Update: R.I.P. Barnhill's

Courtesy KAIT

Just a very quick update post here, with sad, but not entirely unexpected, news. As you're all surely aware, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has not been kind to the restaurant industry. Success stories -- like we saw in January with Pasquale's & Frostop -- are very clearly the exception, not the rule. When you're both a broken chain and a buffet, the cards are doubly stacked against you. So, it should come as no surprise that the Barnhill's Buffet in Jonesboro, AR -- which the blog showcased a year ago this month, and which was the very last Barnhill's Buffet remaining -- has succumbed to the pressures of its current operating environment and closed its doors for good.

I had been periodically checking on the status of the restaurant throughout the year -- this one was very concerning, for obvious reasons -- but was always reassured because Google has listed it as offering takeout services all these months. However, it would seem that that information is incorrect. A recent review suggests the restaurant closed sometime in 2020 and has seen no activity since: "I use to love this place. They shut their doors n never reopened after the pandemic. They never went on line and changed anything nor said anything to the people who loved their food [sic]." 

In addition, local news station KAIT 8 backs that up with the details shared in the story below, which -- ironically -- also takes us back into The Blogger's Court (a feature that had its blog debut by way of that original Barnhill's post)...

Barnhill’s sued for $137,000 in back rent

JONESBORO, Ark. (KAIT) - Barnhill’s Country Buffet, 1111 S. Caraway, may be closed for business but that does not mean its rent woes have disappeared.

On Wednesday, Jan. 20, Caraway Plaza, Inc. sued the restaurant’s owners for $137,122.20 in delinquent rent and other charges.

According to court documents, Star Buffet Management dba Barnhill’s Country Buffet extended its lease in July 2019 for an additional 3 years at a base rate of $7,700 per month.

In February of 2020, Caraway informed Star Buffet it was delinquent on rent and payment needed to be made as soon as possible.

The suit alleges Star Buffet promised to “cure its delinquency within 30 days.” However, Caraway says the restaurant failed to do so.

Eight months later, on Oct. 6, Caraway stated it notified Star Buffet again about its delinquency.

At that time the company, which was doing business as Barnhill’s, said it would present an “exit strategy within a week.”

Since then, the restaurant has been closed and no one from Star Buffet has communicated with Caraway Plaza, according to the lawsuit.

In addition to the back rent, court documents allege the restaurant “continues to occupy the premises with personal property and other furnishings.”

On Jan. 12, 2021, Caraway served Star Buffet with a three-day quit and demand letter ordering it to surrender possession of the premises.

“To date, Star Buffet continues to possess the premises and refuses to pay what is due and owing to Caraway, which currently is $137,122.20,” the lawsuit stated.

On Wednesday, Jan. 21, in Craighead County Circuit Court, the state issued a summons to Star Buffet notifying it of the lawsuit and demanding a written answer.

The court also issued a notice of intention to issue a writ of possession and a notice of right to consent to disposition of the case by a state district court judge.

It's also worth mentioning that the Jonesboro Barnhill's isn't the only Star Buffet property whose fate has been called into question. One other notable property is the beloved Casa Bonita restaurant in Colorado, but there are surely many more. And a common theme of all of them, I imagine, is that they have been closed ever since the onset of the pandemic, and have not paid any rent. Not a good sign for their respective futures. Even Star Buffet's corporate website is currently inaccessible due to an invalid certificate -- yikes.

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Sadly, Barnhill's is just one more in a line of numerous restaurants that have fallen victim to constraints brought about by COVID-19. You may recall that I shared with you last May the closure of two of the remaining Danver's restaurants in the Memphis area, as their popular salad bar experience was unable to be effectively replicated via takeout or drive-thru. Instead, Cook Out, which already owned the two buildings, converted one (in Olive Branch, MS) and sold the other (which has been demolished for a Zaxby's). Only one Danver's remains, in Cordova, TN. (Plus another in Tupelo, MS, that is unrelated to the Memphis locations, but that's another story...) 

There's also another broken chain that I intended to profile for the blog in the future, which had two restaurants at the onset of the pandemic -- but one of them closed before I got around to documenting it, which is a particular shame given the circumstances (I'll discuss that more once I get around to that post, though). Thankfully, the second location has remained open, and I still intend on featuring the chain on the blog eventually. 

And, of course, there are also countless other restaurant and retail operations around the country, and the world -- not all just broken chains, but independently-owned operations as well, and even a number of large corporate chains, to boot -- that have all become victims of the inhospitable conditions and restrictions of the current business environment, and had to permanently cease operations. Very sad indeed.

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One last note to end on here... I mentioned that my "The Blogger's Court" feature was first introduced in my original Barnhill's post. You might remember that the topic of the lawsuit covered in that post was whether or not a separate Barnhill's operation, dubbed Barnhill's Steaks and Buffet and located in Jacksonville, AR, had the rights to use the Barnhill's name. Ultimately, Star Buffet (owner of the "real" Barnhill's in Jonesboro) and the owner of the Jacksonville Barnhill's reached a settlement permitting the Jacksonville restaurant to continue using the name... but for all intents and purposes it was not, in fact, an official Barnhill's restaurant. 

Well... now that the Jonesboro Barnhill's has closed, it seems that the Jacksonville Barnhill's -- which has remained open throughout the pandemic -- now has the honor of being the very last Barnhill's standing, even if it is, by all accounts, an illegitimate "rogue franchisee"...

Courtesy KARK

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That's all for this short update post. Keep an eye out for another short (but fun!) post later this month -- I appreciate your patience as you bear with me while I've got some other stuff going on in my life. Until then and as always, thanks for reading, and have fun exploring the retail world wherever you are :)

Retail Retell