Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

Curiously, I was at this restaurant on, I think, 23 June. I used to drive to the Devine Street Ruby Tuesday once a week for the salad bar to give my 1980 some highway time. After that closed, this one was just a little too far to get to often, and I believe that before my june visit, the last time I was here was during the tail-end of the Pandemic in 2020. At the time, they were doing a bit of innovative entrepreneurship. If you will recall, the retail channel for many items, most famously toliet-paper had become dysfunctional while the janitorial supply-chain was still working, and in fact under-stressed with so many people working from home instead of offices. Anyway, this location (and I believe a number of others nationwide) was selling toilet-paper and a number of other items along with their regular menu. I don't know how long that lasted, probably no more than a few months I guess, but it was good hustle.

But, getting back to the main thread, it had been quite a while since that visit, and out of the blue I had a hankering for the salad bar, so I drove out for lunch that day.

Immediately as I stepped inside, I had the feeling of a restaurant on its last legs. The floor was dingy and sticky, and the staff was apathetic. It took me several minutes to get recognized and greeted, and I was finally seated at a dirty table and had to request a table wipe. It took quite a while for the waitress to get back, and when I put in my order for the salad bar, I went over and found it rather disheveled with wilted and spotted lettuce and number of other items that needed tending to. Then when my tea came, it tasted very odd. I picked through my plate, and decided that this place was off the list. As it turned out, a week or two later it was off everyone's list.

Here's the story in the Post & Courier.

(Hat tip to commenter Trevin)

Here's a Fatz I missed back during the chain closing as it's in a place I rarely drive by at the first I-26 exit for Clinton. I noticed it a few times while it was empty, but was always past the exit by the time I saw it, and now it has been repurposed as a Mexican restaurant, El Poblano.

The approach is a bit odd in that you basically have to go through a gas/convenience store's parking lot to get back to the restaurant and hotel. I did not try the restaurant, but it has generally good reviews (as always with a few one-star ones thrown in).

Columbia's only TGI Fridays closed back in 2013, with the building to bite the dust sometime this year probably, but the Grand Strand continued to have several locations.

I ate at this one back in January of 2024, and it was fine: A decent burger & fries an hour after most other places were closed. I did notice that it wasn't actually open as late as I expected from a Fridays, and that the customers were pretty sparse, but in general it seemed in good order, and I was surprised to see the signage down on my last visit.

This continues the trend of Inlet Square losing national chain restaurants, some thing that has included Hooters, Applebee's & J. Peters & Spinnaker's. In the case of all of those except the last, local operations have moved in after the chains shut, so we will have to see what happens here. I do know that some sort of redevelopment for Inlet Square is supposedly in the cards (of course that has been the case before with nothing materializing..)

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This was the Fatz location in Camden. As of 10 September 2023, there is still muzak playing on the patio (as was the case for the Florence location. This building is on a nice parcel very convenient to I-20, so I suspect something will move in before long.

Here's another former Fatz, this one on US-501 in Conway on the main drag towards the beach.

Google reviews suggest this was re-purposed as an Asian buffet sometime around 2019.

The Florence Fatz Cafe still has a billboard on I-95, and the music in the foyer is still playing, but like all the rest, this location is now history.

Apparently the Southern 500 had just been run, and I had a heck of a time getting out of here and back onto I-95!

I don't suppose this is a big surprise: We have all noticed Fatz closing locations without adding any new ones, but still I was expecting it to take longer.

The news came last week that the whole chain has shut down, with some reports of bankruptcy filings, though no actual links to such.

This store in Lexington was the last Midlands location, and I had never eaten there, but I would drive by from time to time, and observe that it seemed to be doing a reasonable business. In fact, as I was taking these shots, several cars wandered in, looking for a meal.

It's a good sized building, and there are already an Asian buffet and a San Jose in the general area, so we'll have to see what happens next here.

Here are stories on the chain closing shop in The Index Journal, The State & The Greenville Sun.

(Hat tip to commenter Alan)

I used to go to O'Charley's in Augusta every now and then when I worked over there, and it was fine, although the only item I can recall in particular was a signature fresh made salsa with chips which they eventually took off the menu. When I came back to Columbia, I went to the location on Two Notch a few times, but never got in the habit of going there. That's probably because I usually got a burger when I went, and there are lots of burger places.

This one on Sunset, to which I have never been, is currently undergoing major repairs and/or renovations. Hopefully they will be back soon.

(Hat tip to commenter Beth)

UPDATE 4 October 2023 -- As mentioned in the comments, even though they made a start of repairs here, it never went anywhere, and the place is now permanently closed:

I have also taken the "Temporary" notation out of the post title.

I did a closing for the Dutch Square Ruby Tuesday back in May. At that time I took pictures of this one, on a Columbiana Mall outparcel, as well. Since, unlike the other, there wasn't any clarity that this one was permanantly closed, I held off doing a post.

I drove back by today however, and nothing has changed. The "temporarily closed" sign is still up, but at this point I suspect that is no longer accurate. At the least, it's worth a mention and if they re-open later great! In the meantime, chalk up another one for for COVID-19.

UPDATE 7 June 2021 -- Razed:

See here for the story.