The San Diego parent company of all-you-can eat buffet chain Souplantation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection – a reorganization effort that will result in the closure of up to 30 underperforming restaurants.

The company is also on the market, looking for a “sale of the business to second lien lenders.”

Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. operates 28 Souplantations in the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County and the Inland Empire, according to its website. Outside of the region, the company’s restaurant banner is Sweet Tomatoes. The chain has 124 company-owned restaurants in 15 states, according to its website.

Closures are imminent and will occur this week, the company told the Register on Tuesday afternoon. However, Garden Fresh said its restructuring plan does not include closing any restaurants in Southern California.

“We can tell you that our Souplantation restaurants in Orange County and throughout Southern California have historically been significant contributors to the company’s financial performance in its 38-year run,” the company told the Register.

Chief Executive John Morberg said in a statement that Garden Fresh will operate “our business as usual.”

“By improving our capital structure through this restructuring, we’ll be able to accelerate the changes underway to refresh our restaurants and build a strong future,” he said.

Revenue at the nation’s top buffet chains has tumbled over three years. Brands such as Golden Corral, Souplantation, Sweet Tomatoes and Sizzler generated $3.8 billion in sales in 2015, down from $4.1 billion in 2013, according to Chicago-based market research company Technomic.

In 2011, the company experimented with fast-food-style salad bars. But that format didn’t last; Garden Fresh eventually scrapped the express restaurants.

In the past two years, many locations, including a Souplantation in Fountain Valley, have been overhauled as part of a company revitalization plan.

The “Discover Fresh” campaign emphasized farm-to-table foods. “Within hours of harvest, fresh produce is on its way to the kitchens,” the company said in February 2015.

At the time, Garden Fresh said the restaurant makeovers were boosting foot traffic.

In early 2015, the company said January same-store sales increased chainwide by 5.5 percent, with refreshed stores in Southern California showing a “strong” 8 percent increase.

The first Souplantation opened in San Diego in 1978. The Orange County restaurants are in Brea, Tustin, Costa Mesa, Foothill Ranch, Fountain Valley, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Irvine and Laguna Niguel.

Garden Fresh said it is scheduled to emerge from bankruptcy by Dec. 5.

Contact the writer: nluna@scng.com