Hope Buffet Latest to Join Restaurant Casualty List

Hope Buffet appears to be the lastest in a .

The Chinese restaurant, located at 13610 S. Route 59 since 2008, is closed and its phone number disconnected. No sign is posted on its door, but it's not been open for business for at least the last two weeks.

Owner Joyce Lee could not be reached for comment. Her previous restaurant, Joyce Lee Chinese Buffet located at 15515 S. Division closed in 2007, a year before she opened Hope Buffet. However, Joyce Lee Chinese Buffet in Yorkville remains open.

The 7,200-square-foot Hope Buffet, which includes a banquet room and large parking lot, has been for sale for several months, according to loopnet.com. The asking price is $1.95 million.

Hope Buffet cost $1.2 million to build, according the Web site for Weiss Builders in Plainfield.

In the last year, several prominent restaurants have closed, including Route 59 Grille, Finnegan's Irish Pub, Cebollitas Mexican Restaurant, Daddy-O's, Sapporo, Baci, Gunther's Bar & Grill and Cafe Brulee.