The Stunning Comeback Of Golden Corral Is Almost Unreal

Golden Corral was on the verge of collapse when COVID hit - but with a little improvisation, and one very viral moment, the buffet chain made a comeback you have to see to believe.
#GoldenCorral #Buffet #Restaurants
Golden Steer | 0:00
Limitless potential meals | 1:34
The peak and decline | 2:22
COVID-19 uncertainty | 3:22
Ability to improvise | 4:28
Unhappy employees | 5:31
Fewer competitors | 6:49
Franchise incentive program | 8:08
Gateway | 9:19
Going viral | 10:26
Looking ahead | 11:06
Voiceover by: Allie James
Read full article: bit.ly/3VX59em

[@MashedFood]

What do you think of the food at Golden Corral?

[@catw6998]

I never had a problem with the food. However, sometimes the pans that the food was in were many times empty. My spouse was wondering if they were going to get beer.

[@philoctetes_wordsworth]

Garbage. Terrifying. Nowhere I have ever been by choice.👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

[@DavidMcGowan3]

The people who know Golden Corral's food quality is bad, will not waste their time watching this video. 😃

[@spencerjohnson3416]

I find Golden Corral to serve the best of many foods from the produce section, including honeydew, cantaloupe, and the Caesar salad ingredients. Even the cheeseburger sliders and pizza slices tasted amazing to the point that Golden Corral would give many burger and pizza joints a run for the money.

[@user-ro4tk4ci8s]

food sucks

[@nickynapier6461]

I work at the golden corral in London KY and it opened May 30th 2023 and it has been remodeled from back to front. The food is amazing and our customers keep coming back because of those reasons. I'll always back my store our team is awesome our food is awesome and I love it myself.

[@CP2793]

I wish old country buffet would make a comeback

[@barrybailey5177]

I was just thinking the same thing!!

[@CP2793]

@barrybailey5177 great minds think alike

[@rogerrosen2323]

yes we had one in levitown they may still be in suffolk co new york they used coupons

[@rogerrosen2323]

@@barrybailey5177 market buffets is 12 a pound here chinese 7yo9 a lb here ny

[@AndyJay1985]

Me too. I want a carving guy to talk to me and tell me I'm going to be OK.

[@mosessupposes2571]

The Golden Corral in Lawton Oklahoma is fantastic. They have had substantially the same staff for several decades and they’re so busy that the food is constantly fresh. They also fix huge mobile buffets and take them out to the Army artillery soldiers who are “in the field” on the firing ranges. Corporate citizens like that don’t come along just every day. Kudos

[@marcbayarea1980]

Same with the OKC locations.

[@lukecat3825]

We lost our local one and I always enjoyed eating there. I have visited one in Orlando and it was so nice to eat there again. Such a great variety of good common foods

[@hannahgraham6487]

Are you by chance in Largo? Bc same

[@yvettemonique4330]

It's so funny because my husband and I just decided hey lets get married on a Saturday so on Monday morning we went to the court house did the whole I do's and by noon we finished the process and we said well both of us took the whole day off from work ummmm let's go get the kids from daycare and go eat at golden corral I guess 😂😂

[@hannahgraham6487]

That’s so adorable

[@yvettemonique4330]

@@hannahgraham6487 thank you 😊

[@skywalker39100]

My Favorite Buffet!😊

[@Alverant]

I'm glad it's doing better. I don't get to go often, but I like their sliders and chicken tenders.

[@oldguy2082]

I eat there for the senior early bird between 2-4 pm M-F, its a good value and I can make up a salad exactly the way I want. Avoid over eating and your waistline will be just fine. Decent salad bar and can just enough protein to avoid getting too high on salt, fat and calories.

[@Phillipnoogen]

I miss hometown buffet. Their Mac and cheese and fries were dank. I would put fries on top of it to make it cheesy fries but they changed it to waffles fries pre pandemic and that killed for me

[@user-wx7dd9gc6j]

Yeah dude the cheese 🧀 and fries 🍟 are dank 😮😮

[@barrybailey5177]

Open the Old Country Buffet again!!!

