That is exactly what my favorite restaurant did when another restaurant failed.
When I was a teenager, a small restaurant franchise opened up in a little strip area on the East side of town. They completely renovated the space to match their brand. You could tell a lot of money went into building this location.
If memory serves me right, they were only open a couple of months before their employees showed up to work and found the doors locked. They were greeted with a “permanently closed” message on the doors.
It was a big deal at the time and widely discussed. I do not know why. What I do know is that my favorite restaurant was born from the ashes: Super Grand Buffet. An Americanized Chinese food buffet.
I was quite amused to find they kept the renovations exactly the same.
It looked like they took their food and plopped it inside a premade restaurant template. It is, well, exactly the same today! Just a bit faded, though. I mean, it has been over 20 years.
It became a family dining experience for me. My mom loved their food, and we went often. I would go with my dad on occasion, but it was a real bonding experience for my mom and me. I went through my pregnancy during that time. Once I had my daughter, she would come with us.
The owner, a lovely Asian woman who always smiles & greets me when I am there, ended up becoming a friend. We’d talk when I was there. She jokingly called herself my daughter’s Asian Grandma.
My daughter grew up, and you can see it in her photos on the wall with their other family & friends.
It was a whole family affair with kindness and friendship.
She even tried to get me to talk my daughter into working there. She really cared about her and wanted to bring her into the business as a hostess.
My mom is gone, but the tradition is not!
The Chinese buffet continued on as a tradition for my daughter and me. Shoot, she somehow managed to find a boyfriend who is just as in love with Chinese food.
He fits right into the family on that basis alone!
We frequently choose to go for Chinese food. When I am in her town, two hours away, we seek out sushi. When she comes home? Chinese buffet!
The tradition hasn’t died. Not even a little bit. It has only modified and grown. Just as offerings, features, and the world has changed the Chinese buffet I love.
Yes, the owner always has a smile for me and a kind greeting when we see eachother! She is a very kind soul.
There is so much emotional history in that place. Walking in the building feels like I went home. If there were a home to return, and my mom wasn’t gone.
Angela J Shupe 
I was thinking…