Golden Corral’s chief executive said something on national television that most executives work hard to avoid saying. In an interview Fox Business published on September 27, 2026, Lance Trenary, who serves as President & CEO of Golden Corral, opened up about the company’s current stretch.
“We’re having a difficult year this year. This is the first year, in several, that we’ve had some challenges. But at the end of the day, I don’t get too nervous about it because I’ve got such an incredible team,” Trenary said.
Leaders of large restaurant brands usually describe soft periods in careful, hedged language, if they raise them at all. Trenary named the difficulty in plain terms. The interview offered no detail on what the challenges are, so their source remains unknown, and any reader assessing the brand should treat the cause as an open question.
A Hard Year Following What He Calls a Run of Records
The admission carries weight because of what Trenary said came before it. According to Trenary, the company achieved record years back to back to back after its COVID recovery. That claim is his own, and My Investing News did not independently verify it. He described the current year as the first year in several with challenges.
Two earlier trade press headlines offer useful context on the timeline. Franchise Times published a piece on December 30, 2025 saying that Golden Corral’s CEO was more confident than ever. FSR magazine published a piece on July 27, 2026 saying that Golden Corral was tackling affordability and extending its growth strategy. Those headlines, and their dates, frame the period leading up to his remarks.
What Knowing Every Franchisee Means in Practice
Fox Business built its coverage around the one habit Trenary says he will keep. “Staying close to the customer is a habit that I’ll never break. I think that’s critically important,” he said.
He tied that habit to his history with the business. “I’ve been with Golden Corral for 41 years. And so I love traveling the restaurants. I know every franchisee. I know every manager in the stores. And I love visiting them,” Trenary said. Fox Business described that span as 41 years with the company.
That statement describes a specific management model. In a franchised restaurant system, franchisees own and operate individual locations, and store managers handle daily execution. Headquarters sets the brand, menu standards and systems, then relies on those operators to deliver them. A chief executive who says he personally knows every franchisee and every store manager is describing direct, relationship-based oversight of a network he does not run day to day. For investors studying franchised businesses generally, the quality of the relationship between a brand and its operators is one of the factors that shapes how consistently a concept performs across locations.
His Case for Hiring, Training and Keeping Talent
Trenary credits people as the primary tool for solving business problems, pointing to hiring, training and retaining talent. “If you can surround yourself, if you will, with great people, then that gives you the opportunity to find successful answers in whatever situation you’re facing,” he said.
That view links directly to his comment about the difficult year. His stated reason for staying calm was the team around him, which is the same argument he makes about talent more broadly.
One Executive’s View on Loving the Work
Trenary also offered his perspective on career fit. “If you don’t love what you’re doing, if you can’t get excited every morning and jump out of bed because you’re excited about going to face whatever challenges you might have in your business that day, then you’re probably not in the right business for you long term,” he said. He mentions faith, family and purpose as the personal habits that drive his day.
Candor Paired With Confidence
The interview’s central tension sits in a single answer. Trenary said Golden Corral is having a hard year, and in the same breath said he is not worried, crediting the people around him for that calm. Whether that confidence turns out justified is something this article cannot answer.