Golden Corral
3938336
224253549
2008-07-08T00:34:19Z
98.122.142.98
/* Menu items */
{{Infobox_Company |
company_name = Golden Corral Corporation |
company_logo = [[Image:GoldenCorral logo.jpg]]|
company_type = Private |
company_slogan = "There's no Place like Golden Corral" |
foundation = [[January 3]], [[1973]] |
founder = James H. Maynard & William F. (Bill) Carl |
location_city = [[Raleigh, North Carolina]] |
location_country = [[USA]] |
key_people = James H. Maynard, [[Chairman]] <br>Theodore M. (Ted) Fowler, [[President]] & [[CEO]] <br>Lamar Bell, [[CFO]] |
industry = [[Restaurants]] |
num_employees = 9,000<ref name=Hoovers />|
revenue = $195.1 million<ref name=Hoovers /> |
net_income = |
products = Salad bar, grill, hot meats, pasta, pizza, fresh vegetables, fresh baked breads, rolls, cakes, pies, cobblers and cookies and an icecream station. |
homepage = [http://www.goldencorral.com/ www.goldencorral.com]
}}
'''Golden Corral''' is an [[United States|American]] family-style restaurant chain that features a large [[buffet]] and [[grill]] offering 150 hot and cold items, a [[meat carving|carving]] station and their Brass Bell Bakery. It is a [[privately held company]] [[headquarter]]ed in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]], [[United States of America|USA]] with locations in 40 states <ref>{{cite web |title=Golden Corral Locator|work=GoldenCorral.com |url=http://www.goldencorral.com/locator/default.asp |accessdate=2008-07-02}}</ref>
Each location serves a buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner. A free copy of the local newspaper is available to read while in the restaurant, and complimentary coffee is offered during lunch and dinner service.
The restaurant is famous for its three-year "Frying Pan Man" advertising campaign in which a person is hit on the head with a frying pan resulting in a craving to go to the restaurant.
==History==
In [[1971]], James H. Maynard and William F. Carl conceived the idea that became Golden Corral after several unsuccessful attempts to acquire a franchise with other companies.<ref name=FU>{{cite web |title=Golden Corral Corporation |work=Funding Universe |accessdate=2007-08-18 |url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Golden-Corral-Corporation-Company-History.html}}</ref> Golden Corral was [[incorporated]] in [[1972]] and the first Golden Corral Family Steak House was opened [[January 3]], [[1973]], in [[Fayetteville, North Carolina]].
Within three months of opening the first restaurant, the company was on its way to getting a second location which opened [[September 17]], [[1973]], in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]]. A third was built [[June 18]], [[1974]], in Fayetteville. Since then, the company has expanded to over 475 locations across the United States, about 120 of them are company-owned, the others are [[franchising|franchise]]d stores.<ref name=Hoovers>{{cite web
|title=Golden Corral Corporation - Key Numbers |work=Hoovers |accessdate=2007-08-18 |url=http://hoovers.com/golden-corral/--ID__41088--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml}}</ref> [[Gross sales]] are over 1.526 billion.<ref>{{cite web| last=Fowler |first=Ted |title=Golden Corral Corporate Vision |work=GoldenCorral.com |url=http://www.goldencorral.com/franchise |date=2007 |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref>
The company focused on freshness to separate it from other budget [[steakhouse]]s. From the start, each Golden Corral cut its own [[USDA]] Choice beef, offering a variety of steaks, and they did not charge much more than their competitors charged for their frozen, imported steaks. They also opened the majority of their restaurants away from any direct competition, focusing on small-town America. And, by [[1979]], the company owned more than 100 restaurants. By the end of [[1980]], the total was up to 151.
In [[1982]], the company acquired 193 restaurants from [[Sirloin Stockade]], a [[Kansas]]-based competitor. Approximately 100 of them became Golden Corral Family Steakhouses. There were 430 Golden Corral restaurants by the mid-1980s, each averaged approximately 5,000 square feet in size and about $1 million in annual sales.
The company had more than 500 restaurants, by 1987. That year, they decided to begin franchising by [[licensing]] 55 distressed restaurants to their most successful [[general manager]]s. Because of poor training, nationwide concerns about the consumption of [[red meat]], and a shift in market shares to [[upscale]] restaurants, sales were falling. Red meat was out, fresh fruits and vegetables were in. So Golden Corral added salad bars to all of their locations. They sacrificed seating in most, in others they sacrificed part of the parking lot to make an addition to the building. Despite their efforts, market shares and profit margins continued to fall and by [[1989]] 87 money-losing restaurants had been cut.
In [[1991]], the first seven '''Metro Market''' concept restaurants opened. They were 10,000 square feet and seated between 400 and 450 guests. These new Golden Corral restaurants more than doubled the old, which were typically 5,000 square feet with a guest capacity of 175. There was the addition of the Brass Bell Bakery, named for the brass bell which rang every 15-minutes to signal that fresh bread, rolls and pastries were coming out of the oven, along with an expanded buffet, dubbed the Golden Choice Buffet, which also had a new layout to showcase its 170 items. The restaurants also continued to offer their USDA choice-grade steaks. The location of these new restaurants--the majority of which were in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and North Carolina--was also a change for the company. They had moved away from small-towns and into [[metropolitan area]]s.
