{"id":490657,"date":"2026-10-09T19:02:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:02:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/490657\/"},"modified":"2026-10-09T19:02:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T19:02:13","slug":"sweet-tomatoes-returning-to-fountain-valley-not-fresno","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/490657\/","title":{"rendered":"Sweet Tomatoes returning to Fountain Valley, not Fresno."},"content":{"rendered":"

Sweet Tomatoes<\/a> is coming back to California \u2013 but not in Fresno.<\/p>\n

Technically, the restaurant that\u2019s reopening is Souplantation \u2013 that\u2019s the sister brand that has the same buffet concept. The parent company of both brands closed all 97 restaurants nationwide in 2020 after it went bankrupt.<\/p>\n

The location is slated to reopen in its former spot in Fountain Valley<\/a> in 2027, according to Sweet Tomatoes.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s in Orange County, south of Los Angeles and Long Beach.<\/p>\n

So, despite those rumors that went wild over the summer<\/a>, Sweet Tomatoes isn\u2019t coming to Fresno anytime soon.<\/p>\n

It takes at least four hours to get there from central Fresno\u2014often four hours and 15 minutes, or even 4.5 hours, according to Google Maps. It all depends on traffic, and we all know that driving through the heart of L.A. could add even more time to that trip.<\/p>\n

Fresno loves this restaurant. So much so that a local eatery tried to imitate it<\/a>, but it didn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n

In a recent Fresno Bee poll, readers voted Sweet Tomatoes one of their most-missed restaurants<\/a>. It finished behind The Outpost, Estrada\u2019s Spanish Kitchen<\/a> and the Old Fresno Hofbrau.<\/p>\n

Clearly, Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation opted to go somewhere with a lot bigger customer base to draw from than Fresno.<\/p>\n

So the question is: Do Fresnans love this restaurant enough to travel that far for it? Maybe as a stop on part of another trip? Many of us travel to Southern California a lot for other reasons. Let us know in the poll below.<\/p>\n

\"Sweet Sweet Tomatoes is one of several businesses Fresnans would like to see return to Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Bethany Clough<\/a><\/p>\n

The Fresno Bee<\/p>\n

Bethany Clough covers restaurants and retail for The Fresno Bee. A reporter for more than 20 years, she now works to answer readers\u2019 questions about business openings, closings and other business news. She has a degree in journalism from Syracuse University and her last name is pronounced Cluff.\n <\/p>\n