Ole Times County Buffet opened at 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the former Smokin' Pig location in the Macon Mall.
Both of the brands are owned by Valdosta-based O'neal Restaurants Inc., which has 13 restaurants in its group.
Jennifer Sumner, O'neal vice president, said Smokin' Pig's signature barbecue will still be available and diners will have more options.
"We'll still have barbecue options on the buffet," Sumner said. "We'll still have our Smokin' Pig sauce."
Sumner said customers will now have options like fried chicken, seafood, and more choices for dessert. The restaurant will also have featured days on the buffet such as steak night, seafood night, and fried pork chop night.
Ole Times also has restaurants in Warner Robins, Dublin and another Macon location on Gray Highway.
We posted a story about the change on 13wmaz.com Saturday that quickly went viral. Many people were concerned about losing barbecue. The story was shared more than 1,700 times, liked more than 1,100 times with more than 400 comments.
Macon Mall's Smokin' Pig restaurant changed to Ole Times Country Buffet. - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
