Cici's Pizza chain files bankruptcy

[Diane1611]

We usually dine at Cici's at least once during our Branson trips, but since the buffet wasn't open last year, we didn't visit. Hopefully, the new owners won't close the building.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/26/cici...he-buffet.html

Cici’s files for bankruptcy as pandemic accelerates the decline of the all-you-can-eat buffet

Buffet chain Cici’s has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced its sale to D&G Investors, its primary lender.

While the coronavirus pandemic has lifted sales for pizza chains like Papa John’s, Domino’s Pizza and Yum Brands’ Pizza Hut, buffet-style restaurants like Cici’s saw their sales plunge. All-you-can-eat establishments were already struggling before the crisis, but dining restrictions and consumers’ heightened concern over cleanliness accelerated their decline.

Cici’s and its franchisees operate 318 locations across 26 states in the U.S. In 2010, it had more than 650 restaurants.