Golden Corral Is Closing More Restaurants Than Usual This Year

If a Golden Corral sits on your usual route, you might assume it’ll be there next month.

But this year, you may want to check before you go.

Here’s what’s known so far about Golden Corral closing more restaurants than usual this year, and what it could mean for your next visit.

Reported Closures

Reports gathered by Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN) found that at least seven Golden Corral buffet restaurants closed in 2026, though outlets disagree on the exact total.

Restaurant Dive, citing USA TODAY, reported that the company confirmed at least six closures this year.

Canton, Ohio, started the 2026 list when its restaurant closed on Feb. 1.

Alton, Illinois, followed in late April.

Reports disagree on the last day, April 23 or April 30.

Two more closed in July: Davenport, Iowa, on the 6th and Boynton Beach, Florida, on the 26th.

Boise, Idaho, closed in September.

Brownsville, Texas, closed on Sept. 14.

The latest on the list is Independence, Missouri, where the restaurant closed on Oct. 4.

Men’s Journal counted seven restaurants across seven states over the past nine months.

NRN credits local papers for the dates, including the Canton Repository, the Belleville News-Democrat and the Kansas City Star.

That’s seven on this list, and no restaurant gets everything right.

TheStreet’s roundup counted at least six restaurants in six states.

It lists how long five of them were open: 35 years in Brownsville, 28 in Davenport, 25 in Boise, 24 in Canton and 20 in Boynton Beach.

With closures like these, we’d confirm your Golden Corral is open before you make the drive.

Company’s Explanation

Golden Corral told NRN that there are more closures this year than its normal rate of attrition.

The company says the reasons vary and depend on the individual franchise entities that ran each restaurant.

It told Restaurant Dive that 99 percent of its restaurants are franchisee owned.

The company’s account doesn’t name a single cause.

That means you may hear a different explanation for each restaurant.

TheStreet notes that franchisees haven’t always said why a location closed.

USA TODAY’s roundup of local coverage gives a few reasons.

Boynton Beach’s restaurant closed with the end of its lease and operational shifts.

Brownsville’s franchise owner pointed to required renovations and rising costs, including rent, and TheStreet reports a significant rent increase there.

In Alton, the owners said the restaurant could no longer operate sustainably, and TheStreet also lists severe staffing shortages.

Cases differ.

Pressures Around the Chain

The chain’s restaurant count was already lower: 348 at the end of 2025, down from 362 in 2023, according to Restaurant Dive.

It lost four net franchised locations in 2025.

TheStreet puts the chain at about 350 restaurants across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and Men’s Journal puts it at around 330 in its count.

Restaurant Dive writes that Golden Corral likely faces challenges similar to those of midscale and fine dining concepts, which have declined over the past three years.

Buffets were hit particularly hard during the pandemic, NRN notes.

Interest hasn’t vanished, though: Restaurant Dive notes that Yelp searches for all-you-can-eat buffets nearby rose 252 percent from September 2024 to August 2025.

Restaurant Dive also says consumers increasingly want convenience and speed, citing Datassential.

For context, TheStreet cites federal data showing prices for food away from home up 3.4 percent in the 12 months through August 2026 and beef prices 9.4 percent higher in July than a year earlier.

The chain’s spinoff, Golden Corral Favorites, closed in May, according to TheStreet.

TheStreet also notes that the chain’s largest franchise group, 1069 Restaurant Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020.

Possible Reopenings

As of Oct. 21, 2026, Golden Corral's restaurant locator lists the Independence restaurant as temporarily closed.

A company representative told NRN that several of the affected locations will reopen under new franchisee ownership.

The company told Restaurant Dive it's committed to working with its franchisees to transfer ownership to another franchise entity or to company operations.

A reopened restaurant would run under the same Golden Corral name with a different owner.

New Restaurants in Development

USA TODAY reported that Golden Corral has closed several locations over the past nine months but says it is still growing, with six new restaurants in development.

Two are under construction, in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Kissimmee, Florida.

Four more are in pre-construction, in Baytown, Texas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Spanish Fort, Alabama; and St. Petersburg, Florida.

Restaurant Dive notes that a traditional Golden Corral covers about 11,000 square feet, while newer prototypes run about 8,500 and 6,500 to 7,000 square feet.

The smaller prototypes carry lower operator costs, the report says.

Where Golden Corral Still Has Restaurants

USA TODAY's Oct. 14 article, citing Golden Corral's locator, put Texas first at 47, followed by Florida at 31 and North Carolina at 26.

Georgia had 18, California 17 and Virginia 14, with Illinois, Indiana and Ohio at 12 each.

Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee had nine apiece, and Oklahoma had eight.

Alabama and Arizona had seven, and Colorado, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin had six.

Michigan and Mississippi had five, and Arkansas, Kansas, New Mexico, New York, Puerto Rico and Utah had four.

Washington had three, and Nebraska, Nevada and West Virginia had two.