Gilbert is getting a new all-you-can-eat option. Lin's Grand Buffet, which already runs eight locations across Arizona, plans to open another restaurant in Gilbert later this year, as the chain continues expanding in Arizona.
The Gilbert plan was first detailed by myrgv.com, which reported that Lin's has eight Arizona locations and intends to open another in Gilbert this year. The chain now counts 17 locations nationwide and traces its roots to McAllen, Texas, where it first opened in 2002, according to the same report.
Gilbert isn't the only Arizona market where Lin's is building. The company purchased a vacant Mesa property at 1017 E. Baseline Road, an 8,684-square-foot building, in a deal that closed for $3.3 million, per What Now Phoenix. No exact opening date for Mesa has been announced, but the outlet reports that location would mark Lin's fourth restaurant in the Greater Phoenix area, describing the move as a strategic step toward building density in the East Valley.
A Phoenix CEO With Expansion On His Mind
Lin's Grand Buffet is led by CEO Frank Lam, according to Arizona Foothills Magazine, which also reported that the chain first began serving the community back in 2002. The publication's coverage of a Phoenix opening noted that location's design was meant to complement the broader revitalization of the Metro Center area — part of a pattern of Lin's tying new openings to neighborhood redevelopment.
Arizona Foothills Magazine and KTAR have each reported on a planned Phoenix restaurant at Metro Parkway and Interstate 17, which KTAR described as the chain's seventh Arizona location and 14th overall. The two outlets differ on the restaurant's exact seating capacity: Arizona Foothills Magazine reported the 10,561-square-foot space would seat up to 370 guests, while KTAR reported the same square footage would allow for up to 374 guests.
Growth Beyond Arizona's Borders
The chain's ambitions stretch well past the Phoenix metro. Lin's is also planning a second McAllen, Texas location at 4201 W. Expressway 83, which myrgv.com reports is expected to create more than 60 jobs and will include an 8,800-square-foot dining room seating 260 guests.
That kind of multi-market buildout fits a wider pattern among restaurant chains chasing growth in warmer, faster-growing states. According to QSR Web, the Southwest, Southeast and West accounted for 76.9% of all tracked U.S. restaurant development activity between January and June of this year, with shopping centers and mixed-use developments making up 65% of that activity. Casual and family dining represented the largest single category, at 48.3% of tracked activity, the outlet reported.
Population trends help explain the draw. QSR Web reported that South Carolina led the nation in population growth in 2025 at 1.5%, followed by Idaho at 1.4%, North Carolina at 1.3%, Texas at 1.2% and Utah at 1%. The same report noted that restaurant employment in Utah and Nevada now sits 15% above 2019 levels, while Idaho's is up 13% compared with pre-pandemic figures.
Not Every Buffet Chain Is Only Growing
Lin's expansion comes even as other all-you-can-eat chains show a mixed picture nationally. Golden Corral closed six locations this year but remains, as AL.com put it, adamant about its expansion plans, with six new restaurants in development — two under construction and four in pre-construction in Baytown, Texas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St. Petersburg, Florida; and Spanish Fort, Alabama. Golden Corral currently operates 47 locations in Texas, 31 in Florida and 26 in North Carolina, per its store locator cited by the outlet.
Other chains are leaning into similar Sun Belt momentum. El Pollo Loco expects to open 18 to 20 restaurants systemwide this year, nearly double its 2025 pace, with most of that growth happening outside its home state of California, QSR Web reported. Panda Express, meanwhile, added 105 restaurants last year and expects to add another 132 company-owned locations plus 10 franchised restaurants this year, according to the same report.
For now, Lin's has not detailed the Gilbert restaurant's size, seating capacity or staffing plans, and no opening date beyond later this year has been confirmed. As the chain works through projects in Gilbert, Mesa and Phoenix simultaneously, it's positioning itself as one of the more aggressive family-dining operators betting on Arizona's growth.
