Escondido Deputy Mayor Christian Garcia's petition efforts stem from his desire to revive the beloved buffet-style restaurant, which operated for a decade at 1260 Auto Parkway in Escondido. He hopes this move could reignite hopes for a broader return to the San Diego area, where the brand was originally founded.
"Earlier this year I got in contact with Sweet Tomatoes (Souplantation)," explained North County native Christian Garcia. "My goal is to bring them back to Escondido. They mentioned they are relaunching in a few other sites, but loved the Escondido location. They want to follow up next year after their other launches. The most common recommendation I received to bring them to our table was a petition."
Souplantation opened its doors in 1978 on Mission Gorge Road in San Diego, quickly gaining popularity for its all-you-can-eat concept. The chain expanded to more than 130 locations nationwide under the name Sweet Tomatoes outside of Southern California.
However, in 2020, we at SanDiegoVille broke the news to the world that all Souplantation restaurants (and sister concept Sweet Tomatoes) had laid off more than 5,000 employees across the country and would not be reopening any locations due to the pandemic. The news was heavily disputed at the time of publication but turned out to be true.
Garcia's petition follows encouraging signs from the new ownership group, ST Three LLC, which acquired Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes' assets in 2021. The company has already relaunched one Sweet Tomatoes location, a 7,000 square-foot restaurant in Tucson, AZ that opened this past April 1, and has hinted at future expansions, indicating that San Diego could be a possible market for revival. Garcia hopes that his petition will help show there is strong local demand for the chain's return.
"We know there is a demand for Sweet Tomatoes all over the country!," wrote a representative from Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation. "We're hoping that our Tucson location will be a huge success and will pave the way for us to bring Sweet Tomatoes back to as many loyal fans as possible. All markets are being considered for future expansion. Keep an eye on our social media as that's where all our updates will be posted!"
Souplantation opened its doors in 1978 on Mission Gorge Road in San Diego, quickly gaining popularity for its all-you-can-eat concept. The chain expanded to more than 130 locations nationwide under the name Sweet Tomatoes outside of Southern California.
However, in 2020, we at SanDiegoVille broke the news to the world that all Souplantation restaurants (and sister concept Sweet Tomatoes) had laid off more than 5,000 employees across the country and would not be reopening any locations due to the pandemic. The news was heavily disputed at the time of publication but turned out to be true.
Garcia's petition follows encouraging signs from the new ownership group, ST Three LLC, which acquired Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes' assets in 2021. The company has already relaunched one Sweet Tomatoes location, a 7,000 square-foot restaurant in Tucson, AZ that opened this past April 1, and has hinted at future expansions, indicating that San Diego could be a possible market for revival. Garcia hopes that his petition will help show there is strong local demand for the chain's return.
"We know there is a demand for Sweet Tomatoes all over the country!," wrote a representative from Sweet Tomatoes/Souplantation. "We're hoping that our Tucson location will be a huge success and will pave the way for us to bring Sweet Tomatoes back to as many loyal fans as possible. All markets are being considered for future expansion. Keep an eye on our social media as that's where all our updates will be posted!"
For more information on the petition and updates, follow Sweet Tomatoes on Instagram and let the company know your support for bringing Souplantation back to America's Finest City.
Originally published on October 24, 2024.
