Our Golden History
Golden Corral’s first family steakhouse opened in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1973. The chain grew steadily during the next decade, starting with locations in Virginia and Texas before expanding outward
By the mid-1980s, guests had fallen in love with our wholesome food, family-friendly atmosphere and great value. In order to enhance our core customers’ dining experience while attracting new customers, we reinvented ourselves by introducing our 11,000+ sq. feet “Buffet & Grill” design to bring our product quality and freshness to the forefront.
For almost 50 years, we have been the go-to place for families to enjoy signature dinner favorites like our tasty fried chicken, along with from-scratch bakery items like our homemade yeast rolls and decadent desserts.

Franchise Inquiry
"*" indicates required fields
A Story Of Remarkable Innovation

1973 – First Golden Corral Location

1980's – Expanded to Buffet & Grill

2010s – Introduced Gateway Concept
Meet Our Leadership Team
Our executive team is well-versed in the world of restaurants and franchising. We pride ourselves on being able to lead the brand in a way that emphasizes our core beliefs, serves our guests the experience they desire and promotes high franchisee satisfaction.

LANCE TRENARY
CEO / President
A Golden Corral veteran, Lance has served in multiple roles across his 36-year career with the brand. Starting on the leadership team as Senior Vice President of Operations in 2000, Lance established his belief in the brand and became Chief Executive Officer in 2015. Also, a founding member of Camp Corral, he is committed to giving back to military families through our annual summer camp for children of current and former military service men and women.

Chappell Phillip
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT / GENERAL COUNCIL

JIM LAVERTY
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

DAVID CONKLIN
CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

SHELLEY WOLFORD
CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER

SKIP HANKE
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Ready to Get Started?
Learn More about Our Franchising Opportunities
We are the first-choice franchise brand for savvy restaurant operators looking to expand their local dining market share or successful franchisees seeking to diversify their portfolio with a proven high revenue restaurant brand.