Golden Corral Closes Locations – What That Means for Louisiana Buffet Fans

(KMDL-FM) Should we start putting family dining eateries on the endangered species list? It seems more and more dining destinations such as TGI Fridays, Red Lobster, Denny's, Boston Market, Bennigan's, and others have either had to close up entirely or reduce the number of locations and employees. Could America's #1 Buffet and Grill, Golden Corral, soon suffer a similar fate?

grilled meat on stainless steel tray

The truth is, Golden Corral already has. The popular buffet-style restaurant has recently announced the closure of six locations around the country. The reasons given for each location's shutdown have spanned multiple issues across the brand's footprint.

Why Is Golden Corral Closing Locations?

Namely, Golden Corral, like a lot of other businesses in the food service industry, is facing higher rents for its current locations. They are still facing staffing challenges left over from the COVID pandemic. And the cost of doing business is going up and up. Namely, the cost of food for a buffet-style business plan is a major cost to consider.

a woman standing behind a counter in a restaurant

Golden Corral currently operates nine Louisiana locations among its 330+ actively operating stores. The states with the most Golden Corral locations are Texas, Florida, and North Carolina. The Louisiana locations are in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Houma, Kenner, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and West Monroe.

READ MORE: New Restaurants Opening in Lafayette This Month

The locations that were quietly shuttered this year were in Texas, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, and Ohio. Again, the reasons for the closure of each location were varied depending on the specific details related to those particular stores.

Lance Trenary is the CEO of Golden Corral, and while the path forward might be a bit bumpy, based on his comments to FSR Magazine, you can get a feel for what the Golden Corral game plan is going to be.

a buffet line with a variety of appetizers

In a nutshell, Trenary says the brand won't back down on quality despite higher food costs. The brand's strategy seems to be, let's give the people what they want, and they will come get it. Golden Corral plans to offer some 150 freshly made items every day.

How Often Do Loyal Guests Visit a Golden Corral Buffet?

A loyal Golden Corral customer drops by on average 1.5 times per week. That works out to about 70 visits per year. The issue isn't that Golden Corral diners aren't showing up; it's more that they are not showing up nearly as often. This is where the strategy of offering value over perceived affordability will come into play.

We all know that people will pay for value, and if the perception is that the servings are nicely sized and the price isn't outrageous, people will come for the fabulous selection.

Are Any Louisiana Golden Corral Locations on the Closure List?

Google Maps/Google Streetview

This bodes well for fans of Golden Corral in Louisiana. Based on our searches and inquiries, we can find no evidence of any major corporate plan involving the shuttering of any of the nine Golden Corrals in Louisiana. In fact, many articles reference the brand's plan to expand and create a smaller version of its larger restaurants.

READ MORE: Louisiana's Best All You Can Eat Buffets

That could mean even more locations where those honey butter yeast rolls, crispy fried chicken, signature sirloin steaks, golden delicious shrimp, and banana pudding are served at a fair price in an all-you-can-eat environment.

And speaking of eating, which we do a lot, here is a list of other restaurants in the area that you have told us give you the most value for your dining dollar.