its locations in 2020 during bankruptcy proceedings.
The upcoming restaurant is expected to open in Fountain Valley in 2027, according to a Sweet Tomatoes Instagram post.
The company has not yet disclosed the exact location of the new restaurant. Souplantation previously operated a location at 11179 Talbert Ave. in Fountain Valley, which closed during the pandemic.
While the California Souplantation will be the first location to reopen since the 2020 bankruptcy, the Sweet Tomatoes brand has been gradually returning to the market since 2024.
A company called ST Three LLC acquired the intellectual property rights out of the 2020 bankruptcy and revived the brand. It opened the first Sweet Tomatoes restaurant in Tucson, Arizona, in 2024, followed by another location in Fort Myers, Florida, in 2026.
Souplantation’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy and restaurant closures
Garden Fresh Restaurants Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2016, reporting between $1 million and $10 million in assets and between $1 million and $10 million in liabilities. At the time, the company operated roughly 123 to 130 restaurants across 15 states.
As part of the restructuring, Garden Fresh Restaurants closed between 20 and 30 underperforming locations across the Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes brands.
In early 2017, Garden Fresh Restaurants’ assets were sold to Cerberus Capital Management. The company emerged from bankruptcy with approximately 90 to 104 restaurants.
Garden Fresh Restaurants filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2020 as the pandemic severely disrupted the restaurant industry, particularly businesses that relied on self-service dining.
The filing led the company to liquidate its assets and close all 97 of its remaining restaurants.
All-you-can-eat buffets struggle
Souplantation’s planned return comes as traditional all-you-can-eat buffet chains continue to face significant challenges.
I recently reported for TheStreet that Golden Corral has closed at least six restaurants in 2026 across six states and has significantly reduced its footprint over the last several years.
Here’s some of my previous coverage on more restaurant closures:
- Mexican chain closes all remaining locations after 22 years
- Popular restaurant chain closes all locations after 55 years
- Popular Mexican chain closing all locations after Chapter 11 rescue
Buffets LLC, the parent company of Old Country Buffet, HomeTown Buffet, Ryan’s, and Furr’s, operated about 90 restaurants before the pandemic, but nearly all of its locations closed during Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring, according to Dealroom.co.
Even the popular buffets in Las Vegas have struggled. In 2019, approximately 70 buffets operated on the Las Vegas Strip, but only about half a dozen remain today, according to The New York Times.
Since the pandemic, economic uncertainty, changing consumer habits, and high food, labor, and operating costs have continued to challenge the model.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Associate Professor of Hospitality Amanda Belarmino told Marketplace that consumers’ eating habits and attitudes toward buffets have changed over time.
“All-you-can-eat restaurants aren’t as appealing to people anymore because of the rise of weight-loss medications like GLP-1s and because people have become more health-conscious,” said Belarmino.
The decline of traditional buffets has left fewer options for consumers who enjoy the all-you-can-eat format. Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes, however, have a somewhat different proposition than many traditional buffet chains, with an emphasis on salads, soups, fresh-made dishes, and other lighter options.
That positioning could give the revived brands an opportunity to appeal to consumers looking for a different type of all-you-can-eat dining experience as the company works to rebuild the chain.
Related: All-you-can-eat buffet chain shuts down restaurants after decades
