advertisement

After stops and starts, Golden Corral open in Batavia

The new Golden Corral along Randall Road in Batavia was on hold for so long, many people still don’t even realize it’s open.

The buffet restaurant at 2030 Main St. opened Nov. 17.

Slowly, people are starting to realize the restaurant is in business and serving up breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as lots of desserts.

“We’ve had a good response so far, but everybody that comes in says ‘we had no idea that you were open,’” owner Samuel Gibson said. “We are open. We have people coming in every day and eating here.”

The restaurant was first proposed for the corner of Main Street and Randall Road in 2007.

Construction began, but then halted before completion in 2008.

The property went into bankruptcy and the project shut down, leaving many to wonder if it would ever open.

Then in 2011, Gibson purchased the property and the plans started moving ahead again.

“It took a little while, but we got financing and started construction this August,” he said. “It was pretty far along before, we just had to finish it up.”

The restaurant is open seven days a week, and offers senior citizen specials every day from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Golden Corral had a soft grand opening, but plans a bigger one after the holidays, Gibson said.

For now, Gibson said he wants to thank everyone who’s visited the restaurant so far, and wants to invite everyone else to come in and dine.

“I just want to thank all of my customers and everyone who waited for this for so long,” he said. “I know it took a lot of time. I appreciate their support and hope to see them.”

Sparrow’s Nest: If you’re running low on cash after all of your Christmas shopping, there is a new store along the Randall Road corridor that might be right within your budget.

Sparrow’s Next thrift store opened in November at 781 S. Randall, on the east side of the road, near Rosen Hyundai and across from Target.

The store sells home furnishings, clothes for men, women and children, and music, movies and books. The inventory changes daily.

The store, which has other locations in Cary, Palatine and McHenry, benefits Home of the Sparrow, which helps homeless women and children find transitional housing.

Each year, the nonprofit organization, which is in its 25th year, helps more than 100 people find housing.

The store will accept your donations every day during business hours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays.

For details, call (847) 458-2420.

Ÿ Amy Williams’ column covers all the news of business along the Randall Road corridor from Batavia to Crystal Lake. Contact her at randallbiz@comcast.net or (847) 894-5036.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.