Jerry Craven founded Royal Fork Buffet in 1967 in Pocatello, Idaho, with its headquarters later located in Boise. It peaked to 53 locations.
In the post‑war era, America’s dining habits were shifting. Families were on the move; shopping malls were emerging; the dining out culture expanded. The buffet model—in which diners pay one price and serve themselves from many offerings—offered convenience and abundance for the growing American family wanting wide selection – something for even the most finicky eater – on a budget.
Most people when they think of a chain buffet restaurant probably think Golden Corral or maybe Ryan’s Buffet or Old Country Buffet, but some, especially those from the Midwest or Alaska, probably remember Royal Fork introducing them to the buffet concept. And those that do may not realize that the last Royal Fork closed as recently as 2021 after decades of slowly fading.
Jerry Craven founded Royal Fork Buffet in 1967 in Pocatello, Idaho, with its headquarters later located in Boise. It had four locations by the next year, expanding to Washington.
Two years earlier, Craven was a schoolteacher, and father of five, looking to supplement his earnings when he answered a newspaper advertisement attempting to sell a bankrupted McDonald’s franchise for $65,000.
Craven recalled, “I didn’t have 65 cents, let alone $65,000.” Two months later, when the franchise still hadn’t located a buyer, the owners offered it to Craven for the cost of inventory – about $4,000. He was soon in the hamburger business.
Royal Fork grew to 50 locations by the 1970s, some operating as King’s Table, but Craven sold most of them in about 1983 to focus more on the Midwest. It later added locations in Alaska and Canada.
There were 22 locations as of 1994, 13 in 2004 – a year that saw many more closures, and 5 by the end of 2008.
Locations spanned shopping mall food courts and stand‑alone properties, often replacing another restaurant.
Over time, as consumer tastes evolved and rental rates rose, buffets struggled to make a profit. Dining options became diverse; health and sanitation concerns rose; the novelty of self‑serve trays had to compete with restaurants positioning fresh, premium ingredients and healthier choices.
By the early 2000s, Royal Fork was down to a dozen locations across four states and two Canadian provinces. It had reduced that count to five locations when two North Dakota locations closed in 2008.
Then came 2020. The global pandemic struck the restaurant industry particularly hard—and buffet‑style restaurants were especially impacted. Shared utensils, self‑service lines, food barely protected by sneeze guards, large groups of diners: all suddenly high‑risk.
In Sioux Falls, the final U.S. Royal Fork Buffet closed temporarily on March 19 as the pandemic heightened. In May it reopened with a cafeteria‑style model (where the staff served rather than self‑serve) in an attempt to adapt. Despite the efforts, business volumes were down significantly; the managing partner said in late June that the restaurant was seeing about half its normal customers—and numbers were still dropping.
On July 20, 2020, Royal Fork Buffet announced that it would permanently close as of August 2 after 39 years.
In Winnipeg, the final Royal Fork location (located at 1615 Regent Ave W) announced its closure for December 2021, ending the brand that spanned multiple states and into Canada after 54 years.
