The coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for restaurants across the board. But the pandemic may spell the end for one genre of restaurant in particular: buffets.
Buffets were already on shaky footing. From 1998 to 2017, the number of buffet restaurants decreased by 26% while the number of overall restaurants
grew by 22%, according to The NPD Group, a market research company. Old Country Buffet's parent company, Ovation Brands, filed for bankruptcy
three times in the last twenty years. Ponderosa/Bonanza Steakhouse's parent company, formerly Metromedia Steakhouse, went
bankrupt in 2008, eventually
selling the buffet brand to FAT Brands in 2017.
Why have buffets suffered so much in the last two decades? There are several possible factors. One is that at the turn of the millennium, Americans began a shift away from quantity and toward quality when it comes to food. "Super Size Me" and "Fast Food Nation" forced Americans to confront their fast-food habits — and their growing waistlines. Nutrition has become more of a concern when choosing where to eat, and in the 2000s, fast-food chains struggled to climb back into vogue while the farm-to-table movement flourished...…...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/foodanddr...them-a-final-blow/ar-BB13DK4a?ocid=spartanntp