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Carrabba's Italian Grill, 200 Graces Way: 16 February 2017   71 comments

Posted at 11:56 pm in closing

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Well, I have to say I am not too surprised about this. I ate at this Carabba's with some regularity, and twice in recent months I arrived well before the posted closing time to find the place with the doors locked. During one period, they even changed the Friday/Saturday closing hours back from 11:00 to 10:00 or maybe 10:30, I forget, but the point is that changing the hours either officialy or by fiat is Sign #1. The last few times I was there, they had started an annoying laser light show in the parking lot as if to say We are still here, and we are fun!

I can't put it on this store, but the chain as a whole has done some things I don't like in recent years, such as doing away with the olive oil bottles at the tables, and eliminating my favorite goto dish, the Tagliarini Picchi Pacchiu.

Still, I liked it well enough that it continued to be on my list. I agree with commenter Sidney about Location, Location, Location!. The last time I ate here (probably only about a week ago) I had actually been heading for the Olive Garden around the corner fronting Two Notch, but it was too packed to deal with, so I drove around and found that.. not to be the case here.

If anyone is curious about the Pizza Buffet called out on the big sign, that has nothing to do with Carrabba's, but was for this operation. In fact, I think that sign is mostly for a Graces Way development that never developed. The places that *are* down there don't bother to list on the sign.

(Hat tip to commenter Steve)

Written by ted on February 18th, 2017

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71 Responses to 'Carrabba's Italian Grill, 200 Graces Way: 16 February 2017'

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  1. I've never eaten at Carrabba's or the Olive Garden. It's just that there was never anything they did, or I heard about them to bring me in. I'm not that big of a fan of pasta dishes anyway, even though I do enjoy lasagna and spaghetti every now and then. Carrabba's pizza, seafood and steak menu never peaked my interest enough that enticed me to give that portion of their offerings a try either. All it would have taken was to hear someone talk about or mention their food is good, but I've never heard anyone say that.

    Rick

    19 Feb 17 at 7:46 am

  2. I don't remember that pizza buffet ever actually being open since I've lived here. It had *just* closed the first time I went looking for it, and that to have been ten years ago.

    Carrabba's used to be pretty good. It was chain food, but it was better chain food than you find around the corner at Olive Garden, more on a par with what Macaroni Grill was trying for. Then their menu changed a few years ago, and more than that, their whole ambiance changed, and you couldn't even pretend to be eating at a classy joint anymore.

    Jason

    20 Feb 17 at 2:21 pm

  3. @Jason - I hear you. Chain food is what I find marginal. The only chain food I would suggest is Texas Road House, If one wants a steak. No other in Columbia can compare. I get lazy and go to Ruby Tuesday's now and again and have been able to get a good steak but, they are not consistent. Variations from one day to the next should be expected. I guess depending on the chef/cook. I do, on most occasions, enjoy their salad bar. It may be my taste have changed but I wish Western Sizzling or Western Steer were still in Columbia. I remember great steaks at an affordable price.

    Rick

    20 Feb 17 at 4:59 pm

  4. It looks like the parent company of Carrabas, Outback and Bomefish is having financial trouble. Articles out today (Feb 21), say they are looking at closing "dozens" of underperforming stores. https://consumerist.com/2017/02/21/dozens-of-outback-steakhouse-bonefish-grill-carrabbas-restaurants-closing/

    As a side note, one article said that they are looking to add delivery to 150 of their locations. This to me is a bad sign, I don't see how the quality can stay strong while eating out of styrofoam or plastic.

    ED

    21 Feb 17 at 8:22 pm

  5. My folks and I weren't impressed with Bonefish the one time we had dinner there...

    The article doesn't list any specifics meaning that this is the only one on our radar...

    I've been to the Columbiana Drive Carabba's a couple of times and liked it alright but never made it out to this one.

