Furr's facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Food |
| Fate | Bankrupt |
| Founded | 1946 in Hobbs, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Defunct | April 1, 2021 |
| Headquarters | , |
| Parent | Independent (1946–1980 and 2000–2003) Kmart (1980–1988) Limited National Partnership (1988–2000) CIC-Buffet Partners (2003–2014) Food Management Partners (2014–2020) Fresh Acquisitions, LLC (2020–2021) |
Furr's was a well-known chain of family restaurants in the United States. It was also called Furr's Cafeteria or Furr's Fresh Buffet. The first restaurant opened in 1946 in Hobbs, New Mexico.
For many years, Furr's was famous for its cafeteria-style dining. This meant you would go through a line and pick your food. Later, it changed to a buffet-style restaurant. At a buffet, you pay one price and can eat as much as you like.
Contents
History of Furr's Restaurants
Starting Furr's Cafeteria
In 1946, two brothers, Roy and Key Furr, started the very first Furr's restaurant. It opened in Hobbs, a city in southeastern New Mexico. Just one year later, in 1947, a second Furr's location opened in Odessa, Texas.
Changes in Ownership
Over the years, Furr's was owned by different companies. In 1980, the big retail company Kmart bought Furr's. Kmart owned the restaurant chain for eight years. Then, in 1988, Kmart sold Furr's to a group called Limited National Partnership.
In 2000, the company changed its name to Furr's Restaurant Group.
Tough Times and Closures
Furr's faced some challenges over the years. In December 2002, Furr's closed two of its restaurants in Las Vegas. This was part of a plan to close 11 restaurants that were not doing well.
In January 2003, the company went through a process called Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This means a company gets legal help to reorganize its money and debts. Soon after, a private investment company, CIC-Buffet Partners, bought Furr's.
In January 2014, Furr's closed several more locations. These included restaurants in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Big Spring, Texas, Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and Wichita, Kansas. A manager said these closures were a "corporate decision."
New Owners and Final Closures
In June 2014, a company from San Antonio called Food Management Partners bought Furr's Fresh Buffet. They had plans to open new restaurants. The next year, this same company also bought another restaurant group called Ovation Brands.
However, more Furr's locations continued to close. In April 2019, a restaurant in Plainview, Texas, closed without warning. Another one in Lubbock, Texas, closed in August 2019.
Finally, in April 2021, the company that owned Furr's, Fresh Acquisitions LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy again. Because of this, all Furr's restaurants were permanently closed.