[@rogerrosen2323]

no we have a global buffet now seems ok more on sundays where ocb was before in levitown ny went there before

[@RealBron03]

i miss Old Country

[@spencerjohnson3416]

Somehow I really cannot disagree. Either a relative on my father's side has contributed to the entrepreneurship behind Old Country Buffet, or this relative just knows the entrepreneurs very well.

[@rogerrosen2323]

@@spencerjohnson3416 i think there is still a ocb in bayshore new york

[@josephm8294]

I like the idea of the new Homeward restaurant design to add to their company image. It makes sense.

[@eric00214]

In the 80s i lived in North Carolina and back then Golden Corral was a fairly decent steakhouse. They reinvested themselves as a massive chain buffet. So they have shown to be pretty resilient in the past

[@Blake22022]

Golden Corral slaps, got a great salad bar, decent variety and quality of food and tons of desserts

[@spderman123]

not really its a hit n miss mostly miss lol

[@kennethscalir3092]

I live in Los Angeles, California, and there are still NO Golden Coral locations within the official city limits of Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. I guess I do not see the comeback here locally. I wish Golden Coral would take over some of the closed Hometown Buffet and/or Souplantation locations

[@cindylin2474]

There’s a Golden Coral in Rowland Heights which is part of LA County.

[@markgelinas8114]

Wish we would get Golden Corral back in our area.

[@rossdevin9799]

I always thought it was the greatest all you can eat place open. I live in watertown Wisconsin and since Ponderosa closed their doors we haven't had a good all you can eat place at all. Wish they could open one here and there are alot of open spots for them, i have never had a bad experience at a golden coral. Great service and very clean environment.

[@peterdelestrez8880]

Hope the one in Carbondale IL reopens.

[@karlpark8575]

I just love Golden Corral! I always eat there whenever I'm visiting Florida.

[@jimmyPOUFAJones]

Great Place if it's busy, if not old food everywhere.............Good salad Bar

[@DavidMcGowan3]

The first Golden Corral near me was a steakhouse, similar to Western Sizzlin, Bonanza, Lone Star & Western Steer. Golden Corral's quality as a steakhouse started going down. So Golden Corral added a buffet bar while offering steaks cooked to order. Eventually the steaks cooked to order was removed and the buffet bar offerings was expanded. Golden Corral's quality suffered even more.

[@slewone4905]

i went to one a month ago, It was crowded.

[@dougsinthailand7176]

That’s why nobody goes there. 😜

[@mosessupposes2571]

@@dougsinthailand7176It sounds like a lot of people go there 😂

[@user-wx7dd9gc6j]

It was crowded? 😮😮😮oh wow you don't say😮😅😂

[@petrosaguilar8916]

The gateway design is a great idea. Gives s more upscale cleaner atmosphere.

[@motorizedlifting2534]

They are my favorite restaurant. I worked there back in the day and loved it. I hope they thrive!

[@phillipsmith5415]

You must have low expectations.

[@motorizedlifting2534]

@@phillipsmith5415 you must be fat, no profile pic Bobby

[@mosessupposes2571]

@@phillipsmith5415 You sound foolish

[@phillipsmith5415]

@mosessupposes2571 must have hurt your feelings, I guess you are a fan of the Corral too.

[@tonyOn1ce]

People love a good buffet. I was sad to see Soup Plantation close but its good to know some buffet are still around.

[@trickrunner4842]

I’m here right now

[@user-wx7dd9gc6j]

How is it trick??😮😮

[@phillipsmith5415]

I quit going to Golden Corral food is always cold over half the employees can't speak English, food is never replinsed if you make the mistake of going after 7 pm. Kids under age playing and running around and messing and touching just about everything on the dessert bar. All the employees seem to be in a bad mood. I would like for the CEO OR A Supervisor go into one of their locations unannounced after 7 pm and check it out. But I don't really care what they do because I am done with Golden Corral just wanted to give my reason why.

[@machobandzsavage281]

Are you on your period Karen. Blah! Blah! Whine whine!

