The Golden Corral, an Albert Lea buffet and bakery that’s been serving food for decades, will close its doors permanently at the end of the year, co-owner David Benson said.

Although business has been up this year, Benson said he and his wife Susan are looking for a change in their lives and decided to close the restaurant when their lease is up after Dec. 31.

&uot;We’ve enjoyed the Golden Corral and Albert Lea,&uot; Benson said. &uot;We just decided we wanted to do something different.&uot;

The restaurant employs around 35 people, most of them part time.

The Bensons took over the restaurant in 1991, when David was a district manager for the company. Before then, the local restaurant was corporate owned, but the Bensons took it over as a franchise, he said.

The restaurant was formerly located in the building that now houses Philly’s Bar and Grill on East Main Street. Before 1982, it was known as the Sirloin Stockade. It moved into its current location at 1604 E. Main St. in 1986.

Developer Tom Leland said a deal to bring a new tenant to the location is close to complete, but said he could not yet comment on its identity.