When Ravisara (Pinn) Lertpunyaroj and Jerry Wang opened the first Lin’s Grand Buffet in 2016, they never anticipated it would be so popular. Of course they hoped it would be.

“It all started with our South Tucson location in 2016,” Wang, a partner and supply chain director, said. “We were so busy we had our prep chefs working until 3, 4 a.m. every day.”

They knew that was unsustainable, “everyone was working themselves to the bone,” he said. It became a priority to find a better way so they opened a warehouse in Phoenix and now have a vertically integrated supply chain, a much more streamlined way to do business.

Because the restaurant proved so popular, plans to open another Lin’s Grand Buffet began to take shape. Beginning Friday, May 8, there will be two Lin’s in Tucson, becoming the eighth in Arizona. This new store is on the corner of Stone Avenue and Wetmore Road, across the street from the Tucson Mall. It’s taken a bit of time, several months, but the partners are now ready to open the doors to the public.

Wang became interested in restaurant work after he saw his parents work “their entire lives in the restaurant industry,” he said. He saw how hard they worked and he knew there had to be a more efficient way to go about it so a buffet was the answer. 

For Lertpunyaroj it was the opportunity to make a space for everyone.

“We want to make sure that our price point is affordable for everyone to come in,” she said. 

Evidently the model works since there are plenty of repeat customers.

“I have been seeing the same kind of customer four days in a row or sometimes they come, like, once a week,” she said. “I have been talking to our customers and they say, ‘Yeah, this is a place where I can come in everyday and eat whatever I want. I can feed my family who have different dietary restrictions.’ That’s something we want to be mindful of, to push Lin’s Grand Buffet toward that concept.”

Wang said at Lin’s they work hard to stay as close to farmers as possible, so the food is as fresh as it can be.

For anyone in the Old Pueblo who has not visited Lin’s Grand Buffet, come hungry. The buffet offers more than 100 opportunities to eat something different. Not content with just Chinese-style cooking, also featured are a sushi bar, Mongolian grill and steak served at live cooking stations. Diners will find the classics such as orange chicken, beef and broccoli and sesame chicken but there are unique options as well, including Cajun seafood boil, bourbon chicken and salt and pepper shrimp. 

Up to 235 guests can be seated at once since the dining room is 3,505-square-feet.
At the grand opening on Friday, celebrate with a Lion’s Dance at 6:30 p.m. there will be a balloon artist from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 9.

Lin’s Grand Buffet Grand Opening
WHEN:
Friday, May 8
10:45 a.m, ribbon-cutting
11:00 a.m., restaurant opens
6:30 p.m., Lion Dance Performance
Saturday, May 9
1 to 3 p.m., balloon artist
Usual hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
WHERE: 4420 N. Stone Avenue
COST: Before 4 p.m. Monday through Friday
Diners 11 and older/$15.69, diners 5 to 10 years old/$9.59, diners 2 to 4 years old/$7.19
After 4 p.m. daily and all day Saturday and Sunday
Diners 11 and older/$18.69, diners 5 to 10 years old/$11.59, diners 2 to 4 years old/$8.59
Holidays: all day, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day featuring Alaskan snow crab
Diners 11 and older/$23.99, diners 5 to 10 years old/$13.99, diners 2 to 4 years old/$10.99
Lin’s Buffet to Go: $8.49 a pound
INFO: linsrestaurant.com