Yesterdays, iconic Columbia restaurant, closing, future uncertain amid coronavirus
Yesterdays, the iconic Five Points restaurant and tavern, is closing and its future is uncertain as the coronavirus slows businesses across Columbia.
Yesterdays co-owner Scottie MacRae said the decision came as the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, worsened and customers began showing up in masks and gloves to get take out. The protective equipment made him realize the spread of the virus had gotten to a point that the restaurant needed to shut down for the safety of the employees, MacRae said.
Yesterdays was forced to close its dining room as Gov. Henry McMaster ordered all restaurants to serve only take out or drive-thru to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
Saturday will be the final day Yesterday’s will be open for a while or, maybe, ever, MacRae said. Whether the restaurant opens again depends on how long concerns about the virus linger.
“We’re basically letting the virus dictate what’s going on with us,” MacRae said. “If it doesn’t last too long, we’ll be back. If it does, we might not be.”
MacRae and co-owners, Darrell Barnes and Duncan MacRae, opened Yesterdays in 1978. The restaurant became known for its laid back, welcoming atmosphere and Southern-style comfort foods that are popular with USC students and after- church crowds alike. The cowboy in the bathtub that sits above Yesterdays entrance is a landmark in Columbia. Earlier this year, they sold the distinct triangular building that houses Yesterdays in the heart of Five Points. A new building owner didn’t mean the restaurant would close, the owners said. That was before the coronavirus.
“We love being part of this community,” MacRae said. “But it’s just impossible right now.”
Home Team BBQ, just across the street from Yesterdays, also closed as the coronavirus took its toll on business.