Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

In retrospect, perhaps it was a bad idea to name a restaurant something that makes it tempting to write "Goodbye" headlines.

I never had any problem with Ruby Tuesday, but in recent years, it was clearly a place looking for its own identity in a flailing market sector. I used to visit this store weekly, as I liked the salad bar, and it was about the right distance that I could get my old Corolla wagon out on the interstate for a few miles and keep it viable. During that period I think they revamped the salad bar about four times, changes that did not always make it better, at least in my opinion. They also started and stopped serving complementary biscuits during that time as well. (They were OK, some sort of cheese drop biscuit, not as good as a real breakfast biscuit, but acceptable).

I'm not surprised this location closed, as there is another just up Garners Ferry Road, and I suspected when the chain started being in the news that one location or the other would have to go. The State has the story, but not really any more details.

With the recent retail openings in the Cross Hill area and the Old Kmart this is something of an up and coming area now, so perhaps the building will not be vacant for too long.

(Hat tip to Mr. Hat)

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so at the time, Dave Thomas must have been very flattered.

Shortly after Wendy's came to town, a number of copycat restaurants popped up. They all had young girl mascots after which they were named, had square hamburgers and interiors set up with what at that time was Wendy's signature: One serving line. Unlike Burger King which was famous for letting McDonald's spend a lot of money finding ideal locations and then setting up across the street, these copy-cats tended to set up in smaller towns where there was, at the time, no Wendy's, or at least that's how I remember it. I'm pretty sure I recall chains called Judy's and Penny's (which I think had a restaurant in Georgetown which became El Cerro Grande before they razed it and built their own building). And then there was Cindy's Ole Time Hamburgers, which honestly I don't recall at all. Locating in Hartsville at the time would definitely be the setting up in a smaller market strategy though.

I haven't been able to find out much about Cindy's except that it definitely was a a Wendy's copy-cat and that its trademark was filed in 1976 (about the right time) and is expired. However, the chain still seems to exist in the Phillipines.

This particular location is at the intersection of US-15 & SC-151, and would have been basically in the boonies back in the day. It's still not what you would call a dense area. I may have the street address a little bit wrong, but it's close enough for Google Streetview to show the restaurant.

As you can see from the pictures, nobody else has ever set up shop here. In fact, I believe the place is now what you call a micro-clime which is uniquely suited for various plant life, though not so much for beef.

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According to The State Delany's which has been open for almost 20 years will be closing on Friday 30 November 2018.

Delaney's Speakeasy, a jazz club down the street, was once under the same ownership as Delaney's. It was sold first, and then Delaney's itself was sold last year (it's not clear from the story, but I'm guessing not to the same party that bought Speakeasy).

In theory I have Irish roots, but in practice I've never been a pub goer, and never took the opportunity to visit Delaney's. From these pictures (taken several years ago), it looks like it would be a pleasant al-fresco experience in the spring or fall.

(Hat tip to commenter Tom)

Well this one is a shame. Pizzera Opa was the new name for Zorba's Express which was here in the Publix plaza for many years, and was the follow-on restaurant for the crew from The Parthenon in Five Points. The Parthenon was my favorite pizza in town, and when I was living in Aiken, I would come back to Columbia on weekends and take my father to The Parthenon Saturnday evenings.

When I discovered Zorba's Express, the pizza was just as good as ever, and the manager, who remembered me from the Five Points days, would always come out and say hi. Unfortunately, the new location was just too far out for me to visit more than a handful of times; I wish it would have been more, and I wish them well.

(Hat tip to commenter IrmoJeff)

Commenter Beth noted a while back that this Chick-fil-A location was being torn down and rebuilt with double drive-through lanes.

The last time I looked at it, it was still open, though with some lot construction going on. Now they have definitely gotten into the rebuild phase.

Eat mor bef!

(Hat tip to commenter Beth)

Tijuana Flats closed their Forest Acres store back in March. Apparently the Greenville stores closed in March as well. This store opened after the Forest Acres one, and soldiered on for a few months longer, but with this closing, it appears the chain has totally left the state, which is a shame as I rather liked it (though their salsa policy was rather odd).

These pictures were taken shortly after the closing date, and the store was still being stripped.

(Hat tip to commenter TahoeChic)

I think the concept of Urban Cookhouse, as I understand it, is interesting: Fresh cooked meats done over a charcoal grill with fresh local vegetables and bread as well. I'm a little surprised I don't see a burger on the menu; that would seem be be a natural. At any rate, I have never gotten around to an Urban Cookhouse, either this one in the old Atlanta Bread building on Lake Murray Boulevard, or the other one in Shandon.

I still think this is an attractive building, and hope they find something that sticks.

(Hat tip to commenter Heath)

I took the first pictures above after commenter Badger mentioned that the place was for sale. I kept meaning to do a follow-up run so I could get some post closing pictures, but somehow could never remember exactly where it was (and had forgotten the name so I couldn't google it). Anyway, I did find it again, and it is definitely closed. I got out of the car and walked around for the post closing shots, and it is interesting that the place appears to be essentially a double-wide trailer, or two single-wides hooked together. I'm not sure exactly how the plumbing on the back wall worked, but from the shots on the unofficial Facebook page, I'm guessing there was an added on back deck where bands set up.

It looks like a quirky little place I would have liked to visit.

(Hat tip to commenter Badger)

I never actually ate at Rancho Grande, but I was aware of it as we would drive by on the way to visit relatives, and they mentioned eating there from time to time. I'm pretty sure the building started life as a national brand steakhouse, possibly a Western Sizzling.

Hartsville has urbanized to a surprising extent this millennium, but when this was built, the area was still quite rural and I'm sure the out-of-town location was chosen because it is at the intersection of US-15 Bypass and US-15 Business, something quite important before the Interstates.

The restaurant's Facebook page indicates that it closed around 17 May 2017, though I am unable to explain the wreath on the door which would otherwise indicate a post-Holiday-Season closing. The page also directs patrons to Neuva Villa which is apparently owned by the same family.

Well, I find this a bit surprising: I go by Boozer Shopping Center fairly frequently, but somehow I entirely missed a new restaurant in there until it had already closed.

It appears that down-home/soul-food joint Hungry Moments started sometime around April 2016, and lasted at least until March of 2017, when the last Yelp review appears. The reviews are mixed, but it seems if you hit it at the right time, you could get a good old-fashioned Southern meal.

I also apparently missed the previous tenant in this slot, Generations Bakery & Catering.

UPDATE 20 October 2018: Added picture of Boozer marquee.