By Alex Lloyd Gross
With zero notice to customers and employees, Buffets Inc, the parent company of the Old Country Buffet closed the Bensalem location, on the 1800 block of Street Rd. Customers arriving for meals were greeted by a teresly written sign advising that the location was closed forever. The sign advised customers to travel to the Fairless Hills location, seven miles away, or the 4700 block of the Roosevelt Blvd. location in Philadelphia. Good luck getting customers to travel 15 miles away, into a high crime area for a meal.
The company said that the closing of the stores, 81 in all, were necessary to maintain a business profile,while it negoatiates chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 11 will allow the company to operate while it reorganized. It also provides protection from creditors.
While the company thinks it is a sound business decision, longtime customers think it's boneheaded, and were calling for the ouster of Mike Andrews, company chairman. The Bensalem location had a steady stream of loyal customers. It was used as a training location. Longtime employees got zero notice and scrambled to find jobs. Some were fortunate enough to land a position with the nearby Golden Coral.
The food at the Coral is not nearly as good as the Buffet, plus the price is a dollar higher. The Golden Coral is much more crowded than the Buffet, which leads to an unconfortable dining experience. While the Fairless Hills location is likely to absorb more customers from Bensalem location, it would be foolish to think that the Roosevelt Blvd. location would pick up much business.
The Bensalem location was used as a central meeting point for company executives. It employed less than 90 people so it was exempt from Federal regulations requiring advance notice.
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