Souplantation-style restaurant opens in Southern California

A new restaurant in Southern California aims to bring back the fond memories of Souplantation by offering a similar all-you-can-eat experience.

The family-run restaurant called “Soup ‘n Fresh” is located in Rancho Cucamonga and is heavily inspired by the popular buffet chain that shuttered during the pandemic.

Long lines of excited diners were seen trailing out the door and around the parking as the restaurant held a soft opening on Feb. 28.

Photos and videos flooded social media showing eager visitors excited to once again enjoy their favorite soups and salads.

Soup ‘n Fresh opened up in a space that formerly housed a Souplantation located on Foothill Boulevard and Vineyard Avenue.

The restaurant’s appearance and setup appear very similar to Souplantation’s, where diners begin by creating a large salad with a wide array of toppings before entering the main dining hall.

Patrons were seen enjoying a variety of all-you-can-eat soups, pasta, focaccia pizza, baked goods, drinks, baked and sweet potatoes, desserts and more.

The seating appeared to be similar to Souplantation with an open-concept dining room featuring a bright interior and plenty of booth and table options.

Souplantation, which was also known as Sweet Tomatoes in other states, was founded in San Diego in 1978.

Fans of the buffet chain were heartbroken when parent company Garden Fresh Restaurants announced it would close all 97 restaurants, including 44 in California, on May 8, 2020.

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The restaurants’ closure was a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic after the Food and Drug Administration put out recommendations for discontinuing self-serve stations.

“The regulations are understandable, but unfortunately, it makes it very difficult to reopen,” said John Haywood, chief executive of Garden Fresh, at the time.

The move would prove fatal, not only to Souplantation, but across state borders, shuttering many iconic buffets on the Las Vegas strip.

In April 2020, the FDA said retailers should “discontinue operations such as salad bars, self-service buffets or beverage service stations that require customers to use common utensils or dispensers” which marked the death knell for Souplantation, Haywood said.

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The company began auctioning off restaurant items online such as tables, chairs, ovens, silverware, soda machines and even their famous trays to be repurposed for use in other venues.

As the years went by, fans had not given up hope that one day their beloved Souplantation would reopen once again.

Then, a glimmer of hope came on Feb. 26, 2024 when the company announced it would be opening a new Sweet Tomatoes location in Tucson, Arizona and was looking to hire team members.

“We’re baaaaaack!” the company wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “We missed everyone so much! If you’re local to the Tucson area and would like to join our team, click the link in our bio to apply!”

The new location is expected to open by the end of March 2024.

In the meantime, family-owned ventures such as Soup ‘n Fresh in SoCal and Dollie’s Soup & Salad in Sandy, Utah are keeping the fandom alive for diners looking to recapture the experience of their Souplantation days.

Soup ‘n Fresh’s official opening date is slated for April 2. In the meantime, the restaurant will remain open to diners as the owners are eager to receive feedback on the food and overall experience.

One of the restaurant’s co-owners said on social media that they’ve been quite busy with customers since opening.

Soup ‘n Fresh is located at 8966 Foothill Blvd. Rancho Cucamonga. It opens Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Prices are:

• Adult lunch – $16.99

• Adult dinner – $18.99

• Child ages 4-8 – $8.99

• Child ages 9-12 – $10.99

• Senior lunch – $14.99

• Senior dinner – $16.99

• Drinks – $3.29

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