In [[2001]], the buffet was expanded with the addition of cook-to-order sirloin steaks<ref>{{cite web |title=Golden Corral Franchise |work=TheFranchiseMall.com |accessdate=2007-08-18 |url=http://www.thefranchisemall.com/franchises/details/10121-0-Golden_Corral.htm}}</ref> and the system-wide annual sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time.<ref>{{cite web |last=Maynard |first=James H. |coauthors=Ted M. Fowler |title=Golden Corral Corporation #PUB-1569 |work=Newcomen |url=https://shop.newcomen.org/product.php?productid=80348&js=n |date=[[April 18]], [[2002]] |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref>
In January [[2002]], the National [[Arbitration]] Forum ordered that the domain http://www.goldencorralrest.com be transferred to Golden Corral from a Domain Service based in [[Russia]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Carmody |first=James A. |title=Golden Corral Corporation v. NicGod Domain Services aka For Sale |work=National Arbitration Forum |date=[[January 7]] [[2002]] |url=http://www.arbforum.com/domains/decisions/102621.htm |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref>
==Menu items==
Golden Corral restaurants offer a wide spread of items to choose from for breakfast, lunch and dinner. During the breakfast service, choices range from traditional breakfast items, like scrambled eggs(usually egg product) & bacon and biscuits & gravy, to childhood favorites, like chocolate chip pancakes and French toast with powdered sugar.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sunrise Breakfast Buffet |work=GoldenCorral.com |url=http://goldencorral.com/menu/breakfast.asp |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref> Lunch and dinner service offers salad bar,<ref>{{cite web |title=Cold Buffet |work=GoldenCorral.com |url=http://goldencorral.com/menu/cold.asp |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref> soups,<ref>{{cite web |title=Soup & Potato Bar |work=GoldenCorral.com |url=http://goldencorral.com/menu/soup.asp |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref> hot entrees,<ref>{{cite web |title=Hot Buffet |work=GoldenCorral.com |url=http://goldencorral.com/menu/hot.asp |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref> a wide variety of sides, breads and desserts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Brass Bell Bakery |work=GoldenCorral.com |url=http://goldencorral.com/menu/dessert.asp |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref>
There are 10 buffet items that Golden Corral refers to as "10-to-Win" items. These are generally the most popular items and are considered keys to success of an individual Golden Corral restaurant. They include: [[rotisserie]] chicken, made from scratch [[mashed potatoes]], [[Bourbon Street]] chicken, grilled [[sirloin steak]], their popular home-style yeast rolls, [[fried chicken]], their signature "Awesome" [[pot roast]], [[meatloaf]], [[pizza]], and [[carrot cake]].
Golden Corral's most recent restaurant concept--called "Strata"--rolled out during the past five years, has sought to bring more of the food preparation into view of the guests. At locations featuring these concepts, guests can help themselves to made-to-order omelets, waffles and fresh salads prepared on the spot and entrees that are hot off the grill.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hayes |first=Jack |title=Golden Corral to retrofit 200 units to 'Strata' display-cooking prototype in $50M campaign |work=Nation's Restaurant News |date=[[August 20]] [[2001]] |accessdate=2007-08-18 |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_34_35/ai_77498015}}</ref>
==Other services==
====To-Go====
Many locations offer a To-Go service, which allows customers to pack anything they want into a To-Go container and then pay for it by the pound. Many restaurants also offer reserved parking spaces near the front of the restaurant for those using the To-Go service.
====Catering====
Some locations provide full- and part-service [[catering]]. Select locations have a [[Motorcoach]] for this purpose.
====Banquets====
[[Banquet]] facilities are also available at most locations, which can be reserved free of charge for parties and meetings. Generally on the far end of the restaurant, these rooms allow for large groups to dine away from those in the main dining room. And, for private events, the doors to the banquet room can be closed.
==Philanthropy==
Between 2001 and [[2007]], Golden Corral served 1,834,193 free meals to [[active duty]] and retired military personnel and has raised [[US$]]2,535,095 for [[disabled]] [[Veterans]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Military Appreciation |work=GoldenCorral.com |date=[[October 30]] [[2006]] |url=http://www.goldencorral.com/military/| accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref>
==Training program==
====Co-worker====
The Co-worker training program is referred to as "Fast Tracks". It allows co-workers to become certified in their position in the restaurant, and it provides a means whereby they can transfer and become proficient in other positions as well. Some of the positions include [[Waiting staff|Food server]], [[Baker]], [[Grill]] [[Cook]], [[Meat Cutter]], Utility Person, or Prep Person. There are some administrative positions co-workers may also aspire to including [[Crew]] [[Trainer]], Crew [[Leader]], or [[Assistant Manager]]. This process involves [[computer]]-based training combined with hands-on training from experienced co-workers.
====Management====
Golden Corral has a 12-week [[restaurant management|management]] training program that is divided into three phases. The first two phases are five weeks each and take place in a training restaurant. The first five weeks are spent mastering each of the co-worker positions. In the next five-week phase, the candidate masters Golden Corral's [[Administration (business)|administrative]] procedures. The final phase is two weeks of intensive training and testing that occurs at Golden Corral's headquarters in Raleigh.<ref>{{cite web |title=Restaurant Co-workers |work=GoldenCorral.com |url=http://goldencorral.hodesiq.com/rcw_opp.asp |accessdate=2007-08-18}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
[[Category:Franchises]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1973]]
[[Category:Buffet restaurants]]
[[Category:Restaurants in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Companies based in Raleigh, North Carolina]]