The all-you-can-eat buffet chain Souplantation abruptly closed all of its 97 locations in May 2020, two months after COVID-19 swept the country.
Read more Man with a gun and knife is fatally shot by security at Nashville federal courthouse, police say
It was believed at the time that the pandemic doomed that way of dining out, which was already losing customers.
But the brand didn’t entirely vanish. This week its sister brand, Sweet Tomatoes, announced on social media that Souplantation will be coming back to Fountain Valley next year.
An Instagram post reads, “The wait is almost over, California,” accompanied by a video with the year 2027 flashing in red numerals.
The restaurant will return to its old location, 11179 Talbert Ave., after nearly 6½ years, Marlee Lossing, director of corporate affairs for Sweet Tomatoes, wrote in an email.
“The restaurant will be very similar to how our guests remember it. We are giving it a slight facelift inside with updated decor, but the heart of the space remains the same. We are the exact same concept, and the best part is, all the recipes are the same.”
Souplantation restaurants featured long self-serve buffet lines with a variety of salads. After customers paid up, they could access soup, bread, pizza and soft drink stations.
Read more Camp Pendleton Marines’ training deployment became a support mission in Strait of Hormuz
The first Souplantation opened in San Diego in 1978. As it grew, the company became Garden Fresh Corp. and it launched Sweet Tomatoes for buffets outside of California.
After its parent company, Garden Fresh Restaurants, was liquidated, ST Three LLC acquired the brands. Sweet Tomatoes now has buffets in Tucson, Ariz., and Fort Myers, Fla.
“We are very selective when picking a potential site location, so it takes time to make sure it’s just right. We came across the opportunity to return to Fountain Valley, and all the pieces came together perfectly. We are thrilled to be returning to California and cannot wait to welcome back our guests,” Lossing wrote.
Sweet Tomatoes’ menu features such familiar items from Souplantation as Joan’s Broccoli Madness, Caesar Asiago, Tuna Tarragon and Wildy Blueberry Muffins, as well as chicken noodle soup, clam chowder and mac and cheese.
Fans fondly remember Souplantation, and one of them, in fact, opened a similar buffet called Soup n’ Fresh in Rancho Cucamonga in 2024. It has been popular, leading to a second location in Chino Hills.
Read more Margaret Hamilton, who led a software team for NASA’s Apollo program, dies at 90
Information: sweettomatoes.com