    Andrew

    22 Feb 17 at 12:12 am

  6. I was a little surprised that @ED article linked *another* article saying Logan's is in trouble. For some reason I thought they were doing well and still opening stores.

    ted

    22 Feb 17 at 12:19 am

  7. It's not just Carrabba's parent company that's hurting, it's dining across the board. Flat wages have helped slow traffic, but interestingly enough, lower fuel and food costs have helped grocers cut their prices and enabled them to expand their pre-prepared food options, which attract a lot of the consumers that would have otherwise been eating out.

    But beyond that, as more and more people are able to work from home, those people are just less likely to go out to eat at lunch and dinner, irrespective of rising restaurant menu prices and the like.

    Jason

    22 Feb 17 at 4:56 pm

  8. I, for one, have certainly reduced by half the number of time I go to a restaurant. My opinion is that few places offer a good meal for the amount charged. There was a time when we would go out to eat and leave happy with the food a service rather than being pissed when I leave a restaurant now.

    Rick

    22 Feb 17 at 7:15 pm

  9. Marketing and advertising aside, I don't think most casual dining chains really consider themselves haute cuisine, and to appeal to a broad cross section of the American public, they pretty much have to have mediocre food. I think a lot of us who do go out with some frequency do so not because we're expecting to have our socks knocked off, but to have stuff that we don't have to prepare ourselves, and have others clean up the mess we make after the fact.

    badger

    22 Feb 17 at 10:14 pm

  10. Just the shear glut of restaurants makes me wonder why there are not even more that are suffering financially. I VERY rarely go out for dinner and I really need to cut back on going out for lunch everyday. Paying $8-12 for lunch (unless you live off of BK or Hardee's coupons) gets expensive pretty quick.

    Homer

    22 Feb 17 at 11:44 pm

  11. Badger makes a very eloquent point.

    I go out for the enjoyment of having something I don't have to prepare. "Casual dining" restaurants by nature have to attempt to appease "the masses". I liked Carrabbas (on Columbiana) and have had several great experiences there. Whether or not it's as good as Villa Tronco or Rosso is entirely subjective.

    I think Columbia is fortunate to have the talented chefs we do. And I'm also happy to see the variety of places one can go and get some tasty eats in this town. It could dang sure be worse...

    Lone Wolf

    23 Feb 17 at 9:45 am

  12. I can appreciate those that are happy with mediocre food and service that has become acceptable so that no one needs to cook or clean up for themselves. Cooking and cleaning up afterwards has it's benefits and builds character. Not doing so has created a culture of poor quality food and laziness. I am old school that millennials find difficult to understand. Times change and I am understanding to change. There is however a quality that comes with slowing down and appreciating the finer things in life. Those that don't know, don't know they don't know.

    Rick

    23 Feb 17 at 5:28 pm

  13. Oops. Probably should have kept that last comment to myself.

    Rick

    23 Feb 17 at 5:55 pm

  14. It's almost that exciting time of year where 10-Qs for Q4 of last year and 10-Ks for 2016 will be coming out (shut up, I don't judge YOUR hobbies). Go look at any dining company's financials, and nearly every one tells the same story: average check per customer has risen period-over-period much faster than inflation, and gross revenues per store are flat or down. That shows fewer customers in total,and if per-check rose by 5% but your sales are still down 2-3%, that's a sharp decrease in traffic. And it's affecting just about everyone, and no one seems to have an idea for how to fix it.

    Jason

    23 Feb 17 at 7:11 pm

  15. @Rick - why start mincing your words now? That's what us old timers are know for....:^)

    Homer

    23 Feb 17 at 11:56 pm

  16. known for even.....

    Homer

    23 Feb 17 at 11:56 pm

  17. We had a 'lunch and learn' session at work the other day that was catered by Moe's. The food was awful. The black beans had no taste at all, the queso was like library paste, taco shells were stale and to top it off I spent all night in the bathroom purging that mess. Taco Bell would have been much better.

