After six-years, this popular downtown Sacramento lunch spot reopened — or has it?

Bud’s Buffet, a once-bustling lunch favorite for the downtown crowd, shuttered in September 2020, during the height of the pandemic lockdown. As of last Wednesday, its doors are once again open.

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However, do not expect any of the former restaurant’s roasted meat sandwiches or mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. This iteration of Bud’s is an entirely new concept with entirely new ownership.

Under owner-manager Haroon Khan, the current restaurant is a Chipotle-esque fast casual Tex-Mex concept, with customizable tacos, burritos and burrito bowls, all with halal meats.

That didn’t stop people on social media from breathlessly proclaiming that Bud’s was back. Instagram user @jimamen posted a reel with the caption including, “Sacramento’s most beloved lunch spot just came back from the dead.”

This has generated some confusion in the community, and sparked outrage from the owners of the previous Bud’s, which was run by the Ziyadeh family for over 30 years. They posted their protest on the old business’s social media.

Marian Zakharia, a representative for the Ziyadeh family, shared a message from them.

“We are deeply saddened by the entire situation surrounding the Bud’s Buffet name. We feel it is misleading to customers and unfair to suggest that ‘Bud’s is back’ when it is not,” it read.

Khan says they reached out to the Ziyadeh family with an offer to purchase the recipes but were rebuffed.

The Ziyadehs’ statement confirmed this, clarifying that they rejected the offers.

“We made it very clear that we did not want our name associated with another business… We believe they should build their own brand and reputation rather than rely on a name that took our family 33 years to establish. Even if the name was legally available to use, we still believe it creates confusion and misleads customers into thinking the original Bud’s Buffet has returned.”

However, with the LLC and Fictitious Business Name registrations lapsed, the Ziyadehs had little recourse other than to voice their discontentment.

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“The name was up there, and we stuck with it. We completely rebranded it, though, and we’re trying to build our own legacy,” Khan said.

Getting the new business ready for launch was a significant undertaking. In the six years of vacancy, the space had fallen derelict.

“We had to do a complete remodel. There was mold everywhere. We had to call the restoration company. There was a rat infestation too. It took about six months to get it all done,” Khan said.

The finished space is austere, with mirrored walls, circular crystalline chandeliers and lucite chairs. If it reminds you of a banquet hall, it’s because it is.

The Khans own multiple event spaces, including the Downtown Event Center across the street, the Town & Country Event Center in Arden Arcade and another space attached to their Pakistani restaurant Al-Maidah in Rancho Cordova.

Catering is their stock in trade. In fact, it’s what inspired them to launch a Mexican restaurant. While the family is Pakistani, they have hosted many events for the local Latino community.

“We’ve been very involved with the Hispanic community since we moved to Sacramento. We do a lot of quinceañeras, a lot of Spanish weddings. The culture has really grown on us. My brother is actually married to a Hispanic woman, and so my niece is Hispanic. So the tradition is there, and we embrace it,” Khan said.

Just one week since launch, business is bubbling up organically. Foot traffic is vibrant, and with the potential for state workers to return to office, that could increase significantly. Khan has spent time talking to people on the street, even giving out free tacos to drive interest. It may not be the original Bud’s Buffet, but it’s the Bud’s that’s there.

“Times have kind of changed since the early 2020s. People want an on-the-go meal, so we feel the halal, authentic style Mexican food is kind of the way to go. People are loving it. We’re getting great feedback.”

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This story was originally published June 24, 2026 at 10:47 AM.