Furr’s Cafeteria

Furr’s Cafeteria began in 1946, when Roy and Key Furr opened their first cafeteria in Hobbs, New Mexico. The brand quickly found a following, leading to a second location in Odessa, Texas just a year later. Over the next twenty years, Furr’s expanded throughout the Southwest, and by the late 1960s, it operated dozens of locations. The company’s growth was supported by its own supply chain, which started with the acquisition of Plains Meat Company, later known as Dynamic Foods.

A significant milestone came in 1980, when Kmart acquired Furr’s, ushering in a period of further expansion. At its peak, Furr’s operated more than 80 restaurants, primarily in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and surrounding states. The chain became a familiar anchor in many suburban shopping centers, known for its large-format, high-traffic cafeteria and buffet concepts. Ownership changed hands several times in the following decades, with each transition bringing new strategies, such as the introduction of the Furr’s Family Buffet format in 2000. This move reflected an effort to adapt to changing dining trends and increased competition in the buffet segment.

Despite these adaptations, Furr’s faced mounting industry headwinds. The early 2000s brought bankruptcy proceedings and further ownership changes, with the company’s footprint shrinking steadily. By the late 2010s, only a small number of locations remained, mostly in Texas and New Mexico. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic proved insurmountable, and in April 2021, following the bankruptcy of its parent company Fresh Acquisitions LLC, Furr’s Cafeteria permanently closed all remaining locations and ceased operations entirely.

As of April 2021, Furr’s no longer operated any restaurants. Its legacy is closely tied to the evolution of suburban retail centers in the Southwest, where its large dining spaces and steady customer traffic once made it a valued tenant. The company’s history reflects both the rise of the cafeteria format and the broader shifts in American dining and retail real estate over the past seventy-five years.