Sweet Tomatoes, the popular all-you-can-eat salad buffet chain, is finally making its long-awaited comeback after closing all its locations in 2020. The first restaurant is set to reopen its doors in Tucson, Arizona in early March 2024, marking the start of a potential nationwide return.
Sweet Tomatoes, along with its sister brand Souplantation, filed for bankruptcy in May 2020 due to the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the restaurant industry. The closure of all 97 locations left fans shocked, prompting an outpouring of support and nostalgia on social media.
The chain had locations in the West, and Southwest, doing particularly well in California, Florida, and Arizona.
In March 2023, news emerged that Sweet Tomatoes was planning a comeback under new ownership. The Tucson location will serve as a test site, offering the familiar all-you-can-eat buffet experience with the beloved menu fans know and love. The restaurant will sport a revamped interior with a fresh look, but the core concept of customizable salads, pizzas, pastas, and desserts will remain unchanged.
The success of the Tucson location will determine the future of the brand. If all goes well, it could pave the way for the reopening of additional Sweet Tomatoes restaurants across the country.
The return of Sweet Tomatoes could also be seen as a sign of recovery for the restaurant industry, particularly the buffet segment, which was hit hard during the pandemic. With safety measures likely in place and potential adjustments to the buffet model, Sweet Tomatoes aims to cater to a post-pandemic dining landscape.
Another restaurant chain lost to time is Steak and Ale, but like Sweet Tomatoes, recent news confirms, the steak-centric brand is also scheduled to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of their former glory. Steak and Ale met their maker in 2008, so it’s been quite a while for the popular chain, so long that many likely forget it even existed.
The first location is set to open in Minnesota, this April.
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