New restaurant coming to Columbia’s Five Points

A restaurant specializing in sandwiches and casual entrees plans to open in Columbia’s Five Points.

Macado’s, a 40-year-old chain with about 20 restaurants across Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina, plans to open on Blossom Street, just past the train trestle and across the street from Wells Fargo.

“I think it’ll be a great addition” to Five Points, said Macado’s owner Richard Macher, who added that he sees the district taking a turn toward more restaurant offerings.

This will be the first Macado’s restaurant in South Carolina.

Macher has a son who attends the University of South Carolina and hopes to one day take over the business, he said.

It will probably be more than a year before Macado’s opens in Five Points, Macher said.

The restaurant still lacks about a half dozen parking spaces required by city codes and currently is seeking a zoning change for one part of the property, Macher said.

The site used to be home to Master Cleaners dry cleaning.

Macado’s menus feature a wide array of sandwiches and a handful of entrees including lasagne and macaroni and cheese, almost all priced under $10. The restaurants also have bars with extensive alcoholic drink offerings.

The restaurants typically are open for lunch, dinner and late-night hours, Macher said.

Some Five Points neighbors have spoken out against any more bars opening in the entertainment district. But Macado’s is “anything but” another college bar, Macher said.

This story was originally published November 10, 2017 at 12:42 PM with the headline "New restaurant coming to Columbia’s Five Points."