After it temporarily closed, this Columbus restaurant has a reopening date

Country Road Buffet, in The Landings shopping center at 2509 Airport Thruway in Columbus, is set to reopen next week.

The restaurant temporarily closed in May to expand into a former H&R Block unit, adding about 2,000 square feet to its space.

In a text message to the Ledger-Enquirer, Country Road Buffet owner Betty Torres said the restaurant will reopen July 6 with its regular hours: Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Why did Country Road Buffet expand?

In a previous interview with the Ledger-Enquirer, Torres said customers had been requesting the expansion for about six months before the temporary closure.

“The customers have been consistent, and I think we owe it to them to have [the restaurant space] a bit better,” she said. “Especially on Sundays, there was no space at all, and when we did fill up, everyone was elbow to elbow. There was no space for removing and cleaning.”

The total square footage of the restaurant after the expansion will be about 5,200, Torres said.

“We’re taking the floors out, taking the ceiling out, adding new food bars that are going to be bigger,” she said. “We’re replacing everything, pretty much, so it’s gonna look completely different.”