    Homer

    24 Feb 17 at 12:02 am

  18. Moe's is a good concept, and when well implemented is great. When they came to town, it was, but after years of turnover, not so much always now..

    Same thing happened to Wendy's. When they arrived in the 70s, it was top notch. You could get a good burger hot off the griddle almost as fast as you could walk through. Then everybody started turning over, and the decline was amazing.

    ted

    24 Feb 17 at 12:09 am

  19. BTW, this is how I feel about "lunch & learn" type events.

    ted

    24 Feb 17 at 12:12 am

  20. @ted - don't make me start posting my Dilbert collection on here...haha

    Homer

    24 Feb 17 at 12:28 am

  21. re: "mediocre food and service that has become acceptable"

    I'd like to get a working definition on the above. Maybe we frequent different places or have different expectation levels. It's a bit unrealistic to expect Peter Luger's or Jean-Georges here in good old Columbia, SC, isn't it?

    Just one also-non-millenial guy's opinion, but places like Terra, Motor Supply, Bourbon can hardly be categorized as mediocre in fare or service.

    Moe's does indeed suck. Badly. It didn't initially, but everything about the experience there has fallen precipitously.

    Lone Wolf

    24 Feb 17 at 10:28 am

  22. It would be defining "Casual Dinning Chains' with "Mediocre" food, as referenced in Badgers most recent comment that has become the norm, and accepted by many.

    I agree, we would be hard pressed to see a Lugar's or Jean-Georges any where in the U.S. outside of NYC or Manhattan, much less in good old Columbia S.C.
    But then again, those are not chains. For that matter neither are Terra, Motor Supply, Bourbon, Villa Tronco nor Rosso. Which are all fine restaurants, but not chain restaurants.

    As Ted mentioned in his comment, when well implemented Moe's was great at one time.
    And another comment, "Moe's does indeed suck. It didn't initially".
    So many "Chains" have gone that way, mediocre. A notch down, even some fast food used to be good, such as Wendy's.

    So it is safe to say, referring to casual dinning chains, we have grown accustomed to "just okay" food and service.

    It appears we are not comparing apples to apples.

    Rick

    24 Feb 17 at 4:57 pm

  23. @Jason- You must be an accountant or work for Edward Jones.
    I'll bet you got beat up a lot in grade and middle school didn't you?

    It's okay, you are the guy that has all the stuff materialistic people want now.

    Better than "Do you want fries with that"

    Rick

    24 Feb 17 at 5:23 pm

  24. @Rick - I'm sensing a pattern here. Was Jose or Jack over at your place this afternoon?

    Homer

    24 Feb 17 at 11:42 pm

  25. I appreciate the clarification, Rick!

    And I would agree with you about chain places to an extent. It's sad to see a place start off great guns and then peter out when it comes to quality, service, etc. And it seems to be becoming more prevalent

    Lone Wolf

    25 Feb 17 at 7:44 am

  26. @Homer - Jack stopped by for a little while and helped me write a couple of comments. I don't always agree with what he has to say but he does sometimes amuse me, so I just go along with it.

    Rick

    25 Feb 17 at 8:58 am

  27. Sometimes when I want to eat out, I think about what the cook must look like. Most that I have seen usually have a nasty scraggly beard. They look dirty and look like they don't give a damn about your food. That's when I pass right by and go on home and save a lot of money. Most places shouldn't let the kitchen crew come out in the public view.

    Sidney

    25 Feb 17 at 9:02 am

  28. Years ago I ate at some greasy spoon in Myrtle Beach. The 'chef' weighed about 300 lbs, apron had never been washed and looked like he may not have bathed in quite a while. He was stirring a big pot of some kind of gruel while smoking a cigar with about an inch of ash hanging off the end. I was drunk at the time so I didn't really care.....

    Homer

    25 Feb 17 at 9:08 am

  29. Too many places now have line cooks that don't care about our food. They were trained on the job by another person that may not have cared and are only doing just enough to get by. Now of course this does not apply to all but, I've been around the block enough to know it happens.

