There’s something so appealing about cafeteria-style dining. Maybe it’s the ability to pile your plate as high as you like, or the seemingly endless variety of food spread out in front of you. Regardless of the reason, buffets have remained an important aspect of American dining, resulting in great buffets all across the country rising up throughout the years.
The convenience and cheap pricing of buffets is part of what led chains such as Old Country Buffet to success. However, for Old Country Buffet, it wasn’t enough. In the end, the parent company of the chain, Fresh Acquisitions, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021. This didn’t come about suddenly. Despite the chain’s success throughout the years, issues with quality, foodborne illness, and closures plagued Old Country Buffet before Fresh Acquisitions ultimately had to file for bankruptcy. All these issues combined with the COVID-19 pandemic and made it near impossible for Old Country Buffet to ever recover. While some still express nostalgia for the chain online, it has since joined the ranks of discontinued chain buffets we’ll never see again.
The downfall of Old Country Buffet
Old Country Buffet had 600 locations across America at one point and didn’t show any signs of slowing down. However, trouble began to rear its head in 2008 when the chain’s then-parent company, Buffets LLC, filed for bankruptcy for the first time. Luckily, Old Country Buffet actually managed to recover, but it wasn’t the last time the chain would face struggles — Buffets LLC filed for bankruptcy again in 2012.
Somehow, the chain managed to bounce back again, but trouble struck once more in 2014 in the form of a lawsuit: A Nebraska couple filed for damages after the husband was poisoned with Salmonella. It wasn’t made clear what specifically caused the bacteria, but chances are it was one of several foods you should steer clear of at buffets, such as seafood. The couple won the case, receiving almost $11.4 million in damages. Buffets LLC filed for bankruptcy a third time in 2016, but Old Country Buffet managed to hold on until BBQ Holdings purchased Fresh Acquisitions in 2021 and, ultimately, laid the franchise to rest.
