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80 years ago America got its first buffet experience, and for a long time, buffet restaurants were king. I remember visiting Golden Corral as a kid and thinking the buffet was God's gift to me. Much like many other businesses and chains, the Disneyland of the Buffet world could be facing an uphill battle amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Restaurantbuisness.com, on March 25th Golden Corral announced they have temporarily ceased restaurant operations at all 35 company-operated restaurants due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The buffet chain also announced that they furloughed 2,290 employees. Like many other recently unemployed Americans, the Buffet's employees were informed of the changes through a “virtual” meeting with corporate officers and HR present. At that time, the future seemed bleak for the beloved buffet king.

However, since that initial report, Golden Corral has reached out and assured us the company has a bright future ahead. While a few locations have permanently closed their doors, according to a spokesperson for the company, roughly 200 of 454+ restaurants around the country will be back up and running in the near future.

Locally, the Golden Corral on Youree Drive remains temporarily closed. At this time, there is no report on when or if the eatery will resume operations. However other regional locations, including the one in Lufkin Texas, already have or will reopen in the near future.

Click on the button below for an update regarding the future plans of Golden Corral.

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