Sheboygan's New China 8 Buffet closes
No reason for the restaurant's closure was provided
SHEBOYGAN — A once popular Chinese Buffet in Sheboygan has closed.
New China 8 Buffet in the Taylor Heights Shopping Center has been closed since January. No reason was provided for the closure. Earlier this year, a “For Rent” sign was posted on the front door which has since been removed. The 5,122-square-foot restaurant is not expected to reopen for business, despite rumors of a remodel.
In recent months, customers had complained about being charged a fee for leaving food on their plate and being served food that was not the proper temperature.
In February 1995, Hong Zheng opened New China 8 Buffet in Taylor Heights. The restaurant occupied 7,000-square-feet of shopping center space. In 2009, the buffet relocated to the former shuttered Hardee’s restaurant at 571 South Taylor Drive.
In May 2007, Zheng opened the Century Buffet at Deer Trace Shopping Center in Kohler. The 11,000-square-foot restaurant closed in 2013. Buffalo Wild Wings remodeled the space and opened in December 2014.
Zheng, a former Kohler resident, now resides in Green Bay and could not be reached for comment.
Once a Hardee’s
Hardee's opened in August 1989 inside the Taylor Heights Shopping Center. It was the third Hardee's to open in Sheboygan and was owned by Twentieth Century Foods. The company also built and owned the motel next to the Hardee’s on Highway 42 in the Town of Sheboygan. In 1998, the Sheboygan restaurants were sold to CKE Restaurants, the parent company of the chain.
In October 2000, Hardee's sold the Taylor Heights and Highway 42 restaurants to Doro, Inc. Seven years later, the Taylor Drive Beltline location closed. Zheng purchased the building from Hardee's franchisee Jon Munger in June 2008 and built a 1,200-square-foot addition to the building.
Taylor Heights Shopping Center recently completed exterior renovations and is home to Nori Sushi & Grill, Pizza Hut, Planet Fitness, Pet Supplies, and other stores. Construction on Taylor Heights began in June 1988 and was expected to create at least 200 jobs. Anchored by Walmart and Piggly Wiggly, the $6 million shopping center was built to have room for 20 stores for a total of 157,146-square-feet. Piggly Wiggly closed in March 2005 and Walmart relocated three miles south in November 2006.
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