    Places like Lone Wolf mentioned, Terra, Motor Supply, Rosso, etc. have Chefs that were formally trained. This is their profession and it is a career for them, not just a job. They actually try to get better every day.

    Rick

    25 Feb 17 at 9:16 am

  30. @Homer - Where do you think that smoked flavor comes from? Saves on spices...Haha.

    Rick

    25 Feb 17 at 9:19 am

  31. I think it's a mentality that many of these chain places have is to find people that get the job done but are just doing it while between jobs or they're trying to get through school while some treat it as a second job.

    One less place we have to go to that is liable to Church's Chicken on Charleston Highway in West Columbia (near the new Walmart Neighborhood Market)...said place has recently closed and everything but hasn't featured here yet (but I've been keeping my eyes out for it)...

    Andrew

    25 Feb 17 at 2:47 pm

  32. Andrew makes a valid point. Students ARE the bulk of employees at some restaurants. Busing, line help etc. However, some students that wait, male and female are capable of making decent change in tips if they work hard. The possibility for good tips can even be seen at places like Applebee's and Ruby Tuesdays, not two of my favorite places to dine but, I have enjoyed a salad and appetizer for lunch now and again at Ruby Tuesdays.

    If I get good service I'll tip 25% to 30% on a $25.00 to $50.00 total bill.

    The few times I go by a fast food joint, I would pay an extra $5.00 on a $7.00 tab if I could get good service, and I HAVE done that on rare occasions. Rare occasions. It is almost unheard of at McDonalds in Columbia. The McDonalds on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina puts all others to shame. Rush's comes close. Of course I'm looking for a lot. From point of eye contact all the way through departure from the counter.

    $10.00 to $12.00 tab, my norm is a $5.00 tip.
    Forget to refill my tea, make me ask for my tea after food arrives, NEVER check on us after serving our food, it depends, I have left nothing at times but DO take into consideration if the place was busy and they seemed to be short staffed. That's not a wait staff issue but could be poor management for not scheduling enough people, or not taking into account for call outs. And poor management is a big problem at some places. So if I see a waitress busting her ass and I don't get good service I will tip well anyway, even though it hurts. To ease the pain I do my internet thing and review and comment.

    I suggest all write reviews on restaurants on the interweb. I use reviews often to make a decision on whether to patronize restaurant or not. As do many others. Just be fair and honest, don't write a review as soon as you get home or you may say things that are... embellished because you may still be pissed off. Give yourself time to write an accurate review.

    My latest review... Pita's on Taylor Street across from the Township Auditorium. Mediterranean Restaurant.
    Only open from 10:30a to 3:00p and then reopens from 5:30p to 8:30p. Slow service and pricey for what you get. Great place if you're on a diet. Beer was cold even though selection was very limited. I only went there because my son and I saw ZZ Top Tuesday night at the Township and Pita's is RIGHT THERE across the street. Was not THAT bad and I may give them another try, if I'm hungry and in the area, but I'll order something different than before.

    Rick

    25 Feb 17 at 5:09 pm

  33. There are four types of cooks that you find in restaurants around here....
    1. Actual trained chefs at places like, Motor Supply, Oak Table, Gervais & Vine, etc.
    2. Fast casual restaurants, people that need a job and/or just happen to be able to present something that is, at the least, edible.
    3. Mexican restaurants, mostly illegal immigrants.
    4. Fast food joints where the average IQ is around 50 and/or the work release bus drops them off every morning and picks them up when their shift is over.

    Homer

    25 Feb 17 at 5:10 pm

  34. @Homer - I choose #3. We appear to get the best service from those that actually appreciate what is available in the great USA. If only all the slobs that think they are "Owed" something would think that way.

    #4 - I think you are giving them to much credit at 50%.
    Their parents were stupid which equates to a more stupid population. They have kids, and their kids are more stupid than their parents, and the ball just keeps on rolling until we are back to the stone age.

