Sweet Tomatoes Just Reopened Its First Location Since 2020 Bankruptcy
Nearly four years after popular buffet chain Sweet Tomatoes declared bankruptcy and shuttered all of its restaurants, the brand has finally made its highly-anticipated comeback.
That's right! One Sweet Tomatoes location in Tucson, Ariz., just held its grand reopening on April 1, the chain announced on X (formerly Twitter). This means that fans in the area can once again enjoy the fresh salad bar that Sweet Tomatoes is known for, as well as its buffet selection of soups, pizza, bread, and desserts.
To say that this reopening was a long time coming would be a major understatement. Sweet Tomatoes, also previously known as Souplantation in California, suffered heavily from the loss of business during the COVID-19 pandemic and ultimately decided to close all of its 97 locations in May 2020. Years went by, but fans never stopped grieving the loss of the beloved chain.
"I need Sweet Tomatoes to come back," one customer recently lamented on X.
The first indication that Sweet Tomatoes would be making a comeback after its pandemic bankruptcy came in March 2023, when the real estate company CBRE announced it had arranged a new lease with an unnamed operator who planned to revive the Tucson restaurant. Then in February this year, Sweet Tomatoes COO Mike Malone told Restaurant Business Magazine that they were finally nearing the reopening of the shuttered restaurant. Sweet Tomatoes has been teasing its comeback on social media in recent weeks, calling on locals to apply for jobs and sharing pictures of the rebooted restaurant on social media.
Now that the Tucson Sweet Tomatoes is back to serving guests, the eatery is already garnering major buzz. Several pictures have popped up on X over the past few days showing crowds and long lines of customers queuing outside of the location, which is located at 6202 East Broadway Blvd.
Like pre-pandemic Sweet Tomatoes restaurants, the Tucson location is operating under an all-you-can-eat format with one set price. The interior was revamped with new colors and a new look, but customers will still find many of the classic food and drink options the chain once served, Malone told Restaurant Business Magazine in February.
The returning offerings include Joan's Broccoli Madness salad, chicken noodle soup, Caesar salad, soft serve, signature strawberry lemonade, and a salad bar packed with fresh-cut ingredients. Any customers planning a visit should take note that the restaurant is completely cashless and operates from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Though just the one Sweet Tomatoes location has reopened for now, Malone previously told Restaurant Business Magazine that they were considering expanding to additional markets in the future. In the meantime, Tucson locals can relish the resurgence of the fan-favorite restaurant brand.
"Our grand opening week has been an absolute blast, but guess what? The party's just getting started!" Sweet Tomatoes wrote on Facebook.
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