Southern California’s New Souplantation Dupe Is All-You-Can-Eat Nostalgia

Welcome to the Scene Report, a new column in which Eater captures the vibe of a notable Los Angeles restaurant at a specific moment in time.

When Souplantation announced it was closing 97 restaurants in 2020, including 44 in California, a collective gasp could be heard across the Southland. What would become of every native Californian’s favorite all-you-can-eat soup and salad chain?

On paper, Souplantation’s concept is bizarre. Run a bit like a college dining hall or a summer camp canteen, the restaurant was a suburban staple with a healthful halo compared to more gluttonous competitors like Hometown Buffet and Golden Corral. Beloved dishes with deeply unserious names, including “U.S. Senate Bean with Smoked Ham Soup” and “Joan’s Broccoli Madness,” were available in self-serve unlimited portions for an affordable flat rate. The cost of dinner was just $11.69 at the time of closing before any discounts, which were popular and well-known among its fans, were applied.

An average day at Souplantation saw the coupon-carrying crowd and parents with young children filtering through the buffet to construct a mountain of greens on their plates before moving on to stations dedicated to soups, breads, pastas, and desserts. It’s an innately comforting and communal experience for those who grew up with it, and also for those who have commitment issues when it comes to settling on a single dish to eat. Why have a lot of something when you can have a little of it all? My strongest memory of the restaurant involves a horde of youth soccer players hungrily lining up outside the Camarillo location, ready to wreak havoc and push the all-you-can-eat promise to its limits.

The cloud hanging over the restaurant’s memory started to lift when a carbon copy called Soup ‘n Fresh opened its doors in Rancho Cucamonga — in a former Souplantation space, no less — on February 28, 2024. (There were talks of a possible revival in San Diego that would be housed in an adult day care center, but the plans have since been scrapped.) Finally, there was another chance to recapture the glory of housing half a dozen different soups in a single sitting or casually snacking on a brownie muffin before re-entering a savory reverie with some cheesy garlic focaccia. Even though nothing will ever truly replace Souplantation, this Dupeplantation was close enough. Here was the scene at Soup ‘n Fresh on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at around 2 p.m.

The wait: The response to the Souplantation revival has been incredible, so getting a table on a Sunday afternoon took about 90 minutes. The line stretched out of the front entrance, down the landing, and around the corner onto the sidewalk. Most of the queue is directly exposed to the sun, save for the final stretch toward the front that includes some seating, so bring sunscreen. The smarter and well-prepared folks in line treated it like a tailgate and brought fold-out chairs to settle into for the long haul. The line was so long that an onlooker drove up just to ask if a secret drop was happening. It’s incredible to think that there was rarely a wait at the original Souplantations.

The vibe: Operating in a former Souplantation, Soup ‘n Fresh looks similar to the original, albeit with a fresh coat of paint and refurbished serving areas. The crowd looks like the folks who frequent Costco on a Sunday afternoon — a mix of young adults looking for an inexpensive meal while chasing nostalgia and large families attempting to have an impromptu birthday party in a public space.

The menu: The offerings at Soup ‘n Fresh adhere closely to the original but with a few changes to the names of the dishes. Wonton Happiness is now Asian chicken salad, while U.S. Senate Bean with Smoked Ham Soup goes simply by chili. The Asian chicken salad was the most winning of the prepared salads, and the pizza bread found underneath the heat lamps had me coming back for more. I can only hope that spring’s upcoming strawberry season revives the Strawberry Fields spinach salad, which was served seasonally in most Souplantation locations.

The soup selection consists of both corn and clam chowders, plus chili, chicken noodle, and more. Mac and cheese, as well as noodles with standard marinara, made for fine pasta choices. The loaded baked potato bar with its requisite bacon, cheese, and chives toppings was also up and running. Dessert options included fresh fruit and Jello, as well as brownie muffins and soft serve in chocolate and vanilla flavors. The move is to start with salad before being seated at a table, take a few bites to quell one’s hunger, and then head back to the buffet to gather and assemble the rest of one’s meal.

The verdict: There’s a clear divide between diners who are Souplantation fans and those who are experiencing the buffet for the first time. From my vantage point, stationed in front of the baked potato bar, both groups seemed pleased with their meals. Soup ‘n Fresh is a good deal at $16.99 for lunch and $18.99 for dinner before any discounts for teachers, veterans, and more, are applied. At this expansive buffet set in the heart of San Bernardino County, there is something for everyone, even if just good old chicken noodle soup.