VitaNova Brands, based in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, was an operator of a number of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

national

buffet A buffet can be either a sideboard (a flat-topped piece of furniture with cupboards and drawers, used for storing crockery, glasses, and table linen) or a system of serving meals in which food is placed in a public area where the diners serve ...

chain restaurants including subsidiary company

Furr's Furr's (also known as Furr's Cafeteria, Furr's Family Dining, Furr's Fresh Buffet, and Furr's All-You-Can-Eat Marketplace) was a chain of family restaurants in the United States started by Roy Furr. The first location opened in 1946 in Hobbs, New ...

. All of their Old Country Buffet, HomeTown Buffet, Ryan's Buffet, and Curry House locations have closed. The company's restaurants included steak-buffets, as well as steakhouse restaurants with menus that range from grilled-to-order steaks, single-serve dishes, scratch-made soups, entrees and desserts, beverage bars, buffets, chops and grilled seafood, and others. It was previously known as Buffets, Inc. and Ovation Brands.

History

The company was founded by Roe Hatlen and C. Dennis Scott on October 19, 1983, along with Dermot Rowland and

Doron Jensen Doron Richard Jensen (born September 1, 1958) is an American restaurateur who was the principal founder of Timber Lodge Steakhouse, Homestyle Buffet, and Old Country Buffet. Early life Doron Richard Jensen was born in Dubuque, Iowa, to pastors ...

. Rowland and Jensen left in 1986 to start Homestyle Buffet in Clearwater,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Scott left in 1989 to start HomeTown Buffet, but the two chains merged in September 1996. Buffets Inc. in the late 1990s posted a net income of $28.6 million in 1997 and $39.4 million in 1998, on revenues of $808.5 million and $868.9 million, respectively. In 1998, the company increased the number of company-owned restaurants from 360 to 386. Part of this increase came from the acquisition of 11 eating establishments from Country Harvest Buffet Restaurants, Inc., for $5.6 million. On November 1, 2006, Buffets Inc. acquired Ryan's Restaurant Group, adding 340 Ryan's Grill Buffet and Bakery and Fire Mountain Grills locations. On January 22, 2008, Buffets Inc. filed for bankruptcy, under

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

. Although all restaurants were said to be staying open and continuing to operate normally under the then-current reorganization plan, the company called for the immediate closing of 52 stores nationwide, effective February 12, 2008. The final day of normal business operations in these stores, as well as the announcement of closing to all team members in said stores, took place the previous day. On April 28, 2009, Buffets Inc. emerged from Chapter 11 reorganization with reduced debt along with a new Board of Directors. On January 18, 2012, Buffets, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection again. This involved the immediate closure of 81 restaurants throughout the country and recapitalizing in an agreement with its lenders that would convert debt into a controlling equity stake. On March 7, 2016, Ovation Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after closing dozens of locations. The bankruptcy was blamed on a lawsuit that had not been disclosed when the current owner bought the businesses in August 2015. The landlord of 16 of Ovation's locations sued the company in February after the closure of 8 of those units. Buffets LLC, which is an affiliate of Food Management Partners, paid an undisclosed amount in August 2015 for Old Country Buffet, Ryan's, Fire Mountain and Tahoe Joe's, in addition to HomeTown. According to court documents, 150 restaurants that were operated by those chains were part of the bankruptcy filing. According to a court filing by Ovation, the company had $186.3 million in liabilities and $160.2 million in assets. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, all of the buffet-style restaurants closed in March 2020. Five locations reopened as "AYCE Marketplaces" in summer 2020. As of January 15, 2021, all Old Country, HomeTown, and Ryan's Buffet locations have permanently closed, and nearly all have been auctioned off by Auction Nation.

Chains

Old Country Buffet

After the 2020 Pandemic, Most (some may survive under independent management) Old Country Buffet restaurants have closed. (The parent company Fresh Acquisitions, LLC and Buffets LLC have filed bankruptcy again making the chain non existent. At one time, there were more than 600 Old Country Buffet restaurants.

HomeTown Buffet

At one time, there were more than 250 restaurants open under the HomeTown Buffet brand, primarily in the West Coast and Northeast regions. In the late 1990s, several restaurants rebranded from Old Country Buffet to HomeTown Buffet when the two chains merged.

Ryan's Buffet and Grill/Ryan's Restaurant Group

Ryan's was founded by Alvin A. McCall in 1977. It was acquired by Buffets, Inc. on November 1, 2006. Some of its accolades include being one of the "Best Small Companies in America" seven consecutive years, and named "Top Family Steakhouse in America" for 10 consecutive years. Ryan's Restaurants once had more than 400 locations primarily in the South and Midwest. The last one to close was a location in 988 Goodman Rd, Horn Lake, MS 38637 that has been replaced by a

Golden Corral Golden Corral is an American restaurant chain which offers an all-you-can-eat buffet and grill. It is a privately held company headquartered in the U.S. city of Raleigh, North Carolina, with locations in 43 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. History ...

Other restaurants

* Tahoe Joe's Famous Steakhouse has three locations in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. * Curry House had nine locations in

, until they were shut down without notice on February 24, 2020.

References

External links

* *
www.Buffet.com/ Buffet Website

Old Country Buffet Website

HomeTown Buffet Website

Ryan's Website

Tahoe Joe's Website
{{2008 economic crisis 1983 establishments in Minnesota 2015 mergers and acquisitions Buffet restaurants Restaurants established in 1983 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2012 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021 Restaurant groups in the United States Private equity portfolio companies Companies based in San Antonio