Valentine’s Day left a lot of buffet lovers brokenhearted.
Golden Corral, the North Carolina-based chain of buffet restaurants, once again blew by an expected opening day and posted to Facebook that it still hopes to open soon.
“Almost there! We’re so excited about how it’s coming together,” the restaurant wrote on Facebook. “We’re making the restaurant sparkle and shine, and putting everything in its place.”
Like the moon that hits your eye like a big pizza pie, opening day is — still up in the air. The restaurant does not have its final permits from the city of Vancouver, said franchise co-owner Sunny Burden.
“Employees can come in, move tables and chairs, put them where they need to go and things like that. But until the building receives its (final permits), it is still deemed a construction zone.”
That much is clear by the fencing still around the property, at 11801 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd., that blocked excited drivers from the restaurant midday Wednesday.
These latest delays are similar to those that dashed their last two opening dates, in October and December. But co-owner Ramsey Zawideh added that they would rather wait another day than rush the hotly anticipated eatery.
“It’s more than meeting a specific date. Believe me, nobody is more heartbroken than us,” he said. “It’s about creating the right experience for our guests.”
Once it opens — whenever that will be — the 11,000-square-foot restaurant will anchor a new strip mall called Orchards Crossing. No other tenants have been announced.
The restaurant will have 181 parking spaces and more than 200 employees.
