Deno's Fine Foods, 6161 Saint Andrews Road: 2020 23 comments
I have been holding off doing a post on Deno's because it wasn't clear exactly what their status is; however, at this point they are clearly closed for a long-term, if not forever, despite the fact that there is no real-estate sign, and all of the furnishings and equipment are still in the building.
Somehow I had it in my head that Deno's was a seafood restaurant, and so never went. Looking online now, I think I clearly would have liked the place. The last review I see on their Facebook page (which has not updated since 2014) is from February of 2020, so I think clearly COVID-19 was an issue here, and the roadside sign does mention that they were open for takeout for some time into the pandemic.
(Hat tip to commenter Barbara)
UPDATE 17 August 2021 -- The sign has been patched, but not re-logoed:
UPDATE 15 November 2023: Update tags.
23 Responses to 'Deno's Fine Foods, 6161 Saint Andrews Road: 2020'
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Tom
5 Mar 21 at 12:30 pm
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This Deno's was here before the Wendy's in front of Bi-Lo that Tom referenced was built. It's possible that the one that was across from where the CHEF'STORE is now was what replaced this (though that was before my time)...
For a few years both Wendy's coexisted until the one across of the CHEF'STORE closed (ca. 2008) and now Ms. B's opened (somewhere in the 2018/19 timeframe) after it sat vacant for a long time.
I did eat there occasionally with my folks and it was fine...but it had been a good while since I've been.
Andrew
5 Mar 21 at 12:46 pm
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There's been a debate on Nextdoor for the last 3 days about whether Deno's is coming back. Some say the owners retired. Some say they know the owners and they will resume operation once COVID subsides. A Nextdoor post 5 hours ago as I write this says the owners just had that poster's company in to do a pre-reopen fire inspection. Several posters have mentioned Deno's has a lot of Greek dishes.
Brian
5 Mar 21 at 1:50 pm
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This wasn’t built as a Wendy’s. It was a Penny’s in the 70’s. Their logo was a Penny. I remember my parents taking me there and getting ten cent chocolate ice cream cones as a child. But it was a hamburger joint.
Jonathan
6 Mar 21 at 8:21 am
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A little off subject but what fast food restaurant used to be basically across the street from denos? Wasn’t there a KFC that got shut down by dhec I thought? I also remember some weird water tower structure or something that used to be across the street too that burned down?
Robert
6 Mar 21 at 11:36 pm
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The former places Robert asked about were before my time but I have been told that where Cici's is now is a former Burger King (again that was before my time but I have been informed of such by my folks)...
Andrew
7 Mar 21 at 9:26 am
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It was a Burger King. The water tower structure that Robert referenced was some kind of gas or oil company. It was located where the Rite Aid was built.
Jonathan
7 Mar 21 at 7:54 pm
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Thanks guys.
Robert
7 Mar 21 at 10:44 pm
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I'll also say that I remember the lot where Eckerd (then later Rite Aid and now Walgreens is now) appeared to me as if it was something they tore down but left a green field (similar to how they did with Hilltop at St. Andrews & Jamil) that sat vacant until Eckerd moved in ca. 1997/98...
Andrew
7 Mar 21 at 11:21 pm
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@Johnathan. I had forgotten about Penny's. If my memory is correct, the exterior of the building looked a lot like the way Wendy's did in the 1970s.
Tom
8 Mar 21 at 11:23 am
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what was the name of the German place that was behind it in the late 70s / Early 80s. I believe it burned to the ground. It was a party place
Kc
8 Mar 21 at 11:51 am
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Wasn't the German place called something with Gasthaus in the name?
Homer
8 Mar 21 at 1:03 pm
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Maybe this German Gastus page might jog some memories...I remember the Golden Crown after it burned in 1997 that was nearby and wonder if that is what you are wondering...I myself never ate there but I remember it after it burned and other folks here over the years have helped fill in the blanks...
Andrew
8 Mar 21 at 7:06 pm
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@KC, Tony's Party Shop could be considered "behind" it, I guess, and was a party place, but it didn't burn down (though it was gutted), and was never a German place as far as I know.
ted
8 Mar 21 at 10:57 pm
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Anyone remember the house that was off St. Andrews, right beside/behind Tony’s party shop? It was a decent sized two story house. I remember the house being there in the late 80’s. I’m pretty sure it’s where the library/doctors care is now located.
Robert
8 Mar 21 at 11:20 pm
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I'm so old, I remember when that place was Penny's Hamburgers and Hot Dogs.
Mike M.
9 Mar 21 at 2:12 am
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The Golden Crown German restaurant was between Tony's and Deno's...it burned bad in 1997 as I noted and the lot it sat on is now a drive thru car wash after the charcoaled remnants were razed...
Tony's did have a fire after it shut down but it wasn't as bad as the one Golden Crown had...details are discussed in further detail on that page which ted linked in a previous comment.
Andrew
9 Mar 21 at 8:42 am
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Yes, it was the Golden Crown. Thanks, Andrew. The full name from what I can find was the Golden Crown German Gasthaus. If I remember correctly the building looked like a German gasthaus and appeared to even have rooms on the second floor. I only ate there a couple of times. Don't remember much about the food but it was a riot to go there.
Homer
9 Mar 21 at 1:05 pm
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The second floor of The Golden Crown did indeed have rooms for rent back in the old days. I know the family who owns Denos and I will be very surprised if it does reopen. Incidentally, the car wash that sits on the spot where The Golden Crown used to be is owned by one of the sons in the "Denos" family. He also owns the car wash on Lake Murray Boulevard that used to be where the tennis shop was.
Gypsie
16 May 21 at 11:44 pm
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@Gypsie: Silver Fox Tennis, “Save Your Soles, Play Clay!”
Jonathan
17 May 21 at 9:25 am
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I was wondering where the tennis shop Gypsie mentioned was located and now Jonathan's quote leads me to believe that it has featured here. That building has since been demolished and now a new apartment complex has been built but the entrance is on Fork Avenue...
Andrew
17 May 21 at 9:58 am
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Regarding when it closed, i'm also not sure when it closed, but it was/is listed for lease here and the creation date for the PDF file is Oct 16, 2019 https://cb.azureedge.net/1103m0/n6bmhvdd336g44t261gr3fhb55i
Scott Long
16 Dec 21 at 4:47 pm
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it used to be a Penny's -- here is a help wanted ad for Penny's from 1979 https://ibb.co/C7M1zkq
Scott Long
16 Dec 21 at 5:01 pm
This building was one of the first Wendy's in Columbia I believe and was replaced by the one in front of the old Bi-Lo.
I ate there once. It was basically a fast-food version of a Greek restaurant that did not impress me that much.