The once-popular buffet chain is disappearing in the restaurant sector as the Covid-19 pandemic prompts dining establishments to adopt stricter food-safety guidelines.
Food safety awareness during the pandemic also changed consumer attitudes towards food, leading to the demise of many buffet restaurant chains.
Among the disappearing buffet chains were affiliates Hometown Buffet, Old Country Buffet, and Ryan’s, which was owned by Fresh Acquisition LLC.
The parent company was devastated by the pandemic and was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in April 2021 and close and liquidate some of its assets, Nation’s Restaurant News reported at the time.
Before the buffet restaurant sector collapsed due to the pandemic, another similar restaurant concept, Southern cafeteria restaurants, began to disappear in the 1980s and 1990s as consumers’ restaurant preferences shifted to dining at casual chains, such as Applebee’s or TGI Fridays.
The granddaddy of all cafeteria-style restaurants was Morrison’s, which opened in 1920 in Mobile, Ala. was opened in, and at its peak expanded to 151 locations. The chain’s popularity declined in the ’80s and ’90s, and the company was sold to Piccadilly Cafeterias in 1998, according to AL.com.
Piccadilly rebranded most Morrison’s locations, and the original Mobile location is the last remaining restaurant after 105 years in business.
Another popular Southern comfort-food restaurant chain, K&W Cafeterias LLC, went a step further than Morrison’s and closed all of its locations.
K&W Cafeterias, which filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020, will close all nine dining locations on Dec. 1, 2025, according to the company’s Facebook page.
The 88-year-old restaurant chain’s website included a farewell message posted on the front door of its location.
“We are sad to announce that after years of proudly serving this and many other communities, K&W Holdings Group LLC will be closing permanently. All existing locations will be closed effective 12/1/2025. We thank you for your support of our business over the years. K&W Holdings Management.”
K&W Cafeterias closed eight locations in North Carolina and one in Virginia.
K&W Cafeterias was founded in 1937.
Operates in 35 locations before 2020.
Operates 18 locations after the Covid-19 pandemic.
11 locations operating in 2022.
The remaining 9 restaurants will close on December 1, 2025.
The Winston-Salem, NC-based company, however, has not disclosed how to redeem the gift cards it is advertising for sale for the holidays before it closes all of its locations.
K&W Cafeterias LLC, K&W Holdings Group LLC, and K&W Holdings Management at last check have not filed for bankruptcy protection following the restaurant closings.
Additional closures:
The cafeteria-style restaurant chain, which was founded in 1937, had grown to more than 35 restaurants before the Covid pandemic decimated the company, Wilmingtonbiz reported, forcing it to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2020.
The restaurant chain declined to 18 locations as the pandemic subsided, dropped to 11 restaurants in 2022, and then increased to nine locations before closing business.
The K&W cafeteria menu included items such as roast beef, fried chicken, baked spaghetti, roast turkey and white fish.
Related: 80-year-old Home Depot rival closes iconic location
This story was originally published by TheStreet on December 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the Restaurants section. Add TheStreet as a preferred source by clicking here.
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