    Rick

    25 Feb 17 at 7:44 pm

  35. Rick, as far as fast food joints, NOBODY beats Chick-Fil-A. Excellent service all the way around. From Cashier taking your order, to the person prepping your to-go order, to the manager on duty. They are the best.

    Homer, illegal or not, them Mexicans are just as good as the employees at Chick-Fil-A. I absolutely enjoy going to San Jose on Hardscrabble and/or on Sparkleberry. I have never ever had a problem with either one of them. Service is always great. Food is always good to me. I have even seen some of the servers out and about at other restaurants or bars and bought them shots just because I enjoyed my time at their place.

    And just throwing this out there for more conversation. I stopped going to one spot on the Northeast side of town because there were too many flamboyant, happy to be out of the closet and wants everyone to know it, gay guys working as servers. Now, I don't have a problem with gay guys, they can do whatever they want. But when more than half of your wait staff are flamboyant and loud gay guys, I ain't sticking around too long. Just hearing them talk IRKS the crap out of me. If you want to be gay, fine. But do you have to change the way you normally talk?

    Sidney

    26 Feb 17 at 3:05 am

  36. Sydney is right abou Chick-Fil-A. Funny how I never think of them as fast food.

    Rick

    26 Feb 17 at 8:00 am

  37. I really should not be so hard on fast food workers. I have known some good ones. Fast food can also be a entry point for people wanting to work with no employment history.

    Rick

    26 Feb 17 at 8:06 am

  38. I don't think of Chick-Fil-A as fast food either. Another one that I don't think of either is Rush's. I find myself eating at these two more than any other for lunch.

    Homer

    26 Feb 17 at 6:53 pm

  39. I love Rush's chicken! I used to go to Rush's on Decker all the time until I found a loooong piece of hair in my chili dog. I know I should just forgive and forget since it's been more than 10 years since it has happened but I just can't. I will just stick to the one on Two Notch.

    I'm curious Homer and Rick. Why wouldn't you think of Chick-Fil-A and Rush's as fast food? I mean Chick-Fil-A is faster than most fast food places. I consider a place "fast food" if there are no waiters or waitresses.

    The employees at Chick-Fil-A (at any location) are so DARN nice. I love it. OASN: I met Ray Tanner at the Chick-Fil-A on Garners Ferry this past Summer.

    Sidney

    27 Feb 17 at 12:06 am

  40. @Sidney - Let me rephrase, I don't think of Chick-Fil-A and Rush's as 'typical fast food'. The food is constantly high quality, the staff are friendly and very helpful and your orders are consistently correct. I have been to other FF joints where I will not walk out the door until I have checked everything in the bag. Case in point, I went to Mickey D's and ordered two 10 piece McNuggets. There was eight in one and nine in the other. Come on people, this ain't friggin rocket science. Once at Burger King I ordered two bacon cheeseburgers. Guess what, no bacon.

    Of course it varies by location as well. The BK and Arby's at Alpine & Two Notch are terrible, whereas the BK on N. Trenholm and The Arby's up past Sparkleberry are always much better.

    Speaking of fried chicken, don't leave out Zesto's.....

    Homer

    27 Feb 17 at 1:05 am

  41. @Sidney - I agree with Homer. I could not say it better. I guess when I think of fast food, I've been conditioned to think of the places that have sub par quality and service. Not the fast part.

    Rick

    27 Feb 17 at 9:30 am

  42. WOW! Who would have thought the Carrabba's post would generate so many comments?

    Rick

    27 Feb 17 at 11:15 am

  43. Bill Mahr on Real Time talked about the decline of casual restaurants and mid-level department stores (like JC Penny's) and said their problems was in part a reflection of the shrinking middle class. It was his opinion that this was a better gauge as to how strong or weak the economy was than anything the government puts out.

