Restaurant Chain That Closed Years Ago Could Come Back To Buffalo

With the recent news of several popular national chains filing for bankruptcy and closing hundreds locations across the country, it’s shocking to learn that one big brand is actually looking to open more spots; specifically, right here in the Western New York area.

Walgreens, Rite Aid, Red Lobster, TGI Fridays…we sadly could go on and on. Name-brand retail stores and restaurants that have been in Buffalo for years have made headlines for getting into financial distress and suddenly shutting their doors. 

However, one major restaurant chain sees the closing of our Western New York Red Lobster locations as an opportunity to get back in the Buffalo, New York market. 

READ MORE: Popular Chain Restaurant Has Closed These New York Locations

Remember Golden Corral In Western New York?

The popular buffet chain Golden Corral hasn’t had a location in the Western New York area since 2020, when their last restaurant on Transit Road in East Amherst closed for good (it’s now Santora’s Pizza Pub & Grill). 

Known for a massive variety of food at reasonable prices, Golden Corral was a huge hit for families looking to stretch their dollars while still enjoying a meal out. Now, the closest Golden Corral locations are over an hour away from Buffalo in Rochester, New York and Erie Pennsylvania. 

Golden Corral Could Come Back To Buffalo

The chief development officer of Golden Corral, Dave Conklin, told Buffalo Business First that the company sees the recently empty Red Lobster locations in Western New York as an opportunity to get back into the region.

“We would love to look at some of these to convert into Golden Corral.”

He later said the first step is finding the right franchisee to take it on, but once they do that, he’s confident that they’ll be able to quickly find a location (or perhaps more than one) and open here in Buffalo, especially with all of the space available from the recent restaurant closures.  

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That would definitely be a nice thing for all of the service industry workers who lost their gigs from restaurants like Red Lobster closing. Would you be excited to see Golden Corral make a return to Western New York?