[@engeldernacht41]

A brand new golden corral just opened a month ago in my city. They have balloons and signs that read "the world's newest golden corral". Good food! But no they don't server hot wings as the thumbnail suggests.

[@user-wx7dd9gc6j]

And what city is that??😮😮please tell😮😮

[@theresawilliamson433]

We lost 2 Golden Corral locations in Johnson County Texas. They were our "go to" restaurnts because our family could go find something they wanted to eat all at one place. Will you bri g it back ro us? Our town in Cleburne, Te as is saturated with Mexican food, chicken, pizza locations. I want vegetables, not just salad, fried catfish, roast and steak, not just hamburgers.

[@MrJ-dc3yz]

Cvid took out GC competition in most of the country but here in Vegas you got options.

[@catw6998]

@@MrJ-dc3yz they closed our racing and gaming casino, called Epic Buffet :(.

[@user-wx7dd9gc6j]

You HAVE options...we don't say you got options😮😮😅😂

[@junewilson-clinton2550]

I really wish they would reopen the one in Monroeville,Pa

[@rileyxbell]

Sweet Tomatoes is my all time favorite buffet. They were a slightly healthier option years back when most restaurants weren't going that route yet. The quality of their soup and salads were incredible, far better than Golden Corral and Old Country Buffet in my opinion. It's a shame that they closed all their Midwest locations. I hope they make a comeback too at some point. Would love to go there again.

[@-Eagles]

With the inflation we are experiencing, I am surprised there are no other buffets taking advantages of opening new ones

[@jihanpouncy700]

I miss buffets. Ponderosa, Old Country,Quincy etc. Those were the days... Lucky we still have Golden Corral

[@berri5769]

it’s the only buffet left in my area besides chinese food buffet. we have travel an hour from los angeles to get to this buffet. i miss hometown buffet since it had way more locations

[@DB-cx6cb]

❤❤❤Okeechobee, Florida has a Golden Corral and we ❤it! Eat there more than 5 times a week. Especially when grocery prices are ridiculous!

[@user-tx4yn7en9u]

I once ate so much at Golden Corral that I threw up as I was walking out of the restaurant... on my way to the parking lot. it was probably one of the most embarrassing moments in my life.

[@erich6860]

Golden Corral is a good deal. The food is made well and the price is right. Frankly I'm not sure why anyone who works or lives around a golden corral would go to a fast food place for lunch. The price cost about as much as a big mac meal, and it is real food.

[@MaletteMarion]

I love Golden Corral -I normally visit when I go south. I feel their fired chicken & fish is the best.

[@Mutt1952]

I think the price is too high as a senior citizen the price is to high for me

[@angelawilliams1114]

Please bring the buffet back to Broward County ❤😊

[@janicetilley5540]

Like with any other chain restaurant, it depends on which one you go to. I have eaten at many of these restaurants (Golden Corral) while traveling with groups. Maybe we were lucky, but the food was good( hot food hot, cold food cold ) places were clean (spills cleaned up, tables cleaned after diners left etc) clean bathrooms. Very pleased with the Golden Corrals I have eaten at.

[@citibear57]

I wish we would see more rather than less, buffet choices. I don't know why they think buffet clientele want a healthy meal. We know they aren't healthy, but buffets are a guilty pleasure which provide us with comfort foods we know and love. If you want healthy, go elsewhere. The last thing I want to eat at a buffet are green things that look as if they were picked from the side of a highway.

[@jackiethompson9912]

We went to the one in Akron on Thursday at 4:30 in the afternoon and it was closed.

[@DelbertStinkfester]

When Golden Corral 1st came into my community the food was great and plentiful and fresh. There was a ton of interesting food items and it was clean and the servers were active and prompt. Now after it's been around for a few years it's just like all the other buffets. The place is messy and the variety of food items has gone down by at least 30%. The food is always running out and it's not fresh, there's always crusty stuff on the serving pans and the servers are no where to be found...It's just typical buffet garbage now...except for the breakfast...the breakfast is EPIC!!!