    Tom

    27 Feb 17 at 1:51 pm

  44. @Rick No, I'm not an accountant and I don't work in finance at all. I'm an IT director by day, and I wasn't kidding when I said this was a hobby of mine. I don't even delve into it for investment purposes, it's just something I'll do for the heck of it. What'll usually trigger it is when I hear about a round of store closings or a bankruptcy filing, and before I know it I'm down the rabbit hole looking to see if it's a single company or a whole industry that's reeling. There's a ton of information out there just waiting to be gleaned if you've a mind to look for it.

    Jason

    27 Feb 17 at 3:07 pm

  45. And back on topic (well...), there are definitely tiers to fast food. Chick fil A, Rush's, Cook-Out, places like that almost beg to be in a different category than the McDonald's and the KFC's of the world. Gotta add Freddy's to the first group now too, I guess. They're similar in that they have counter and drive-through service, but the quality of that service (not to mention of the food) could not be further apart.

    Jason

    27 Feb 17 at 3:42 pm

  46. @Jason - Thanks for being a good sport. I took a jab at you, and you showed character. I also enjoyed your last two comments. Please accept my apologies for being a, well... dick.

    Rick

    27 Feb 17 at 5:49 pm

  47. @Tom - Very interesting twist on the comments that have been flying around on this particular post. What Bill Mahr said makes sense and is believable. One could say that DOES play a part in why I do not patronize restaurants as often as I once did, Geez, I can't afford it most of the time. Interestingly enough though is, with the cost of food down...

    Rick

    27 Feb 17 at 5:54 pm

  48. @Jason - By the way my son is an IT guy for the state of SC. I respect what you do.

    Rick

    27 Feb 17 at 5:56 pm

  49. Okay. 48 comments to this post. I just had to add one more.

    @Ted - What is the record for comments on a given post?

    Rick

    27 Feb 17 at 6:45 pm

  50. Hey, let's start a new subject here in the Carrabba's post. I'm an IT guy too. I work for After Hours Upgrades at Electric Guard Dog, the leader in electric fences. I used to work for PMSC, SC DSS, SC OIR, Commission on Higher Education, TSI, ACS and now I actually work for After Hours Upgrades as a contractor to Electric Guard Dog. Rick, who is your son? Jason, where do you work? I might need a job one day.

    Sidney

    28 Feb 17 at 12:09 am

  51. @Rick -- hard to say for certain since after some database crashes, I restore a block of comments as one big comment, but, it would appear to be this one.

    ted

    28 Feb 17 at 12:31 am

  52. Aaaaand. . . coincidentally. . . that was the posting that actually brought me to this site!

    badger

    28 Feb 17 at 6:29 am

  53. Whoa! 169 comments. Let's make an even...

    Rick

    28 Feb 17 at 10:17 am

  54. I have no clue how I stumbled across this site. I think it may have had to do with Bush River Mall as I think it was about the same time I ran across a bunch of pictures of what was left of the mall before they finally leveled the entire eyesore.

    Homer

    28 Feb 17 at 5:44 pm

  55. @Sidney - I'm in IT as well, 20 years at BCBSSC. Previously at PMSC, Colonial Life and (showing my age here) SCN Bank.

    Homer

    28 Feb 17 at 5:46 pm

  56. I guess I was an IT guy before there were IT guys. We were Field Engineers back then.
    And I am right there with Jason....reading financial reports is how I broke into investing, and the 'business of business' so to speak.
    I have seen the DOW 30 climb from 1,000 to it's current level. For everyone involved....many happy returns!

    Joe Shlabotnik

    28 Feb 17 at 6:01 pm

  57. @Joe - I remember the days where computer maintenance was done by the CE's (Customer Engineers) and if you had a serious problem they called in the FE's. IBM S/360 and S/370 days.

