The premises that housed Houlihans Classic Restaurant until that dining landmark closed this summer have returned to culinary life as Phoenix Buffet.
Tom and Jessie Liang opened the doors to their new restaurant in Pines Plaza on Saturday. In addition to a buffet with Cantonese and Szechuan Chinese food, as well as western selections, they offer dim sum and menu service.
The Liangs have worked in the local restaurant industry for about 10 years, previously operating Dragon City Cafe in Red Deer and after that Dragon House Chinese Buffet in Sylvan Lake. When the Houlihans space became available, they decided it was a good opportunity to return to the Red Deer market, said Jessie.
Soon after, Red Deer Book Exchange — which operated next to Houlihans — announced that it was also closing. The Liangs decided to lease that space as well.
The result is a 7,500-square-foot restaurant that can seat 250. Houlihans had space for 170.
In addition to combining the two bays, the Liangs performed extensive renovations, which took about four months to complete.
The result is a new decor, new furniture and new kitchen equipment — although some features from the Houlihans days remain: a sunken dining area and a water fountain.
Houlihans dated back to the late 1970s, and had a reputation for fine dining. But its popularity waned over the years as more and more restaurants located on the city’s south side.
Sam Ho, who bought Houlihans from founder Dave Everett in 1993, said prior to closing that the restaurant also suffered from a lack of visibility from Gaetz Avenue.
Jessie is optimistic Phoenix Buffet will overcome these hurdles.
She believes the restaurant will succeed if its food is good, and noted that many of her and Tom’s former Red Deer customers urged them to return to the city.
Phoenix Buffet is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Lunch is served until 3:30 p.m., with a more extensive dinner selection offered after 4 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays, the buffet includes brunch items like eggs Benedict.
The restaurant is offering customers a 20 per cent discount during the month of November.
hrichards@www.reddeeradvocate.com