[@user-nh5do8rg2k]

Hope they open the one in Hampton VA back up. Just went to the one in Newport News, a lot of the stations was closed and the price was high. It wasn't worth it, however, still would like to see it in Hampton VA.

[@quazar1498]

Time for Home town buffet, old country buffet, and Ryan’s buffets to come back 🐬

[@VandrewBrown]

Love my golden corral so many good memories for me and my daughter ❤️❤️😍 Americans have to support American restaurants 🙏💪

[@ndwolfwood09]

There are alot of Asian Buffets, but most of the American buffets (Hometown, Boston Market (not a buffet), etc) went out of business. Then Golden Corral is your only other place to go to... but it's like 20mi+ to go to... in SoCal... and it's $20, it's still worth it! While the Asian ones are $25-40 now...

[@Sacto1654]

I'm hoping that Fresh Choice makes a comeback.

[@rvotbeats]

I was 15 when I got high and ate at Golden Corral 😅 Years later the food is not the same think I went again after Covid and they downgraded the quality of food unfortunately 😢🍽️

[@streetfighteringrid2446]

Super China Buffets here in Chicago are all ways busy.

[@boxscorewatcher413]

Golden Corral is the perfect type of dining establishment you take your side piece to. Take your baby mama to the expensive seafood food joints.

[@dangerzone9747]

Correct. I take my girlfriend to Golden Corral, but my wife to expensive restaurants.

[@dougsinthailand7176]

1980? I clearly remember these restaurants in Minnesota in the 1960’s. Maybe it started with smorgasbord?

[@YAZZYUTUBE]

I have never eaten anything at Golden Corral without having explosive diarrhea 30 minutes later. Had to stop going because it was a waste of money to have everything come right out and be hungry all over again.

[@charronrose68]

I love it

[@Dave-zj1zj]

Aren't any in Michigan

[@tiffanymcdougal4234]

More affordable/reasonably priced they said! 😫🤣🤣

[@tiffanymcdougal4234]

It used to be really good in my area! Now there’s only 1/3 in Louisville,Ky and only 1 in southern Indiana. so they are dirty can’t keep up, the staff is rude make you wanna fight rude! on top of that almost being $20 a head!

[@BLACKVIKNGS88]

They got to big, they forgot what is important.

[@MrJPPIZZA]

Before Covid there were 7 within 30 miles from me. 3 closed never reopened. The one 14 miles just closed back in April. The one 6 miles from me that been closed since Covid. 4 years later building still standing. Somebody must be paying electricity bill lights inside still on. Still got 3 locations left.

[@blinddiecast]

freaking ridiculous, $25 for drink and dinner per person lol🥩

[@gaylwolf2650]

Your drink should be included with your meal . Myself I think it’s too pricey .

[@Food4Thought66]

I think the food at Golden Corral is pretty tasty! But the price is fantastic. I can eat whatever I want until I'm full for the price of 1 five guys hamburger.

[@PinkFloyd787]

Where is Ryan’s?

[@KIrvin_The_Scholar]

Country Harvest as well

[@markrichard8460]

I stopped going to Golden Corral because the cost of a dinner buffet now in Florida is over $20 per person, not including a drink.

[@josephcapri1798]

the price continues to rise as fast as the quality of the food and the service decline

[@rogerrosen2323]

white castles is now a ripoff

[@philoctetes_wordsworth]

Is it just me, or does the CEO look like the guy who would push you out of the way, to get to the fresh tray of whatever? Really. He looks like the guy who eats at GC every single day, and the manager hates him, because he puts away so much meat.

[@tiffanymcdougal4234]

It used to be really good in my area! Now there’s only 1/3 in Louisville,Ky and only 1 in southern Indiana. so they are dirty can’t keep up, the staff is rude make you wanna fight rude! on top of that almost being $20 a head 🗣️NO THANK YOU! So we don’t go anymore!

[@user-nh5do8rg2k]

Will Hampton VA open back up?😮

[@TheGent2]

Three seniors, Friday Night: $ 80.00. Not going back.

[@DB-cx6cb]

No way. That’s just a lie.

