Souplantation, the once-popular all-you-can-eat buffet chain that disappeared during the pandemic, is preparing to return to California in 2027. Its comeback follows two bankruptcies, the closure of 97 restaurants, and six years without a location operating under the Souplantation name.
Souplantation Plans Its California Comeback in 2027
According to TheStreet, Souplantation is expected to open a new restaurant in Fountain Valley, California, in 2027, marking the brand’s first reopening since its former parent company shut down every location in 2020.
The planned opening was announced through a Sweet Tomatoes Instagram post, although the company has not disclosed the restaurant’s exact address or a specific opening date.
Fountain Valley previously had a Souplantation restaurant at 11179 Talbert Avenue, which closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. There has been no confirmation that the new location will occupy the same property.
For Southern California diners, the announcement brings back a familiar restaurant name. Souplantation built its following around an unlimited self-service format that emphasized fresh salads, soups, baked goods, and lighter meals rather than the meat-heavy selections commonly associated with traditional buffets.
Founded in 1987, the concept operated as Souplantation primarily in Southern California and as Sweet Tomatoes across much of the rest of the country. The business was incorporated as Garden Fresh Corp. in 1989.
Its California return is part of a broader effort to revive both restaurant brands.
Souplantation confirms plans for secret California comeback https://t.co/1PfdE5zvWF https://t.co/qhllC30SCS
— SFGATE (@SFGate) October 6, 2026
Sweet Tomatoes Has Already Reopened Restaurants in Two States
Although Souplantation has remained absent from California since 2020, its sister brand has begun rebuilding a smaller restaurant network.
Following the liquidation of Garden Fresh Restaurants, ST Three LLC acquired the intellectual property rights to the brands and began pursuing their revival.
The first revived Sweet Tomatoes restaurant opened in Tucson, Arizona, in 2024, four years after the original chain disappeared. A second location followed in Fort Myers, Florida, in 2026.
These openings represent a limited return compared with the chain’s former national presence. Before its final bankruptcy, Garden Fresh operated dozens of restaurants across the United States.
The Fountain Valley announcement signals the next stage of that revival and the first planned return of the Souplantation name to its original Southern California market.
The renewed operation is not a reopening of the former parent company. It is a brand revival under a business that acquired the rights after the original company’s liquidation.
Two Bankruptcies Ended a Nationwide Restaurant Chain
Souplantation’s disappearance followed years of financial difficulties that began well before the pandemic.
In 2016, Garden Fresh Restaurants Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, reporting assets and liabilities each within a range of $1 million to $10 million.
At the time, the company operated approximately 123 to 130 restaurants across 15 states.
The restructuring resulted in the closure of roughly 20 to 30 underperforming Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes locations.
In early 2017, the company’s assets were sold to Cerberus Capital Management, allowing the restaurant business to emerge from bankruptcy with a smaller footprint of approximately 90 to 104 locations.
The chain continued operating until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted restaurant dining across the country.
Self-service buffets faced particular difficulties as public-health restrictions and concerns about shared serving areas complicated their operations.
Garden Fresh Restaurants ultimately filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a liquidation process that ended the business rather than restructuring its debts.
All 97 remaining restaurants closed, bringing an end to the original Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes operation.
Traditional Buffet Chains Continue to Lose Ground
Souplantation’s planned return comes at a difficult time for the broader all-you-can-eat restaurant industry.
According to reporting by TheStreet, Golden Corral has closed at least six restaurants across six states in 2026. The chain has also reduced its overall footprint over the years.
Other established buffet operators have experienced even more extensive losses.
Buffets LLC, which operated Old Country Buffet, HomeTown Buffet, Ryan’s, and Furr’s, had approximately 90 restaurants before the pandemic. Nearly all subsequently closed during bankruptcy restructuring, according to Dealroom.co.
The contraction has also affected Las Vegas, a city historically associated with elaborate all-you-can-eat dining.
According to The New York Times, approximately 70 buffets operated on the Las Vegas Strip in 2019, compared with roughly half a dozen remaining today.
The industry faces several overlapping pressures, including higher food costs, labor expenses, changing dining preferences, and the financial demands of maintaining large selections of prepared food.
Buffet operators must manage these costs while offering customers unlimited portions at a fixed price, a model that can become more difficult to sustain when operating expenses rise.
Changing Eating Habits Are Reshaping the Buffet Business
Consumer behavior presents another challenge for buffet restaurants.
Amanda Belarmino, an associate professor of hospitality at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Marketplace that changing attitudes toward food are influencing the appeal of unlimited dining.
“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.
Her assessment points to a potential shift in what consumers expect from restaurants, particularly as weight-management medications and interest in healthier eating become more prominent.
For traditional buffets built around large portions and extensive hot-food selections, these changing preferences may complicate efforts to attract customers.
Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes, meanwhile, have historically offered a different interpretation of the buffet format.
Their menus centered on salad bars, soups, freshly prepared dishes, and baked goods, allowing diners to choose lighter options while retaining the convenience of unlimited servings.
That distinction may help explain why the brands’ new owners are pursuing a comeback despite the broader industry’s contraction. Whether it translates into sustained demand remains uncertain.
The revival is still small compared with the original chain’s reach. Sweet Tomatoes has reopened restaurants in Arizona and Florida, while Souplantation’s Fountain Valley restaurant is scheduled to open in 2027, with its exact location yet to be announced.
