Retail Watchers

Ovation Brands, which owns a number of buffet restaurant brands including Old Country Buffet, Hometown Buffet, Ryan's and several others, abruptly closed down 74 underperforming restaurants yesterday with no advance notice, leading employees to arrive at work to find a closed sign on the door. I have not been able to find a list of locations that got closed, but theuy seem to be scattered around the country. As far as I know, none of the local Old Country Buffets here are affected.

I can never tell what's going on with this company. It seems like bankruptcies are a regular thing, and you just get the feeling that they keep circling the drain but never quite go completely down the tubes.

The main problem this company has faced is ownership changes. The company started out as several specific companies: Ryans, Old Country Buffet, and so on. They merged into a company called Buffets, Inc. That filed for bankruptcy and closed multiple locations. Then came Ovation, who went under, and sold out to another company, who has also filed. There's no consistency in this company.

I know of two for sure: Longview, TX (Ryan's) and Pineville, LA (Ryan's). The latter was featured in an episode of Undercover Boss, where an employee was promoted to management for her efforts in the location.

It's hard to tell for sure, but Ryan's locations seem to be the vast majority of the closures I've heard of. In general, I find Old Country Buffet to be pretty mediocre compared to other buffet places (especially Chuck-A-Rama, but they seem to be limited only to Utah and one Idaho location) but they have little competition around here, so we do end up there every so often.

Brian Lutz wrote:It's hard to tell for sure, but Ryan's locations seem to be the vast majority of the closures I've heard of. In general, I find Old Country Buffet to be pretty mediocre compared to other buffet places (especially Chuck-A-Rama, but they seem to be limited only to Utah and one Idaho location) but they have little competition around here, so we do end up there every so often.

two Idaho locations

Here's the full list of closures:
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/p ... osings.pdf (link now repaired)

SamSpade wrote:

Brian Lutz wrote:It's hard to tell for sure, but Ryan's locations seem to be the vast majority of the closures I've heard of. In general, I find Old Country Buffet to be pretty mediocre compared to other buffet places (especially Chuck-A-Rama, but they seem to be limited only to Utah and one Idaho location) but they have little competition around here, so we do end up there every so often.

two Idaho locations

Here's the full list of closures:
http://www.bizjournals.com/twinc.../pdf ... osings.pdf

That link isn't working.

I used to like the Old Country Buffet, later Home Town Buffet, in Vancouver, WA. Last time I ate there, it was nearly $40 for my mother and I. They resorted to a gimmick where they charge separately for a beverage which is driving the price up...that used to be included. The quality of the food is acceptable but not overly great. Certainly not good enough to justify that kind of pricing. I have had better food at Denny's.

That link still looks to be an older closings list (since it mentions dates in January) plus at least one in this area (Pittsfield MA) that closed is not on the list.

That one didn't make a lot of sense to stay the last time around (which is probably the lists in the link) as it was kind of "separate" as the other remaining MA locations were eastern, and the nearest locations were in CT (and still 75 miles or so away) after the couple on the NY side of the border had also closed.

As a result of multiple Sacro closures,Citrus Heights(which my family often goes to)is the lone local one remaining.Perhaps the one non-surprise among the local closures is in the same Country Club Plaza which will soon lose its last department store when Macys closes in April(the old JCP/Gottschalks is being converted to a Winco).The last remaining restaurant in that center is now a freestanding Woodys or Red Robin.

the hometown buffet in clovis just closed yesterday!!! they need to upgrade the quality of food served in the restaurants or sell the remaining locations to golden corral or some other chain

ovation brands was sold to food management partners who is known for closing deadweight locations, they have now closed two tahoe joe's restaurants, the original one at shaw/marks in fresno and the pleasant hill location has closed.

reymann wrote:ovation brands was sold to food management partners who is known for closing deadweight locations, they have now closed two tahoe joe's restaurants, the original one at shaw/marks in fresno and the pleasant hill location has closed.

FMP's portfolio looks like a Who's Who of Who Was list in the restaurant business:

• Hometown Buffet
  Ryan's
  Old Country Buffet/Country Buffet
  Furr's
  Coco's
  Carrow's
  Don Pablo's

And divested interest in three others:

• Buffalo Wild Wings
  Smashburger
  Little Caesars

Also, they list Ryan's as being 44 locations now. They once numbered over 300!