Depending on who you talk to, Old Country Buffet is dead — or has, at least, seen much better days. In fact, some say the pandemic isn’t what’s killing Old Country Buffet, rather it’s just an ancient relic that just hasn’t adapted to modern times yet.
Restaurant Business Online exemplifies Old Country Buffet and other buffet style brands are handled in the modern world. When buying the company that owned both Old Country Buffet and steakhouse chain Tahoe Joe’s, the buyer, Famous Dave’s, admitted he was only interested in Tahoe Joe’s. They described Old Country Buffet and the other buffet restaurants he had acquired as just “throwaways” – useless trinkets thrown away with a bankruptcy purchase. The reason for the collapse of the buffet market, says Restaurant Business, is lack of attention, neglect and poor operating choices.
RestaurantClicks elaborates, noting that Old Country Buffet just hasn’t caught up with what the modern customer wanted. While huge portions of inexpensive food may have appealed to an older generation, modern diners have different expectations. High-end dining experiences began to appeal to people much more than the promise of eating huge amounts of food for a relatively cheap price.
Still, wouldn’t the idea of more food for less money always be an attractive option, especially with food prices peaking? Could Old Country Buffet and other buffet restaurants still manage to save themselves?
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