Golden Corral's Grand Opening Delayed: UPDATE

MILFORD, CT — Will they or won't they open on Thursday? That is the big question surrounding Golden Corral buffet and its first location in Connecticut. And the answer is that they won't be opening.

A corporate official said last week that the buffet would have its grand opening on March 30, but the local franchisee wouldn't confirm that and remained silent about a grand opening date. But the Milford Police Department on Monday issued a travel advisory for Thursday saying Golden Corral's opening was expected to lead to traffic delays near the 74 Turnpike Square location. Police even suggested people plan on alternative routes Thursday.

Well now comes news at 10 p.m. Wednesday that there will be no grand opening on Thursday.

Golden Corral, Milford, Connecticut wrote, "Contrary to media announcements, we would like to inform the public we will NOT be opening tomorrow, March 30, 2017. We appreciate your enthusiasm and patience! Please continue to follow our progress and updates. We are almost there!" Sincerely Yours, CTGC.

Again, it was Golden Corral corporate officials that told the media that the grand opening was going to be on Thursday, March 30. No reason was given by the local franchisee for why the grand opening isn't occurring on Thursday.

You might be wondering why all the attention about a buffet's opening. Good question, but their local Facebook page has thousands of likes, hundreds of comments, and it's one of the most read stories of 2017 in Connecticut across Patch. It's clear a certain number of people clearly care.

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Whenever the grand opening is this will be first site in Connecticut. Golden Corral previously had a location in Groton. The Milford site was the former home of Hometown Buffet, which closed more than a year ago.

The company has been renovating the building for months and has routinely been teasing on social media the grand opening by saying it's coming soon but never saying exactly when.

Golden Corral is continuing to hire and last week posted that it is looking for "qualified team members to join us, especially the 4 positions listed below: * Grill Cooks * Line Cooks * Cold Prep * Utilities. You need to be registered and please email CTGC (CTGoldenCorral@gmail.com) your resume ASAP."

Staff posted on Facebook that they've been trying to bring a Golden Corral Buffet to Connecticut for the past seven years. When someone posted that the grand opening was taking forever, staff responded by saying, "A lot closer than 7 years ago. Grateful CTGC never gave up!"

"The wait is always hardest at the end...7 years of never giving up! We are finally here (almost)!" Golden Corral shared on Facebook.

Written by Brian McCready (Patch National Staff)

(Editor's Note: This story first ran previously but here it is again in case you missed it.)