Souplantation facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food |
| Genre | Restaurant |
| Fate | Bankruptcy (Chapter 7 liquidation) |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founders | Dennis Jay |
| Defunct | May 8, 2020 |
| Headquarters |
,
United States
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Number of locations
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97 (March 2020, prior to liquidation) |
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Area served
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United States |
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Key people
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John Haywood (CEO) Don Breen (CFO) |
| Products | Salad, soup, bakery, pasta, muffins, soft serve, fruits, vegetables, and other buffet and vegetarian options |
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Number of employees
|
4,400 (2020) |
| Parent | Perpetual Capital Partners |
Souplantation, also known as Sweet Tomatoes, was a popular chain of restaurants in the United States. These restaurants offered an all-you-can-eat buffet style. You could find them operating as Souplantation in southern California. The very first restaurant opened its doors in 1978 in San Diego, California. This city also became the company's main headquarters.
The company was officially formed as Garden Fresh Corp. in 1983. It became a public company in 1995, meaning anyone could buy shares. However, it was bought by a private company again in 2004. In March 2020, all 97 locations temporarily closed. This happened because of government rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly, on May 7, 2020, the company announced it would close permanently. It then started the process of closing down its business.
The Story of Souplantation Restaurants
The first Souplantation restaurant opened in 1978. It was located on Mission Gorge Road in San Diego. The idea came from Dennis Jay, who worked at another restaurant. He was inspired by a new "Soup and Salad" concept. Dennis teamed up with Steve Hohe and Ron Demery. Together, they created Souplantation.
For several years, Souplantation and the other "Soup and Salad" restaurants grew side by side. They were friendly but also competed. In 1983, Michael Mack bought the first two Souplantation restaurants. He created Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. to run the chain.
The company grew across the western and southwestern United States. It also opened many locations in the Southeast, including 23 restaurants in Florida. All of these restaurants were owned by the company itself.
In 2005, a company called Sun Capital Partners bought Garden Fresh. This meant they also owned the restaurant chains. In 2007, a Souplantation restaurant in Orange County, California had a problem. It was linked to an outbreak of E. coli. The restaurant closed for a short time while officials investigated.
In October 2016, Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. faced financial difficulties. They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. This is a legal process when a company needs help to pay its debts. In January 2017, the company expected to get out of bankruptcy. This happened after a New York firm, Cerberus Capital Management L.P., bought its assets. Garden Fresh hoped to have fewer restaurants but much less debt. In 2017, Cerberus Capital Management officially bought Garden Fresh and its restaurant chains.
In March 2020, all the restaurants closed. This was due to government orders because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 7, 2020, the company announced permanent closures. They were worried that new health rules would not allow self-serve buffets. This would make it hard for them to get permits.
Garden Fresh Restaurants officially filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on May 14. This meant the company would sell its assets to pay off debts. At that time, the company had 4,400 employees and 97 restaurants.
In May 2022, there was news about a new Souplantation restaurant. It was planned to open in La Mesa, California. However, the opening was delayed. It is unclear if this new restaurant will use the original company's recipes.
What Was on the Menu?
Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes restaurants were known for their fresh food. They specialized in salads and soups. They had a huge salad bar where you could build your own plate. You could choose from many vegetables, fruits, nuts, and other toppings. They also had different prepared salads that changed each month.
Besides salads, they offered several kinds of homemade soups. There was also a bakery section with fresh bread, muffins, cornbread, and pizza. You could find different pasta dishes and sauces. For dessert, they had fruit, puddings, and soft-serve ice cream. The special menu items often changed monthly. These changes usually followed a theme, like Asian, Greek, or Italian food. They also had "Customer Favorites" themes.
San Diego, the company's home city, was often used to try out new ideas. It was also home to Souplantation's main offices. For example, some locations tried opening for breakfast on Sunday mornings. In 2011, the company even launched a faster version called Souplantation Express. This quick-serve restaurant opened in Carlsbad, California.
Souplantation in Movies and TV
- Souplantation inspired a fictional chain called "Soup R' Crackers" on the TV show Party Down. The show's writers wanted to use the real name. However, Souplantation did not allow it. So, they had to change the name at the last minute.
- The 1986 volleyball movie Spiker features Souplantation. Several scenes in the movie clearly take place at a Souplantation restaurant.
