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Barberitos, 105 Saluda Pointe Court Suite B, October 2017   10 comments

Posted at 11:42 pm in closing

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Well Barberitos at Saluda Pointe is definitely gone, and it looks like a complicated situation.

I actually ate at this location at least four or five times. I first encountered Barberitos in Fernandina Beach Florida and enjoyed it there. At the time I found it, I put it in the category hierarchy below Moe's but above Qdoba & Chipolte (I have yet to visit a Salsarita). The way Moe's has been imploding locally lately, I might have moved it to a regular lunch spot if it were in Forest Acres.

One thing I do find odd about the Columbia locations (here and in the Vista), is that while the Florida stores have the expected ground beef filling available, the Columbia stores have only ground turkey -- I was somewhat put off by that, and went with the veggie option. I don't know why that choice was made, or if it had an impact on sales here. The place was always pretty quiet when I would drop by, but I eat lunch so late that's not a good indicator.

(Hat tip to commenter Jason)

UPDATE 9 July 2018 -- This is to be a Willie Jewell's Old School Bar-B-Q:

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Update 27 August 2018 -- Willie Jewell's is open:

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10 Responses to 'Barberitos, 105 Saluda Pointe Court Suite B, October 2017'

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  1. What do you mean by Moe's imploding locally? They closing stores or losing business?

    Haven't been to one in years since they got that Coke Freestyle machine. I know it's dumb, but I don't want my water to taste like random soda flavors.

    Ken

    15 Nov 17 at 11:46 am

  2. Re: Moe's Imploding Locally

    If I'm understanding correctly, he's referencing the precipitous decline in quality at Moe's in our area. And all I can say is PREACH!

    When Moe's came to Columbia, I was kind of impressed. Simple ingredients but a nice, relatively healthy restaurant choice. Suffice to say, I went by a lot.

    Fast forward to present day - I actively avoid their business. Downtown, West Cola, Lexington...they are all going down like a sinking ship. Quality of food seems WAY off (who the hell ever heard of crunchy rice?!), service has taken a gigantic hit, and they can't/won't keep their stores tidy? Added to which, there seem to be an influx of "English as second language speakers" working at several locations. Yeah, I'll pass.

    Lone Wolf

    15 Nov 17 at 12:17 pm

  3. Gotcha. I used to go a ton and, like I said, quit years ago.

    Ken

    15 Nov 17 at 2:06 pm

  4. I work near this Barberitos and went a few times when they opened as I'm a big fan of the Moe's/Salsaritas/Qdoba style of restaurants. My impressions were that this place was overpriced and that the food tasted "off" (like some sort of vague chemical taste). I liked that they had ground turkey as an option.

    My favorite is Salsaritas, but haven't been in a Moe's in awhile. Qdoba used to be pretty good but I think they left the Columbia market? Not a fan of Chipotle.

    Brian

    15 Nov 17 at 2:22 pm

  5. Yet another chain like the ones mentioned above is open on Clemson Road (technically Killian Road) near Popeye's. Name is Diablo's. Eaten there twice, food is decent.

    Bobby

    15 Nov 17 at 3:41 pm

  6. Wondered how Diablo's was. This place was extremely okay the first few times I went, but after it'd been open a month or two, quality fell off QUICK and the last time we went, at 11-ish AM on a weekday, the tea was clearly a day old. That was it for me. If a place can't even brew tea every day, then there's a lot more they're also not doing.

    I'm the outlier, I suppose. I haven't liked Moe's in over a decade, never liked Salsarita's, wasn't sad to see Qdoba go, and like Chipotle a lot.

    Jason

    15 Nov 17 at 4:10 pm

  7. Ok Lone Wolf - What is wrong with "English as second language speakers"??
    My Wife falls into this category and speaks English better than most rednecks from around here!

    Mike

    16 Nov 17 at 3:28 pm

  8. I wasn't suggesting there is anything "wrong" with English as a second language.

    If your work requires you to deal with the public, your proficiency with the local language can be either a benefit to your employer/business or a hindrance. In this case, if someone doesn't have strong skill with English it can be an impediment to a customer experience. If I were waiting tables in Panaji, India or Lucerne, Switzerland, my strength or weakness in Hindi/Bengali or French would have an effect on my success and the success of the business.

    TL;DR - Any language barrier can cause business to suffer. Customers are likely to go elsewhere rather than work around it. I respect Ted and his site. I wasn't trying to be offensive.

    Lone Wolf

    17 Nov 17 at 11:50 am

  9. A banner outside this store indicates a new BBQ restuarant will be opening here soon. Unfortunately, I was unable to catch the name of the new restaurant.

    James R

    16 Jul 18 at 3:38 pm

  10. ted

    17 Jul 18 at 6:54 pm

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