Shoney's, 1220 Charleston Highway: 1990s 10 comments
Shoney's is a place we often went while I was growing up. They were affiliated with "Big Boy" then, and always had "Big Boy" comic books as free premiums for the kids, and they had what was at that time my favorite desert, the Hot Fudge Sunday Cake.
Disaffiliating from Big Boy was supposed to help them grow, but somewhere along the line they went wrong. Perhaps it was when they overextended themselves trying to establish a hotel brand, but whatever it was, they started closing stores. Right now, the only fully operating one I can think of in Columbia is the one on Garners Ferry. (I believe that the one on Bush River Road, while still open, no longer does dinner).
I can only recall eating at this Shoney's once, more or less by accident. Our troop was coming back from a camping trip somewhere, and I believe we had some sort of van and several dads driving regular cars. Something (the van I suppose) broke down, and a good part of the troop was stranded at Shoney's (I forget whether we actually made it to the parking lot or had to walk a bit) while other transport was arranged. None of us boys had any money, so the adults brought us a meal while we waited. It never occurred to me until years later that that must have been an unexpected and unwelcome financial imposition on them. Perhaps my parents settled up later, at any rate, in the way adults had back then, nobody let on anything to the kids, and we all had a *great* time.
I guess that would have been around 1974, so the restaurant still had years to go at that point. I'm not in fact sure when it went under, but I think it was sometime in the early 1990s. At any rate, it has been a Mexican operation for a number of years now.
UPDATE 10 September 2020: Update tags, add map icon.
10 Responses to 'Shoney's, 1220 Charleston Highway: 1990s'
Subscribe to comments with RSS
-
jamie
30 Oct 09 at 6:49 am
-
Loved Shoney's breakfast buffets, those were epic.
Ketin
31 Oct 09 at 4:32 am
-
Yeah I think they just moved from this one closer to the airport. They have one on Bush River too. Last time I went to one it really had gone downhill.
Mr Bill
2 Nov 09 at 3:13 pm
-
I don't know about the one on Charleston Hwy.
Yes, there is one just off I-26 toward the airport. It's the one I usually go to. There used to be one on Harbison, but that building was torn down; there's now an AT&T Wireless store there.
Barc
13 Nov 09 at 2:22 pm
-
I'm thinking years ago before La Fiesta it might've been a Po Folks for a short while. That was after Shoneys closed and moved out toward the airport. The Shoneys on Bush River Rd is no longer there. Now a Cookout has taken it's place. I even remember Shoneys Inns being around. Not sure if exist today.
chad
5 Jun 21 at 10:35 am
-
Isn't there still a Shoney's on Garners Ferry or Sumpter Highway? Haven't been that way in a while and don't know or remember what's still around that area. My Dad, Mom and I used to go to the Shoney's in West Columbia when it was a new place...but don't remember the year it opened now..because I'm old and senile.
Db
5 Jun 21 at 11:52 pm
-
Isn't there still a Shoney's on Garners Ferry or Sumter Highway? Haven't been that way in a while and don't know or remember what's still around that area. My Dad, Mom and I used to go to the Shoney's in West Columbia when it was a new place...but don't remember the year it opened now..because I'm old and senile.
Db
5 Jun 21 at 11:53 pm
-
Yes, the Shoney's on Garners Ferry is still there. Their hours have differed over the last year. The Lizards Thicket at 402 Beltline Blvd used to be a Shoney's.
Midnight Rambler
6 Jun 21 at 5:46 pm
-
The 7335 Garners Ferry Road Shoney's has been mentioned here in fact...
Andrew
7 Jun 21 at 10:22 am
-
La Fiesta is closed now. They confirmed on their facebook page
There's a Shoney's further down Airport BLVD, down past I-26. I suspect they just moved locations.
La Fiesta has been at that location since '95 for sure.