Soup ‘n Fresh - Rancho Cucamonga
Buffet restaurant · Rancho Cucamonga ·
Buffet with extensive salad bar, soups, pasta, pizza, and baked goods
Buffet with extensive salad bar, soups, pasta, pizza, and baked goods
"A buffet restaurant offering a variety of soups, salads, and classic buffet items, reminiscent of Souplantation." - Rebecca Roland
"A buffet-style restaurant occupying a former Souplantation in Rancho Cucamonga that opened to hours-long lines of people wanting to relive their childhood nostalgia for warm blueberry muffins or Wonton Happiness salad. Eater SoCal editor Rebecca Roland spent a day reporting on-site; while some dish names have changed and 'nothing will ever replace Souplantation,' the piece notes that Dupeplantation is pretty close." - Rebecca Roland
"Described as a "dupeplantation" lookalike of Souplantation that appeared in California’s Inland Empire, exemplifying the nostalgia-driven trend of restaurant resurrections and imitators." - Eater Staff
"Operating with no business relation to the original chain, the Souplantation dupe called Soup 'n Fresh opened in Rancho Cucamonga and drew longtime fans who showed up in droves and waited over an hour to fill their melamine plates with Wonton Happiness salad and blueberry muffins." - Cathy Chaplin
"Operating in a former Souplantation space in Rancho Cucamonga since February 28, 2024, Soup 'n Fresh looks similar to the original with a fresh coat of paint and refurbished serving areas, and the revival has drawn such demand that getting a table on a Sunday afternoon took about 90 minutes, with a line spilling onto the sidewalk (bring sunscreen and fold-out chairs). The menu adheres closely to the original but renames some items—Wonton Happiness is now Asian chicken salad (the most winning prepared salad) while U.S. Senate Bean with Smoked Ham Soup goes simply by chili—and I kept coming back for the pizza bread under the heat lamps. The soup selection includes corn and clam chowders, chili, chicken noodle, and more; pasta options such as mac and cheese and noodles with marinara are serviceable; there’s a loaded baked potato bar with bacon, cheese, and chives; and desserts range from fresh fruit and Jello to brownie muffins and chocolate and vanilla soft serve. The move is to start with salad, sit down, then return to the buffet; at $16.99 for lunch and $18.99 for dinner before discounts (teachers, veterans, etc.), it felt like a good deal and both longtime Souplantation fans and first-timers seemed pleased." - Rebecca Roland
