A Classic Buffet Chain Reopens After Shutting Down — Here's What's Actually Happening

If you long for the days when you could meander slowly down a seemingly endless salad bar, building a precariously towering mountain of salad on your plate, we have great news for you. Sweet Tomatoes, which was once an incredibly popular nationwide soup and salad buffet chain, closed all 97 of its locations and filed for bankruptcy in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions — but now it may be on its way to a comeback. The classic chain buffet reopened one location in Tucson, Arizona, in 2024, but has been coy about future plans. However, after being purchased by Florida company ST Three LLC (since renamed ST Four LLC), there are plans to open a second location in Fort Myers, Florida, in 2026.

Sweet Tomatoes originated in the early 1990s as a sister company to Souplantation, which had been a beloved Southern California buffet since 1978. It was famous for its amazingly plentiful salad bar, as well as its pastas, soups, and bread. After the popular restaurant chain suddenly shut down in 2020, customers were left bereft.

Now there may be cause to celebrate, albeit cautiously, for a bigger comeback. On December 7, 2025, Sweet Tomatoes announced via Facebook that it plans to open a new location in Florida, saying, "The wait is over, magic fans! Your favorite salads and soups are returning to Ft. Myers, Florida!" Like the restaurant's return to one of its original Tucson properties, the Fort Myers location is also the site of a former Sweet Tomatoes, previously opened in 1997. An official opening date has not been announced, but the property will undergo renovations and rebranding before its reopening. And like other restaurants post-COVID, it will prioritize convenience by being cashless.

As soon as word spread about the chain's Tucson location reopening in 2024, fans wrote petitions and turned to social media to plead for additional locations. One very vocal fanbase was located in San Diego. Now, Sweet Tomatoes is sharing cryptic posts on social media, potentially hinting at a bigger comeback. In an Instagram post from November 30, 2025, Sweet Tomatoes shared a clever rhyme teasing at its plans. The comments were immediately flooded with people begging for the buffet chain to return to California, specifically San Diego. Though a later announcement confirmed the new location as Florida, company representatives are listening, saying, "We're hoping our Tucson location will be a huge success and pave the way to bring Sweet Tomatoes back to as many loyal fans as possible...all markets are being considered" (via SanDiegoVille).

Given the company's proven track record of success in Southern states, it's not hard to imagine that there are plans to continue reopening across the country should the Florida location prove as popular as the Arizona one has. Marlee Lossing, the director of corporate affairs for Sweet Tomatoes, is also giving fans hope that it will be one of the few restaurant chains that survive bankruptcy, saying, "we know there is a huge demand for the return of Sweet Tomatoes nationwide. We are constantly evaluating all markets for future expansion to bring Sweet Tomatoes back to as many guests as possible" (via The Daytona Beach News-Journal).