Souplantation buffet plans California comeback in Fountain Valley in 2027
Souplantation, the all-you-can-eat soup and salad buffet that shut every restaurant in 2020, plans to reopen in Fountain Valley in 2027. It will be the chain's first spot in California since the pandemic. The company says the food, from blueberry muffins to Joan's Broccoli Madness, will taste just as fans remember.
Souplantation is coming back to California.
The soup and salad buffet plans to reopen in 2027 at its old spot at 11179 Talbert Ave. in Fountain Valley, in Orange County, the Los Angeles Times reported. No exact opening date has been set. The restaurant will cover about 7,800 square feet.
The chain was a California favorite for decades. The first Souplantation opened in San Diego in 1978. Outside California, it ran under the name Sweet Tomatoes. In 2020, the pandemic forced its parent company, Garden Fresh Restaurants, to close all 97 buffets, including 44 in California. The company filed for Chapter 7 liquidation after losing more than $1 million a week while dining rooms were shut, Restaurant Dive reported.
A new company, ST Three LLC, later bought the brands. It is led by Mike Malone, a former Garden Fresh vice president of operations. Sweet Tomatoes came back in 2024 and now has buffets in Tucson, Ariz., and Fort Myers, Fla.
Fans should find the meal familiar. "We are giving it a slight facelift inside with updated decor, but the heart of the space remains the same," Marlee Lossing, the company's director of corporate affairs, told the Los Angeles Daily News. "All the recipes are the same." Favorites include Joan's Broccoli Madness, Wonton Happiness Salad, chicken noodle soup and blueberry muffins. Monthly specials will return too.
The company teased the return on Instagram this week. The post drew thousands of comments, including "there is a god" and "I've been in mourning since 2020."
Fountain Valley could be the first of several new California sites, Lossing said, though none have been announced. Meanwhile, a lookalike buffet called Soup 'n Fresh opened in Rancho Cucamonga in 2024 and has added a second spot in Chino Hills.
What we know: Souplantation plans to reopen in Fountain Valley in 2027 with its classic recipes.
What we don't: The exact opening date, and whether more California locations will follow.
Where outlets agree The Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles Daily News both report that the restaurant will return to its former site at 11179 Talbert Ave. in Fountain Valley.
Where they differ Eater LA reports the company confirmed the Fountain Valley restaurant will open under the Souplantation name, not Sweet Tomatoes, while Restaurant Dive reports it will be a Sweet Tomatoes location.