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Golden Corral Is Making 6 Big Changes in 2026

Golden Corral sees an opening as diners look for more food for their money.

By Amanda Machado , Edited by Calista Headrick

Updated Sept. 13, 2026

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If you are trying to keep more cash in your wallet, getting plenty of food for one price can make a buffet hard to pass up.

Interest in buffet dining is rising, with searches for "all you can eat buffet near me" up 252% year over year. Golden Corral, the nation's largest buffet chain, is trying to cash in on the trend by reinventing and improving its business model to get more diners through the doors.

The chain is making changes on several fronts to bring more diners through the doors.

Here are the biggest moves Golden Corral is making in 2026.

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Opening more restaurants

Golden Corral finished 2025 with 348 restaurants nationwide, down just three from the previous year, but it is now looking for new ways to attract and retain customers. In April, the chain confirmed six new restaurants were in development across the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Two were already under construction in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Kissimmee, Florida. Four more were in the pre-construction phase in Baytown, Texas; St. Petersburg, Florida; Spanish Fort, Alabama; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The company also pointed to recent growth in Fresno, California, and Port Richey, Florida, along with continued development in Puerto Rico.

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Moving into new markets

Rather than simply adding restaurants in the same places it has always operated, Golden Corral is looking for new markets where its value-focused buffet can work.

CEO Lance Trenary said the company wants to expand access to Golden Corral while continuing to invest in existing restaurants and different development formats.

That expansion is happening alongside the chain's attempts to figure out what customers actually want from the Golden Corral brand — something that became clear when it experimented with a different restaurant format.

New buffets will be smaller

The chain has introduced a smaller-footprint prototype as part of a broader development strategy. Its traditional restaurants can be around 11,000 square feet and seat as many as 400 people, while newer designs can be roughly 6,500 to 7,000 square feet with about 250 seats. Another design is around 8,500 square feet.

Golden Corral says the smaller restaurants can still offer its 160-item buffet, but the layout is designed to operate more efficiently in a smaller space.

The newer designs also include dedicated areas for To Go orders, delivery pickups, and weigh-and-pay purchases.

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Exploring nontraditional restaurant locations

Golden Corral is also getting more creative about where it opens. The chain is looking at second-generation restaurant spaces, retail conversions, travel centers, and other nontraditional locations. Its "kit-of-parts" approach lets franchisees choose a format based on the building and market rather than trying to force every location into the same mold.

The company says the approach is designed to help franchisees deal with today's real estate and development costs while still delivering the buffet experience customers expect.

Golden Corral is also looking at travel centers, airports, and college campuses as potential locations for smaller Golden Corral restaurants.

Bringing back its fast-casual concept

Golden Corral isn't putting all its eggs in the buffet basket. In late 2023, the company launched a fast-casual concept called Homeward Kitchen in Southern Pines, North Carolina. It didn't last long, and in early 2025, Golden Corral announced that the location would close and reopen under a new name: Golden Corral Favorites.

The new concept keeps some of Golden Corral's better-known dishes but puts them into a quicker format. Instead of walking through a full buffet, customers can order at the counter, use mobile ordering, or use the drive-thru. It also has a small dining area.

The first Golden Corral Favorites location reopened in April 2025.

Expanding its value deals and promotions

Golden Corral knows the easiest way to get people talking about a buffet is to make the price hard to ignore.

In July, the chain launched its America $2.50 Value Deals campaign as part of the country's 250th anniversary celebrations. The promotions cover breakfast, lunch, dinner, To Go meals, drinks, catering, and other purchases throughout the year.

One of the first offers gave Rewards members a $2.50 Kids Weekend Breakfast Buffet with the purchase of an adult or senior breakfast buffet. The chain also offered $2.50 32-ounce beverages, $2.50 off qualifying Weigh & Pay dinner purchases, and 2.5x Rewards points during July.

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Bottom line

Golden Corral's 2026 strategy is focused on making its buffet model easier to build and operate while expanding the brand.

If you're trying to stretch your restaurant budget, these changes and new deals may be enough to keep Golden Corral on your list when you want an all-you-can-eat meal.

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