LeBuffet

LeBuffet (also styled Le Buffet) was the flagship gastronomy brand of the German department-store group Karstadt. Operated by Le Buffet Restaurant&Café GmbH, a company of Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH, it ran restaurants and cafés inside Karstadt department stores nationwide. At its peak the company operated around 90 locations and ranked among Germany's largest system-gastronomy groups, reaching seventh place in 2005. The brand was built around a 'fresh-flow' concept first introduced in 2001 at Karstadt Freiburg: ingredients were presented market-style, selected by guests and cooked fresh in front of them, with choices spanning Far Eastern cuisine, grilled fish and meat, Italian pasta, salads, antipasti and desserts. Alongside LeBuffet, the company also used the RestaurantCafé brand for classic department-store cafeteria concepts. Larger LeBuffet restaurants included the Wintergarten restaurant in Berlin's KaDeWe and the restaurant in Hamburg's Alsterhaus. From 2016 the restaurants were progressively renamed Karstadt Restaurant, except for the KaDeWe, Alsterhaus and Oberpollinger locations, which belonged to the separate KaDeWe Group. After Karstadt and Galeria Kaufhof merged into Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof in 2018, the two groups' gastronomy operations — Le Buffet and Dinea — were combined into a single concept. On 27 October 2021 the company was renamed Galeria Restaurant GmbH & Co. KG, and the LeBuffet brand ceased to exist as an independent operation.

LeBuffet emerged from the in-store gastronomy operations of the German department-store chain Karstadt. The brand name was introduced in 2001 with the launch of a 'fresh-flow' concept at Karstadt Freiburg. Unlike traditional department-store cafeterias, the LeBuffet format presented ingredients as on a market: guests chose their food and had it freshly prepared in front of them. The menu covered Far Eastern dishes, grilled fish and meat specialties, Italian pasta, salads, antipasti and desserts such as homemade ice cream and cakes. The operating company, Le Buffet Restaurant&Café GmbH, was a subsidiary of Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH, with central management based at Karstadt's headquarters in Essen. It ran restaurants under two brands: LeBuffet for the fresh-flow concept and RestaurantCafé for the classic department-store gastronomy format. By the mid-2000s the company was one of Germany's largest system-gastronomy operators. In 2004 it generated revenue of €224.6 million from 182 outlets, and in 2005 €208.4 million from 169 outlets, ranking seventh among German system-gastronomy companies. The fresh-flow concept was present at 41 locations. Larger LeBuffet restaurants included the Wintergarten restaurant in Berlin's KaDeWe and the restaurant in Hamburg's Alsterhaus. From 2016 the restaurants were successively rebranded as Karstadt Restaurant, with the KaDeWe, Alsterhaus and Oberpollinger locations excluded because those stores were organized under the separate KaDeWe Group. The merger of Karstadt and Galeria Kaufhof into Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof on 30 November 2018 led over time to the merger of their respective gastronomy operations: Le Buffet (Karstadt) and Dinea (Galeria Kaufhof) were combined into a single concept. On 27 October 2021 the company was renamed Galeria Restaurant GmbH & Co. KG, marking the end of LeBuffet as an independent brand.

• 2021

  Company renamed Galeria Restaurant GmbH & Co. KG on 27 October.

• 2018

  Karstadt and Galeria Kaufhof merged into Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof; Le Buffet and Dinea gastronomy concepts combined.

• 2016

  Restaurants progressively renamed Karstadt Restaurant, except KaDeWe, Alsterhaus and Oberpollinger.

• 2005

  Ranked 7th among Germany's largest system-gastronomy companies; €208.4 million revenue with 169 outlets.

• 2004

  Company generated €224.6 million revenue with 182 outlets.

• 2001

  Fresh-flow concept under the LeBuffet brand introduced at Karstadt Freiburg.

Department-store gastronomy brand offering market-style fresh food and all-day dining inside Karstadt stores.

• Fresh-Flow buffet

  Market-style presentation of ingredients selected by guests and cooked fresh in front of them.

• RestaurantCafé

  Classic department-store gastronomy concept.

1. 1Herzlich Willkommen im GALERIA Restaurant: Einfach wie Daheimgaleria-restaurant.de
2. 2LeBuffet – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Le Buffet – Wikipediade.wikipedia.org