Golden Corral in Columbia reopens

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Golden Corral on Clark Lane in Columbia reopened on Thursday.

According to previous reporting, the restaurant caught fire at 10 p.m. Dec. 31, 2022. Columbia fire crews had the fire under control within 40 minutes, the report states. Around $250,000 in damage was reported. No one was in the building at the time of the fire, according to previous reporting. The location was then closed until Thursday.

An investigator said in January 2023 that it didn't appear the grills were on when he saw them. A manager told investigators that employees go through a shutdown procedure when they close at 9:30 p.m. to make sure the grills are off.

The fire spread through the exhaust fan of the building, which caught several parts of the roof on fire.

A spokesman previously said in April that the restaurant was expected to reopen in June.