New Golden Corral nears completion

HARLINGEN — Construction of the new Golden Corral Buffet and Grill is nearing the finish line, with workers yesterday beginning one of the last phases of the $1.35 million project by installing landscaping.

The new restaurant is next door to the older Golden Corral and is located on West Tyler Avenue near the intersection of M Street.

City officials said yesterday the privately held company, Golden Corral Corp., based in Raleigh, N.C., would need to request a final city inspection before being granted an operating license. So far, that request has not been made, they said.

The new Golden Corral is slightly bigger than the older restaurant, with 11,000 square feet inside the building. The new restaurant will have 170 parking spaces.

When the new restaurant was announced last year, a Golden Corral spokesman said it marked the company’s commitment to Harlingen for the next 25 to 30 years.

The first Golden Corral opened in 1973 in Fayetteville, N.C. Since then, the company has expanded to more than 500 locations across the United States. In 2014, Golden Corral reported gross sales of $1.735 billion companywide.

In the Valley, Golden Corral also has buffet-style restaurants in Brownsville, Weslaco and McAllen.