Don’t underestimate the power of nostalgia.
A brand that was once liquidated in a Chapter 7 filing is now growing again.
Sweet Tomatoes brought back it’s buffet concept first to Tucson, Arizona, last year, reopening in a former location there, four years after the once-97-unit chain was shuttered and liquidated in bankruptcy.
Now a second location is coming to Fort Myers, Florida, in 2026, company officials have confirmed.
“We are thrilled to announce the reopening of our location in Fort Myers, FL!,” wrote Marlee Lossing, Sweet Tomatoes’ director of corporate affairs, in an email. “This location is under the same ownership group, but a different operating entity.”
As in Tucson, the store in Florida will get an updated design, but the heart of Sweet Tomatoes will remain intact, she said. An exact date was not offered, but Lossing said it will be next year.
Known for its huge salad bar, soups, bread and more, Sweet Tomatoes operated as Souplantation in California, where the brand was born.
The chain was owned by Garden Fresh when it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2016. It was sold to Cerberus Capital Management, and then sold again to a family office called Perpetual Capital Partners.
But then COVID in 2020 brought what many believed would be a death knell for buffet brands, leading to a Chapter 7 filing for Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation. All of the remaining units were closed.
That’s when Sweet Tomatoes’ new operating company ST Three LLC acquired the intellectual property rights to the concept. ST Three brought it back in Arizona last year.
Lossing said the response to the Arizona opening has been “fantastic,” and the concept is receiving great feedback from guests for both the food and team.
“We continue to have guests travel from all over the country just to dine with us,” she wrote. “We feel very honored to receive so much love and support.”
The Florida location will be operated by an entity dubbed ST Four LLC. Lossing, however, is reluctant to reveal the names of the brand’s owners for publication.
Whether growth will continue beyond Florida remains to be seen. There are no plans to franchise, Lossing said.
At a time when consumers are increasingly looking for value, buffet concepts could see some tailwinds.
Buffet giant Golden Corral is attracting new partners, for example. Former TGI Fridays CEO Ray Blanchette earlier this year signed on to franchise the Golden Corral brand in New England.
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