Chain Leader

David Farkas

Taking It All In
October 23, 2006

I gorged myself last week at lunch for less than $10. Ate anything I wanted. In any amount. Fresh plate each time, too. Dirty plate gone by the time I returned from the trough. Beverage refilled on a moment’s notice. Omit the bland pizza, and the food was damn good.

Did I mention the decor? Spiffy and spacious, featuring wooden tables and chairs, light-colored carpeting and drop lighting. The colorful food bar is divided into sections, each bearing a name and logo, thusly:

The Greenhouse: salads

The Pagoda: Chinese

The Piazza: Italian

The Hacienda: Mexican

The Grill House: steaks, burgers, chicken

The Family Table: comfort foods

The place: Golden Corral’s latest prototype in Boardman, Ohio, said to be largest unit in the system. I believe it. There’s even a separate room for meetings. The Raleigh, N.C.-based company has opened at least two prototypes so far. The other “pavilion” unit, as insiders dub them, is in Albuquerque, N.M.

Why put it in Boardman, a working-class suburb of Youngstown, Ohio? One can only guess. But the demographics are undoubtedly right. A cook on a smoke break told me the lot overflows on weekends, particularly Sundays. The day I dropped by, a rainy Wednesday, the unit was busy (lots of seniors) though hardly full.

There must be a sizeable Mexican contingent in Boardman. The unit sells horchata, a sweet, milky-colored beverage popular in Mexico. Several of the restaurant’s workers told me they were Mexican. What’s more, the Hacienda station offers freshly made flour tortillas and well-seasoned whole-muscle beef as a filling.

Boardman is also isolated. The closest big airport is Pittsburgh, an hour away. Cleveland’s airport is 90 miles from the prototype. It won’t be easy for Golden Corral’s rivals to size the place up before officials figure if it’s working as planned.

Posted by David Farkas on October 23, 2006 | Comments (0)