Why isn't Sweet Tomatoes making a comeback in Phoenix? Here's the plan for the reboot

Update: Sweet Tomatoes is now open. Meet the fans who were first in line.

Taste test: How the new Tucson Sweet Tomatoes compares.

Fans were heartbroken when Sweet Tomatoes announced in 2020 that the fast-casual restaurant chain would close all 97 of its locations across the country due to financial struggles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

But Sweet Tomatoes announced in March that the beloved buffet would be making a comeback before the end of 2023 at the restaurant's former location at 6202 E. Broadway Boulevard in Tucson.

The Tucson Sweet Tomatoes will be reopened under new management. After the original company went bankrupt during the pandemic, the intellectual property rights were auctioned off and sold to a Florida company called ST Three LLC in 2021. The new owners hope the return of the iconic Sweet Tomatoes buffet will invoke a sense of nostalgia for the brand's loyal fans.

"I think there's pent-up demand for it," said Mike Malone, the new chief operating officer of Sweet Tomatoes.

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Why is Sweet Tomatoes reopening in Tucson?

A few other states were briefly considered, but Arizona remained at the top of the list for Sweet Tomatoes' new owners when choosing where to reopen the first restaurant, Malone said.

Of nine former Sweet Tomatoes locations that closed in 2020 in Arizona, the Tucson location was the highest performer in the state, according to Nancy McClure, VP of CBRE, the real estate management company that arranged the building's lease.

McClure called the location a "high profile building in a major retail office corridor." It's also just a few miles north of the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

What will the revamped Sweet Tomatoes look like?

The building itself was also a deciding factor in choosing where to reopen the restaurant. The Tucson location has remained empty since it closed in 2020, and the three old signs were never taken down, making the reopening process easier.

"We felt it would probably be simpler to take an existing building and bring it back to life, rather than starting from zero and building something brand new," Malone said.

While the building's signs will stay the same, the interior will be updated with a more modern dining room and an expanded kitchen.

"The idea was to take a former restaurant and refurbish it, remodel it, bring it back to life, but really be thoughtful in picking the right community, because you want your reintroduction to be amazing. And we think we can accomplish that in Tucson," Malone said.

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Will customers feel comfortable with the return of a buffet-style restaurant?

The pandemic is still fresh in many people's minds, and some diners might be hesitant to revisit a buffet-style restaurant. But McClure said the new owners have been working hard to address those concerns.

"We talked a lot about that, because, you know, the last thing we wanted to do was lease to somebody whose overall concept was going to fail. But I think we're through the worst of the pandemic, and there's people that really like the ability to go and pick what they want, as much as they want, and kind of develop their own meal out of it. There's faith that people that will come back," McClure said.

Sweet Tomatoes always had sneeze guards up in front of all buffet areas, and she said there will be clear sanitation areas to make sure that utensils used to grab food like salads and soups are kept clean in between uses. Additionally, staff will be available to help serve customers who are concerned about touching shared utensils.

"It certainly required some vision, because it was hard to look far ahead a couple of years ago. A lot of people had their doubts then, but I have not been able to find anyone who has those doubts now," Malone said.

What's next for Sweet Tomatoes comeback?

There are currently no plans to reopen any other Sweet Tomatoes locations. But that doesn't mean it won't happen.

The return of Sweet Tomatoes in Tucson has been a long process that dates back to 2021 when the brand's intellectual property was first sold to ST Three LLC. As such, the new owners want to see how people react to the first reopened location before making plans to revive any more.

"We're very hopeful that it's going to do very well, and maybe they'll, at that point, be ready to expand further elsewhere," McClure said. "I think they want to really iron out their concept and feel like they have their feet underneath them before they take on any more."

But Malone and McClure both have high hopes for the restaurant's comeback.

"It was a beloved brand," Malone said. "We knew from the social media outpouring that people want it back, that they would support it. So that's why we felt comfortable in thinking to the future."

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sweet Tomatoes chain launches a cautious comeback in Arizona