Columbia Closings   What's not in Columbia anymore

The Killian Road area I Heart Mac & Cheese closed in November 2023, and I had visited it a few times, and thought it was OK if pricey & slow. This location, at the corner of Platt Springs & Emanuel Church roads, I had not visited. However my sister & niece did go a few times and liked it pretty well.

Judging by Google reviews, and a report from my sister, the hours had become rather erratic recently, which is a subcase of Sign #1.

The State noted the closing here, and the opening here. WLTX also noted the opening.

The media and street address posit this spot as West Columlbia, but this far out, I would have thought Springdale, South Congaree or just Lexington County.

Il Bucato replaced Ed Robinson Laundry & Dry Cleaning in late 2020 after the worst of the pandemic, but when running a take-out restaurant still made sense. Looking at the Google reviews, it appears to have had a pretty good run up until the past few months, when a lot of reviews mentioned staffing issues. There was also one gentleman called out by name as exemplary, and then a few reviews later there is one (purportedly) from him, saying that he was moving on.

I can't find anything official online about the closing, but here is an article from ColaDaily about the opening.

(Hat tip to commenter Nobody)

Here's another place I never ate -- I wasn't really aware of it, and anyway would worry about parking. I don't have an exact date for the closing, but the follow-on, Surfin' Sumo, "Hawaiian fusion flavors with a Japanese twist", opened on 28 August 2025, so presumably at least a couple of weeks before that, to allow for the changeover.

I don't see any stories about Sandwich Depot (the Google reviews are middling), but here are stories about the new operation from City government, the Post & Courier & The State.

(Hat tip to commenter Justin)

Well, I am happy to report that the best sandwiches on the Strand are available again. After a fire closed Dagwood's in Surfside back in January, the place underwent a several month rehabilitation, opening again last week as reported on their Facebook.

Here is a WMBF story on the fire. According to the chain's site, this building has been a Dagwood's since 2006. I am pretty sure I recall it being a Shoney's before that, and where we ate Thanksgiving dinner one odd-off year when all our relatives were away.

I look forward to a BLT+ the next time I am on the Strand!

Judging from the Google reviews, this place probably closed sometime this Spring. The closing is also marked "Temporary", but we'll see. You might think that sitting across from two campuses of hungry kids would be a good place for a sandwich shop, but I have to say that the Google reviews have about the highest concentration of one star ratings I have seen anywhere, so perhaps you really can't sell sizzle.

UPDATE 17 June 2025 -- Open again, under new management:

It looks like the Sub Station II on Parklane has disaffiliated from the chain and struck out on their own as Leo's Deli.

As nearly as I can tell from looking at the google reviews, this happened sometime around February 2024.

When Schlotzsky's was on Parklane I made it a point to eat lunch there once a week. It wasn't that the veggie sandwich was that good in and of itself (it was ok), but the fact that I really liked the sourdough buns, which were always a nice change from other sandwich places.

When that location closed, I noticed that some of the staff had made it to this location abuting Dutch Square, on the corner of Bush River & North Arrowwood Roads. In the event given how far it was from home, this location never made it into my regular rotation, and I probably only ate there a half dozen times over the last ten years. I liked the fact that they had a Cinnabon concession, though I think I only partook once.

Driving by lately, I had noticed that the Cinnabon part of the sign looked to have been painted over, and recent reviews suggest the place was having other problems, but it's still a shame to see them go (though Google marks the closing as temporary, so we'll see).

Looking at the other closings for the chain, it appears that at some point they dropped the word "Deli" from their name, something I just noticed.

(Hat top to commenter BrianTR)

UPDATE 16 September 2024 -- The Schlotzsky's branding is down, and the place is prepping to become Wings Co.:

New location:

I never ate at this Subway though I'm sure it would have been fine, but I had noticed it over the years, using Bush River Road to cut-through between I-20 & Saint Andrews Road. This little plaza is a bit awkwardly located though, right as Bush River goes from four lanes to two, and people are suddenly having to cut over. It also has to be said that Subway was the upscale tenant here, and were probably glad enough to move a little up the road.

(Hat tip to commenter Andrew)

This location of Jersey Mike's on Sunset by Krispy Kreme, seems to have closed in Jaunary. I didn't see any sign on the door when I went by, and there's nothing about it on the Facebook page (which remains active with corporate level posts), but the individual web site for the store is gone as well.

(Hat tip to commenter JohnR)

Which Wich was in this Main Street storefront which was the last location for The Basil Pot.

I never went to this location, but my experiences in two other locations for the chain were subpar. The fact that my order was wrong is a one-time thing, but not having fresh-brewed ice tea is a deal killer. Anyway, the place is now setting up to be a Substation II, which is also not one of my favorites.

The street is currently torn up all the way from the Capitol to Blossom street because apparently it was to easy to drive on and had too many parking spaces, so they are fixing that.

(Hat tip to commenter Payne)