    Homer

    28 Feb 17 at 6:12 pm

  58. I started out at PMSC as a courier. Moved up to tape operator on the main frame with 3480's and at the time the BRAND NEW 3490's! We (6 of us) used to mount over 4000 tapes in a 12 hour shift from 5am - 5pm. Wally Schultz was the 2nd in charge of the Data Center and Larry Poole was the man in charge of the Data Center. I think their titles were Data Center Manager and Assistant Manager. Anyway, November 20, 1989, the start of my career in IT.

    Sidney

    28 Feb 17 at 10:29 pm

  59. Oh, the memories. I remember Dave Lander and Ron Hanson from IBM, who used to come when we had a problem. And believe it or not, I've even seen Larry Poole's name on some old Cobol programs from the late 1960s, although I never knew him personally.

    badger

    28 Feb 17 at 10:57 pm

  60. I started in July 1996, at a CPA firm in Alabama. I just missed their tape-load mainframe, but by such a short time that we were still the Data Processing department.

    Jason

    1 Mar 17 at 3:22 pm

  61. @Sidney - I'm sure our paths crossed at PMSC. I was in Tech Support with Cindy Tufford, Steve Pittman, Dwayne Johnson, etc. Larry first worked in the Processing Services group with Max Braun before he moved into operations. He ended up at BCBS and eventually retired from there. Wally is at BCBS now as the operations manager of one of the data centers.

    @bdger - I remember Dave but can't recall Ron. Our CE at PMSC as well as BCBS was Gary Brucker. He retired a couple of years ago.

    Homer

    1 Mar 17 at 6:01 pm

  62. Oh yeah, Jack Quillan was one of the engineers for years. He eventually retired from IBM, came to BCBS and retired from there. He died from complications from a hunting accident not a year after his retirement.

    Homer

    1 Mar 17 at 6:03 pm

  63. Yeah, I have a strong suspicion that we have quite a few names in common that we've crossed paths with. You've mentioned another one above that I have encountered in my checkered past. Our world is a small one.

    badger

    1 Mar 17 at 10:14 pm

  64. @badger - in Columbia there are just so many places for mainframe IT people to go.....haha

    Homer

    1 Mar 17 at 10:19 pm

  65. Yes Homer, I remember those names. When I went back to ACS in 2005, Cindy was still there. She got laid off in 2010. You know Gary fell out either out of tree or off the roof and hurt his back pretty badly. He retired soon after that. I saw Gary about a year ago at Sam's. Do you remember Wyman Reese? I believe he had a heart attack back in 2010 on his farm in Orangeburg and died. I still keep in touch with Mark Tarbush, Mike Watkins, Greg Williams, Dane Carter. Most of those guys were in the computer room on the Bridge in the late 80's and early 90's.

    Sidney

    2 Mar 17 at 12:41 pm

  66. @Sidney - Cindy went on to work for SCANA. She's retired now. Pittman died several years ago as did Dwayne. I did know Wyman. I was drinking buddies with a couple of the girls that worked for him. If you look at the e-mail directory for BCBS it's like a who's who from PMSC. I heard that it was Gary's hip. He was still our CE at BCBS when he was in the wheelchair.

    Homer

    2 Mar 17 at 6:08 pm

  67. Did any of you IT people ever come across a character known as 'Larry Love'? What a character! Even if you hadn't personally--almost certainly someone who worked with you did, as he made the rounds back in the day.

    badger

    2 Mar 17 at 10:43 pm

  68. Not me.

    Homer

    2 Mar 17 at 11:50 pm

  69. Steve Pittman, ok, I do remember Steve. Scruffy beard, always smelled like smoke. But smiled all the time.

    I never heard of Larry Love.

    Sidney

    3 Mar 17 at 1:28 am

  70. Steve was a great guy. He taught me a lot and he would give you the shirt off of his back (plus a smoke if you needed one).

    Homer

    3 Mar 17 at 9:38 am

  71. Folks, after all the discussion this closing sparked when it transpired I can now report to you that a place called Fiery Crab has now set up shop here...

    Andrew

    18 Jan 20 at 7:12 pm

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