The buffet is back: A new buffet is coming to Jacksonville's Southside

A new family-style restaurant is bringing two popular cuisines — Chinese and Southern — together at one buffet in Jacksonville.

Chow's Country Buffet is preparing to open at 4250 Southside Blvd. — a former Golden Corral location — near the Tinseltown area.

The buffet will offer more than 150 freshly made dishes ranging from classic Southern-style comfort food such as fried chicken, barbecue and side dishes to Chinese-style stir-fries, noodles and egg rolls.

Owner Evan Chen is working toward a Sept. 1 soft opening of the buffet with the concept described as "where soul food collides with Asian tastes."

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"However, we still have more work to do to prepare and are working with our supply chain to get everything we need to make that time frame," Chen told the Times-Union in an email.

Chen said they're doing a complete remodel, including an all-new interior design, of the 9,534-square-foot restaurant building.

"This is our inaugural location and is the first of its kind … We hope to continue to expand our Southeastern footprint," Chen said.

East meets South buffet

Chen said the restaurant's concept is "offering a diverse selection of fresh Southern style and Chinese food with a homestyle taste."

Traditional Southern dishes will include fried chicken, roast beef, barbecue ribs, fried catfish and all the fixins', such as mashed potatoes, green beans, corn and Mac N' Cheese, Chen said. Among the Chinese offerings will be favorites, such as beef and broccoli, orange chicken, General Tso chicken, sweet and sour pork, fried rice and egg rolls.

"Having more than 150 delicious items on our buffet will provide ample choices for our customers, ensuring that they can indulge in a variety of flavors during their visits," Chen said.

There also will be a variety of salads and fruits plus a selection of homemade desserts.

Chow's Country Buffet also is intended to be a destination for large family gatherings and celebrations of family traditions, he said.

Occasional specials or themed events will be introduced to help attract new and returning customers, he said.

Buffet pricing

Adult lunch prices are listed as $11.49 Monday through Friday and $16.99 Saturday and Sunday, according to the buffet's website. Kids' lunch prices range from free up to $8.99, depending on the child's age.

Adult dinner prices are listed as $15.99 Monday through Thursday and $16.99 Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Kids' dinner prices range from free up to $11.99 depending on the child's age, the website shows. Discounts for seniors and military members will be available.

Still to be finalized, the buffet's hours tentatively will be 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday, according to its website.

Buffets rebounding

Buffets are rebounding nationwide after being hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Locally-owned buffets as well as national chains that survived the pandemic's mandatory shut-downs, capacity caps, social distancing requirements and other restrictions then faced supply chain disruptions, rising food costs and staffing shortages.

Some buffets never reopened.

A Jacksonville landmark for 19 years, Arden's Kountry Kafe — known throughout Northeast Florida for its Southern comfort food buffet — shut its doors permanently on Jan. 4, 2021.

The pandemic with its related loss of business made it impossible to keep the restaurant open, co-owner Arden de Saussure told the Times-Union at that time.

"The restaurant wasn't that profitable. When the pandemic hit, we lost 50 percent of our business," Arden de Saussure said at the time. "We have our loyal customers but the bottom line is we have to pay the bills, and we can do that with our catering business."

Although the restaurant closed, their catering business, Arden's Katering, remained open.

Despite the Southside Boulevard location closure, three Jacksonville-area Golden Corral locations are listed as remaining open: 9070 Merrill Road, 1201 Memorial Park Road and 582 Blanding Blvd. in Orange Park, the company's website shows.

Golden Corral is among the nationwide buffets making a comeback, according to recent reports from CNN, restaurant industry publications and business data analysis firms.

The nation's three largest buffet chains — Golden Corral, Cicis and Pizza Ranch — saw foot traffic increase 125% in March compared to January 2021, CNN reported in May, citing data from Placer.ai.

Buffets began making a comeback in March 2022 as food prices started to rise. The increase in food costs prompted consumers to head to buffets as they sought out more value for their money, CNN reported, citing R.J. Hottovy, the head of analytical research at Placer.

Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on Twitter @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at tstepzinski@jacksonville.com.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Chow's Country Buffet restaurant opening in Southside Jacksonville