[@judibickford5306]

As of July 2024, all of the New Jersey Golden Corral Buffets are permanently closed.

[@rogerrosen2323]

yes and trop hotel in ac is closed for good buffet called fiesta good was 20 in am dollars

[@gaylwolf2650]

There’s room for more improvement !

[@TheBlindAndTheBeautiful]

Never... Again! Spokane, WA. A nightmare of a place on cleaning standards and quality. Buffets grose me out unless they are the rather fancy kind where you do not serve yourself and the company has people who serve the foods. They were also really not happy about the fact that I was a blind person and needed help going through

[@kingdominnertia]

I stopped going there when I called in to order but I was told they weren't allowed to take my order over the phone - but I could place a carry out order if I downloaded their app & put my order in through it. -- How Stupid!! That is about as Out of Touch with the REAL World as I can Imagine.-- !! I'm not Installing a Golden Corral App on my phone instead of just using my phone to call & talk directly to the restaurant where I'm ordering my dinner !! Normal people gain valuable information and get valid intuition whether they should or shouldn't order from any given restaurant based on their conversation over the phone with the staff working there. - We need to demand some normalcy in a world of the globaalist tech. #Maranatha

[@catw6998]

Kids that say excuse me and then think that gives them the right to push you aside. Nope.

[@jimmorrison9656]

One here in Ft Worth is filthy and the food sucks.

[@petrosaguilar8916]

The Arlington Heights IL location is one of the new design ones and is very clean and upscale. Food is excellent.

[@loriloristuff]

The Kenosha Golden Corral is a horror show! I appreciate it's kind gestures, especially for Veterans Day, but it has at present lackluster to really bad food. It needs a makeover, stem to stern!

[@starrdowning2554]

we had multiple around us, now there is only one and it is over an hour drive. Not such a big comeback, just barely hanging on before they all go under.

[@corvettesbme]

Buffets not clean. Too much emplyee turnover

[@RoroCruz]

Thank Jehovah God and our lord and Savior Jesus Christ 🙏🏽

[@madbbqer4343]

The narrators vocal fry is horrible and makes this video a hard watch.

[@anthonyclark2873]

I get dressed-up to go to the Coral!

[@greer2402]

I like golden corral but some of the people that go there are gross

[@philoctetes_wordsworth]

11:19 In which American homes are people using deep fat fryolators? No one in my life has ever owned a deep fat fryolator. How are deep fried foods more “home style” than huge pans of macaroni and cheese? Was the buffet NOT focused on home style food? This video is full of fluff. It should have only been 2.5 minutes long.

[@tyheitastewart7571]

Food still nasty

[@4cornershike51]

Theit food is God awful. They went super cheap on quality and raised prices. That's how they "came back".

[@deandredunbar9618]

how much did golden coral pay you for this video

[@dr.raymondstantzph.d.2293]

I think I just got shot at!

[@ronwendt]

the restaurant in rochester ny absolutely sucks !

[@lauriemathews7974]

You got that right.!!

[@mm-yt8sf]

wait...so is the lesson learned that overworking and dropping cleanliness standards is the key to outliving your competition? 🙂

[@charronrose68]

At misery smh

[@williamokeson2154]

I get tired of it. It is the same food over and over. No variety and sorry but the food is not that good...

[@markcollins2666]

At best. it's the same as an Army military mess hall. And the Navy and Air Force eat much better. As an Army veteran, I'd eat there for free, but certainly wouldn't pay for it. Kind of sucks, when all they have left is hot dogs, mac and cheese, and a ravaged salad bar. Face it silly vilians, you're getting lowest bidder ARMY FOOD!!! Is that what you want to feed your family?!?

[@petrosaguilar8916]

Depends on the location. Some have a fresh salad bar with fruit available. Nobody is forcing you to eat processed food.

[@judibickford5306]

Thank you for your service! My late Daddy was Army Special Forces in Vietnam.

[@gm7304]

All you can eat, only adds to the obesity epidemic. I only weigh 110 lbs and I Love IT!

[@bigbeefjoedaddy]

Personal responsibility .