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Shealy's Sandwiches / Kinch's / Doc's Gumbo Grille, 1115 Assembly Street: 31 October 2009   15 comments

Posted at 10:23 pm in Uncategorized


The last time I was in Doc's Gumbo Grille would have been 11 May 2007. In fact, that was only the second time I had been there, the first being for another Qs show. I can't say I was as enthusiastic about the food as some folks. It may have just been that I was ordering the "we have to have this or some guy in a group will always veto us" menu items instead of the gumbo, but I thought the food was average. That said, I wasn't there for the food, and the place was a pretty good venue. In particular, the acoustics were much improved over the last place I had seen the Qs, the New Brookland Tavern, and the staff was friendly. It's definitely a shame to see another local music venue close. (Not that I see shows these days, or really regularly any days..)

Eva has the story of the closing in The Free Times, and it appears the biggest blow to the place was the SCE&G lunch crowd's recent departure from downtown. I hope that doesn't have any other knock-on effects in the Vista.

As usual with anything on the west side of a street, these pictures are not great as I never get out early enough to have the sun behind me. Unfortunately, I also missed the neon sign being lit. The last time I saw it on, I was driving somewhere and couldn't stop to take the picture.

UPDATE 3 November 2009: Added "Kinch's" to the post title based on the comments.

UPDATE 4 November 2009: Added "Shealy's Sandwiches" based on Badger's comment and looking in the 1970 Yellow Pages

UPDATE 9 April 2010: For whatever reason, someone turned on the sign the night of the 6th, so I got some pictures of it lit up and have added them at the front of the pictures.

UPDATE 14 April 2010 -- Here's the new Doc's location at 3830 Rosewood Drive:

UPDATE 15 May 2011 -- The follow-on operation on Assembly, is now open (and has been since at least mid 2010):

Also, the Doc's on Rosewood went under after the move.

Written by ted on November 2nd, 2009

Tagged with , , , , ,

15 Responses to 'Shealy's Sandwiches / Kinch's / Doc's Gumbo Grille, 1115 Assembly Street: 31 October 2009'

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  1. Good old Doug Goolsby. He must have had a special relationship with the Swimming Pool Q's because the very first place I saw them was at Greenstreets in the early '80s or so when it was actually on Greene Street. The last place I saw them was at Greenstreets when it was briefly in that funny mall on the corner of Harden and Gervais.

    Michael Taylor

    3 Nov 09 at 2:01 am

  2. This place will always be Kinch's to me.

    Wonder what it was before that?

    Dennis

    3 Nov 09 at 2:14 am

  3. Have to admit I've never heard of "Kinch's". Restaurant? Club? Retail?

    ted

    3 Nov 09 at 2:16 am

  4. Kinch's was a lunch joint that had pretty good fried chicken.

    ChiefDanGeorge

    3 Nov 09 at 5:06 am

  5. That is sad. That is where I had my promotion to Captain dinner. Good food, they also had a stand at the now-defunct 3 Rivers Music Fest.

    Alex

    3 Nov 09 at 9:16 am

  6. This place was some kind of sub shop before it was "Kinch's," at least I think that's where I think the sub shop was located (78-80ish). I'm having a hard time remembering the name of it, though, "Sub Station" or "Sub Shack," something like that. (Not "Sub Station II," though.)

    badger

    3 Nov 09 at 9:27 am

  7. ted - From 1989 to 2001 I worked in the AT&T building basically across the street from Kinch's and it was always packed at lunch on weekdays with downtown staffers and the legislature crowd. There were photos signed "to Kinch" from many legislators and elected officials -- and pro golfers -- all over the walls. It almost achieved Capitol Cafe status, and probably would have if Kinch had kept it open at night. He was a golf nut, though, and as soon as the lunch rush was over he was outta there. Kinch had a great staff and great food, particularly chicken.

    In the afternoons you'd see a long row of UPS trucks parked outside because when the drivers finished their shift at 3:oo they met there.

    Dennis

    3 Nov 09 at 10:02 am

  8. Doc's had awful press after the tainted drink fiasco. This was when a non English speaking employee confused lye with salt and rimmed several glasses with lye. You can only imagine what happened after the drinks were served. This was enough to keep more than a few people away from the place.

    joel

    12 Dec 09 at 10:15 pm

  9. Whatever happened to Cogburn's Grill in West Columbia/Cayce? The used to have a place on Sumter Street near the Baptist Hospital before they moved across the river.

    Barry Bodie

    3 Jan 10 at 8:48 pm

  10. Never went to it as Doc's (only went to Doc's when it was behind Haven's), but sure do remember it as Kinch's! I was a page at the statehouse 1990-1992, and one thing we had to do was go get lunches for various Representatives; I couldn't begin to count how much time I spent running back and forth across the street. It was pretty good chicken though...

    Allie

    8 Jan 10 at 1:46 pm

  11. These a sign up on the little complex at Jim Casey's (next to the Kangaroo) on Rosewood indicating that Doc's will be opening there "Friday," but I don't know how long the sign has been up.

    badger

    31 Jan 10 at 3:27 pm

  12. There was a story in The State about that a while back. If it's still not open, they're late as the plan was for 2 Jan 2010.

    ted

    31 Jan 10 at 6:11 pm

  13. Best fried chicken around. But if "Pearl" called your ticket you better get up to the counter fast or she'll be hollering your number again.

    Jim

    10 May 10 at 2:26 pm

  14. Is now Takosushi

    Matt

    30 Jan 13 at 11:29 am

  15. Ha! Found it! The name that I was mis-remembering was the "Sub Center." That's what it was called in 78 and 79, at least. I don't know when it started or ended, though.

    badger

    3 Aug 14 at 5:14 pm

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